Episode #3
Jacquelin Harris: Carrying the Legacy of Alvin Ailey
Have you ever seen Jacquelin Harris of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform? If you have, you’ll be thrilled to know that she and the company will be performing at Sadler’s Wells (15–19 September 2026). If you haven’t, this pitstop podcast interview might make you want to! One of the things I love about African American culture is the Ghanaian concept of Sankofa: looking to the past in order to enrich and inform the present. It’s an idea that resonates deeply with the work of Alvin Ailey. Drawing on the lived experiences, histories and what he described as the “blood memory” of African Americans, Ailey transformed those stories into extraordinary choreography: work that continues to move audiences decades later and brought to life by consummate dancers such as Jacquelin Harris. As a podcaster, I draw on my PhD research into African American and Afro-Brazilian oral and written texts to shape conversations with Black academics and creatives from around the world. My interviews are an opportunity to explore not only what people do, but also the histories, ideas and cultural traditions that inform and inspire their work. So, I was especially thrilled when the company told me that Jacquelin had managed to squeeze me into her incredibly busy schedule. The interview came together at rather short notice, which meant recording from home rather than in a studio, but I’m delighted that, alongside the audio version, I’m also able to share the full-length audiovisual interview: ( Jacquelin Harris: Carrying the Legacy of Alvin Ailey ). In this podcast on Black Artistry: Inspiration Recrafted (Season 2, Episode 3), we talk about Alvin Ailey’s enduring legacy, the role of improvisation in Black dance, and why storytelling is so central to Jacquelin’s craft. We also explore what it means to carry a legacy while continuing to create something that is distinctly your own. It was a fascinating conversation, and I can’t wait to see Jacquelin and the company bring Ailey’s work to the stage at Sadler’s Wells.
