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R.I.P. Denise Jefferson
The director of the Ailey School passes away after battle with cancer
Denise Jefferson, left, speaks to Jill Biden at a dance rehearal
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New York City’s dance community is saddened by the death of Ailey School Director Denise Jefferson. The 65-year-old passed away on July 17 in Manhattan after a battle with ovarian cancer. Jefferson, who was an advocate for dance, had been the director of the famed dance training school since 1984.
Denise Jefferson was born in Chicago and displayed a skill for dance at an early age. As a child, she took ballet classes under the instruction of Edna McRae but chose not to pursue a career in ballet. In 1999, she told Dance magazine that she “had never seen anyone who wasn’t white in a ballet company.” Instead, she opted for Contemporary Dance instead. Her professional journey in the field began one year after receiving a scholarship to the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, with Pearl Lang’s Dance Theater. As a dancer, she performed with companies such as Ballet National de Espana, Morris Dance Group and Martha Graham Dance Company.
As a director, one of her contributions to the Alvin Ailey School was merging a joint degree program with Fordham University. With former Fordham University dean, Edward Bristow, the program enabled students to receive equal amount of credits toward the Ailey School and their bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at Fordham. People who knew Denise Jefferson on a personal level, like Ailey School Artistic Director Judith Jamison, are trying to cope with their loss. Jamison had this to say about her co-worker’s passage: “We miss her dearly, but we know that we, we’re standing in the light of the Center for Dance and we’re smiling because she was a part of this building.”
Denise Jefferson is survived by her mother, Irma Jefferson; sister (and former critic for the New York Times), Margo Jefferson; and her daughter, singer, dancer and choreographer, Francesca Harper. A memorial concert is being arranged.