Constance Stamatiou radiates the same warmth and energy that earned her the nickname “Sunshine” among her peers at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. A principal dancer with the company since 2007, Stamatiou opened up about her relationship with the late Judith Jamison, the legendary artistic director who shaped not just her career, but her approach to life and art. In an intimate conversation with Rolling Out, Stamatiou shares how Jamison’s guidance transformed her from a young dancer from Charlotte, North Carolina, into one of the company’s most compelling performers.
[Editor’s note: This is a truncated transcription of a longer video interview. Please see the video for the extended version. Some errors may occur.]
You wrote on Instagram that Jamison invested time in you, trusted you, and guided you. Can you unpack that relationship for us?
Miss Jamison was phenomenal at putting movement into perspective. She would put things into perspective when it comes to movement that you wouldn’t think about. She was really good with carrying on Mr. Ailey’s legacy. It was really important for her to showcase dancers, show that we are human beings, show our legacy, our life experiences through our movement. She would always say, “You’re in a glass bubble, you’re allowing the audience to go on a journey with you.”
I’ll never forget my first performance in London in 2007. She hired this young 21-year-old at the time, and I think I was still a little starstruck because I’m in a company with amazing dancers and with Judith Jamison as my boss. She was like, “You’re here, you’ve made it. Now what are you going to do?” She was always good with making you push forward. Like her quote says, if you don’t push yourself to the wall, then what’s the point? What are you here for? What are you waiting for? If you’re not better than you were yesterday, then what’s the point?
You mentioned her saying ‘take it to the wall.’ What were some of those lessons she imparted to you as a dancer?
She definitely was all about discipline. You come into the studio knowing your worth. There was no, I need help to relearn something. Once you learned it, it was up to you to maintain that. She helped guide you with notes for the ballet. As long as you brought your true self, that was most important for her. She truly believes that as a dancer, you are the extension of the music. If the music cuts off, they should be able to hear and see the music through your body. Just to see her move her hands, those long arms was just breathtaking. And just so full of information and life and love.
Let’s talk about performing in front of her at the TED talk. You were the only dancer on stage performing B3. How nerve-wracking was that experience?
Oh, absolutely. For one, the fact that she trusts me to do this solo, I have no choice but to give my all. The minute I heard the news of her passing, I actually went back and watched that video. As scared as I was, this is when you have to call on your ancestors and call on those that did it before you and be like, look, I need your strength. I need help to get me through this, to stay calm. I looked back at that video, and just to see her watching me with a smile on her face, that’s the greatest gift. It touched my soul.
That moment when she removed her scarf, gave you that warm hug, and then presented you to the audience again…
Because I was trying to get her to go down and bow. I was like, this is Ms. Jamison. And she said, “mm-mm, you.” Just selfless. Just wow.
What has watching and being developed under Ms. Jamison done for you as a mentor? How do you take those pieces she poured into you and pour them into the next generation of dancers?
I just try to do my best to come selfless, to come humbly, and to smile. That’s why they call me Sunshine. I feel like it changes the atmosphere, puts you at ease. Because what we do is not easy, and we’re always on the go. I try to help even my co-workers, especially the new ones who may not have an understanding of “Revelations,” who may not have grown up in a Baptist church.
It’s important to connect to those ballets, those southern roots, those blood memories of Mr. Ailey. You’re fanning, it’s a hot summer day. This is a Sunday. Everybody is dressed in their finest. They’re in church, ready to praise the Lord. Ms. Jamison was very particular about the makeup, your lashes, and don’t have your kitchen sticking out in the back. You got to flick it, okay?
How do you stir up that gift that she planted in you?
For one, it starts with connection. If I am focused, warmed, and ready, and have my mindset and vulnerability, then I know it’s going to unfold the way she wants. When I first learned “Cry” from Ms. Jamison, it was a three-person “Cry.” Being in my 20s, I didn’t really have a lot of life experience. Now I’m a mother of two, and decades later, it became more personal because I’ve experienced so much.
This dance is so therapeutic, if you allow it to be. As Ms. Jamison would say, I want to see that floor on fire—not red hot, but blue hot. She wants it electric. She would often say too, she didn’t want to see robots. It didn’t matter about how many turns you could do or how high your leg can go. It’s about how you make the people feel.
What should we remember most about Judith Jamison and her legacy?
Well, I would say, job well done, boss, because Mr. Ailey, when he passed and said, please take over the company, she did just that and beyond for 25 years. We’re the most touring company in the world. She got us this beautiful, as we would say, glass palace, probably one of the most beautiful dance spaces in the world.
She continued to keep Mr. Ailey’s legacy alive. She would make it very known that it wasn’t about her. She was just a one-of-a-kind gem. I don’t think we’ll ever see anyone like Ms. Jamison. I’m just so fortunate that I got to work under her. She will be terribly missed. But she is definitely celebrated in love, and may her spirit continue to reside in all of us.
