Judith Jamison to Receive Handel Medallion from Mayor Bloomberg 11/8

Mayor Michael Bloomberg will present Judith Jamison with The NYC Handel Medallion, the highest official honor given by the City of New York, on Monday, November 8th. Established in 1959 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner, recipients are selected for their outstanding contributions to the city's intellectual and cultural life. Past recipients have included: George Balanchine, Aaron Copland, Alice Tully, Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, John Lennon, Leontyne Price, and Alvin Ailey. Ms. Jamison will receive The NYC Handel Medallion for distinguished achievement in the arts at Alice Tully Hall during the Mayor's Awards for Arts and Culture program featuring tribute performances and remarks.

Judith Jamison's final season as artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will begin at New York City Center on December 1st with exciting performances celebrating 50 years of Revelations, Alvin Ailey's American masterpiece acclaimed as a must-see for all. Jamison will conduct live musicians and a full choir, featuring the incomparable soloist Ella Mitchell, at not-to-be-missed performances on Friday, December 3rd and Saturday, December 4th at 8pm. As a joyful nod to each year of Revelations' life, audiences will witness the ballet with a cast of 50 dancers on Friday, December 3rd for the first-time ever!

Joined by artistic director designate Robert Battle, Jamison will lead Ailey's extraordinary artists as they share a series of premieres, repertory favorites, and special programs through January 2nd. For her final season, Jamison is planning new productions of works from the Ailey repertory that have special meaning, including: Cry, Ailey's birthday gift for his mother, created on his muse Jamison, which she has taught to subsequent generations of Ailey women; Mary Lou's Mass, a celebration of life, jazz and gospel that was recently revived for the centennial of composer Mary Lou Williams' birth; and Forgotten Time, Jamison's quietly uplifting choreography which was her first work set on the Company after becoming artistic director.

In an exciting finish to the season, a Jamison Farewell Program on January 2nd will pay tribute to Ailey's leading woman with surprise guest artists and a one-night-only program highlighting a variety of much loved works and David Parson's gravity-defying, strobe-lit showstopper Caught in its entirety (see program details below).

On November 17th, Jamison will also receive the 2010 National Award for Citizen Diplomacy, for extraordinary work increasing American citizen engagement in international affairs and fostering cross-cultural understanding, along with Robert Redford and five others. As part of the U.S. Summit and Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will be recognized as a "best practices" exemplar in international cultural engagement.

For over two decades, Judith Jamison has been artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which has performed for an estimated 23 million people in 71 countries on 6 continents since 1958, using the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition in a universal celebration of the human spirit. One of the most renowned figures in modern dance, she was Mr. Ailey's muse for whom he created the tour-de-force solo Cry and Pas de Duke, a spirited duet with Mikhail Baryshnikov set to the music of Duke Ellington, among other enduring roles. Jamison broke through racial barriers in the 1970s becoming internationally recognized in the dance world, and was the first female African-American artist to appear on the cover of Dance Magazine.

She has led the Company, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American "Cultural Ambassador to the World", in performances during two Olympics, in groundbreaking visits to South Africa, Russia and Paris, and on a 50-city global tour celebrating Ailey's 50th anniversary. Ms. Jamison is an Emmy-winning choreographer and her autobiography was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The 2004 establishment of a permanent home for Ailey in New York City - the nation's largest building dedicated to dance - was the realization of her dream to ensure the future of Ailey's dance performances, training, and educational and community programs for all.

Named to TIME's 2009 list of the world's 100 most influential people, Ms. Jamison is the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, the BET Honors, and the National Medal of Arts. In 2009, The New York Times declared that she is "surely the most stellar and admired artistic director of any repertory dance company in America." Most recently, Ms. Jamison was honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series: A Tribute to Judith Jamison, and received the 2010 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's prestigious Phoenix Award.

Don't miss the opportunity to share in an historic season of inspiration and continuing revelations. Tickets, starting at $25, are on sale at the New York City Center Box Office, through CityTix® at (212) 581-1212 or online at www.alvinailey.org or www.nycitycenter.org. New York City Center is located at 131 West 55th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. For group sales, call 212-405-9082 or e-mail groupsales@alvinailey.org.

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