Born into poverty in Texas, and dead at 58 of AIDS, in Manhattan, choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) surfed the 20th century with big dreams and extraordinary grace and power. Edges of Ailey ...

American dancer Judith Jamison performs ‘Cry,’ Alvin Ailey’s dance of praise to Mothers, with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center, New York, New York, May 4, 1978. (Photo by ...

FILE - Judith Jamison attends the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 65th anniversary season gala on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in New York. (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP, File) From Philly and the ...

Judith Jamison, choreographer and artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, observes young dancers during a workshop at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010.

Judith Jamison, the celebrated dancer and former artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, has passed away at age 81 in New York following a brief illness.

Judith Jamison joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and danced with the company for 15 years. She later led the company for 20 years, helping make it one of the most successful ...

Judith Jamison, choreographer and artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, observes young dancers during a workshop at the White House in Washington, Sept. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/J ...

Judith Jamison, artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, observes young dancers during a workshop at the White House in Washington in 2010. Credit: AP / J. Scott Applewhite By ...

FILE - Judith Jamison attends the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 65th anniversary season gala on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in New York. (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP, File) ...

FILE - Judith Jamison, choreographer and artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, observes young dancers during a workshop at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010.

Coral Dolphin, Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). Courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art; Photo by Natasha Moustache.