With Celebratory Brunch, Clay Taliaferro Receives ADF's 2025 Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching

On Sunday, June 29, 2025, The American Dance Festival (ADF) presented the 2025 Balasaraswati/Joy Anne Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching to dance educators Lynda Davis and Clay Taliaferro in a ceremony at The Fruit in Durham, North Carolina. Nile H. Russell, ADF’s Director of Education wrote, “Their remarkable careers in education have impacted and inspired generations, both in and beyond the studio. By fostering care, curiosity, and intellect, they create a space for rediscovery, empowerment, and the offering of one’s authentic self. Ms. Davis and Mr. Taliaferro continue to remind us of the transformative power of movement to reveal and liberate the soul.”

Clay Taliaferro is universally held to be an iconic performing artist of enormous power, eloquence, depth, and passion, one of the most important male performers in modern dance in the 20th and 21st centuries. As a featured member of the José Limón Dance Company, Clay received world-wide recognition for his portrayals of José Limón's roles - roles demanding a combination of a powerful and grounded movement facility with a strong dramatic ability to convey gesture and endow the movements with human emotion.

As a Professor of the Practice of Dance in the Duke University Dance Program, and now Professor Emeritus, the Dance Program is a home for Clay. It soon became clear to M’Liss Dorrance, also an Emerita of the Program, that so many admirers, friends, fellow artists and faculty, and those who danced with him and for him, were interested in spending time with Clay outside of the more formal teaching tribute ceremony later that day. And so she spearheaded the idea of an informal brunch, and the emails back and forth to folks all over the world began!

We designed it as a potluck, because food provided by dancers is always plentiful and superb! Jodee Nimerichter, Executive Director of the American Dance Festival, was so kind as to provide the Gilbert-Addoms conference room for the brunch, and Nile Russell made sure that everything was in order for us. This gathering became a wonderful reunion for all, and a chance for generations of students, dancers and teachers to reconnect or meet for the first time. Because Clay is known by so many and valued by so many all over the world, it was wonderful, though not unexpected, that so many people came to the lunch. One former student came from Prague, of the Czech Repbublic! Others came from New York and around the States. It was fantastic!

Many were able to also attend the tribute, and to hear Clay’s eloquent, brilliant, and inspiring acceptance speech, a final gift of the day to us all. This day resonates still for all of us.