Chatham Hall announces 2010-11 Leader in Residence - Judith Jamison
- by R. Ankrom
Chatham Hall is pleased to announce Ms. Judith Jamison, Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, as the 2010-2011 Leader in Residence. Ms. Jamison will be on campus Tuesday and Wednesday, January 18th and 19th.Ms. Jamison was chosen by Alvin Ailey to succeed him as Artistic Director after her long and dynamic career as a dancer, having been discovered by Agnes de Mille and made her New York debut with the American Ballet Theater in 1964. A year later, she joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater where she danced, to great acclaim, for fifteen years.
After leaving Alvin Ailey in 1980, Ms. Jamison appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world and starred on Broadway in the hit musical Sophisticated Ladies. In 1988, she formed her own company, The Jamison Project, and was the subject of a PBS special focusing on her creative process, Judith Jamison: The Dancemaker. Since 1989, Ms. Jamison has propelled the Alvin Ailey organization in new directions - including the development of the Women's Choreography initiative, performances at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, carrying the Olympic torch at the opening ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, and her involvement in two historic engagements in South Africa.
Ms. Jamison has created works for numerous dance companies and published her autobiography, edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Dancing Spirit, in 1993. She has received countless awards and honorary degrees, most notable among them an Emmy Award for the PBS show Great Performances: Dance in America special, A Hymn for Alvin Ailey, and an honorary doctorate from Howard University. In 1999, Ms. Jamison received the Kennedy Center Honor, for her contributions to American culture through the performing arts, followed by the National Medal of the Arts, the most prestigious award presented to artists in the United States. Most recently, Judith Jamison received the highest rank of the Order of Arts and Letters, an award that recognizes eminent artists and writers, and those who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world.
Ms. Jamison's selection as this year's Leader in Residence underscores Chatham Hall's strong belief in the importance of the arts in our daily lives as well as our broad commitment to global understanding. Ms. Jamison demonstrates through her work just what we hope for Chatham Hall students and alumnae: a commitment to a passion and to serving others.
Chatham Hall's phenomenally successful and unique Leader-In Residence Program provides exceptional opportunities for students to meet with leaders in intimate classroom and meal settings - furthering Chatham Hall's reputation for providing a global and whole education as the school prepares today's girls to be tomorrow's leaders. Luminaries such as Benazir Bhutto, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Jane Goodall have all visited the campus as guests of this program.
