Jersey City, N.J., November 9, 2017 – New Jersey City University (NJCU) will present an evening with Judith Jamison â€“ the iconic dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director Emeritus of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – on Wednesday, November 15, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., at the NJCU School of Business, Skyline Room, Harborside 2, 200 Hudson Street in Jersey City.

As a dancer, Ms. Jamison became one of modern dance’s great performers and she was appointed Artistic Director of the company in 1989 at the request of Alvin Ailey, himself. During her tenure, she shaped the company into the foremost modern dance troupe in the country, and built a permanent home and school for them in Manhattan. Ms. Jamison has received many awards for her accomplishments as an artist and director, and she is being inducted into the 2017 Crain’s Hall of Fame this month, which honors leaders from business, philanthropy and the arts who have left a major impact on New York.

Sharon Ambis, Chair of the NJCU Arts Advisory Board and the Director of Marketing at Jersey City Medical Center/RWJ Barnabas Health, will moderate a Q&A after Ms. Jamison’s keynote speech.

This event is FREE with RSVP and open to the public. The program is part of NJCUâ€s 2017-18 Presidential Speaker series. RSVP now at http://bit.ly/2yIuUnD for An Evening with Judith Jamison. For more information visit www.njcu.edu/arts.

About JUDITH JAMISON

Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and quickly became an international star. Over the next 15 years, Mr. Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. During the 1970s and 80s, she appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world, starred in the hit Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, and formed her own company, The Jamison Project.

She returned to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1989 when Mr. Ailey asked her to succeed him as Artistic Director. In the 21 years that followed, she brought the Company to unprecedented heights – including two historic engagements in South Africa and a 50-city global tour to celebrate the Companyâ€s 50th anniversary.

Ms. Jamison is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a prime time Emmy Award, an American Choreography Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts, a “Bessie” Award, the Phoenix Award, and the Handel Medallion. She was also listed in “TIME 100: The Worldâ€s Most Influential People” and honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series event. Last year, she became the 50th inductee into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance.

As a highly regarded choreographer, Ms. Jamison has created many celebrated works, including Divining (1984), Forgotten Time (1989), Hymn (1993), HERE . . .NOW. (commissioned for the 2002 Cultural Olympiad), Love Stories (with additional choreography by Robert Battle and Rennie Harris, 2004), and Among Us (Private Spaces: Public Places) (2009).

Ms. Jamisonâ€s autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published in 1993. In 2004, under Ms. Jamisonâ€s artistic directorship, her idea of a permanent home for the Ailey Company in New York City was realized and named after beloved chairman Joan Weill. Ms. Jamison continues to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remains committed to promoting the significance of the Ailey legacy—using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future.

ABOUT New Jersey City University (NJCU)

 The mission at New Jersey City University (NJCU) is to provide a diverse population with an excellent education. The University is committed to the improvement of the educational, intellectual, cultural, socioeconomic, and physical environment of the surrounding urban region and beyond.  Established in 1927 as a training school for teachers, today NJCU is among the most comprehensive universities in the state.  Located in Jersey City, NJ, and minutes from New York City, NJCU’s fully accredited College of Arts and Sciences, Education, Professional Studies, and School of Business offer 43 undergraduate degree programs and 27 masterâ€s programs and 2 doctoral programs, including emerging and interdisciplinary fields.

NJCU students engage in rigorous applied-learning experiences that include opportunities to study abroad, and cooperative education internships.  NJCU operates two additional campus sites—NJCU School of Business at Harborside Plaza 2 in Jersey Cityâ€s financial district and NJCU at Brookdale in Wall Township in Monmouth County.

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