Remembering James B. Clouser (1935–2024): Dancer, Director, Choreographer, Teacher

On July 31, 2024, James Brady Clouser passed away peacefully in Tucson, Arizona. Born in Rochester, New York, in 1935, James graced the world with his artistry as a choreographer, dancer, and musician, and with his warmth as a loving teacher. A devoted family man, he leaves behind not only a dance legacy, but a cherished family.

James’ gifts to the dance field are immense, marked by a spirit of generosity and an abiding respect for the art form. From beginning to end, the pathway he chose was full of surprises.

While studying composition, theory, and French horn performance at the Eastman School of Music, he discovered his passion for dance. Changing direction, he joined American Ballet Theatre. In 1958, he joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to principal dancer in 1959. He later served as a ballet master and in 1965, became assistant director of that company for two seasons. During his time with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, James choreographed 11 works for the company, composing music for five of them.

He then went to Houston Ballet, first to stage some work in 1969 and later joining the artistic staff in 1972, where he served as ballet master, resident choreographer, and acting artistic director. Afterwards, he founded Space/Dance/Theater and later served as artistic director of Dayton Ballet. He choreographed for numerous companies in Europe, Canada, and the U.S., including New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Noted works include Con Spirito, Carmina Burana, Rasputin, The Holy Devil (which starred Erik Bruhn), Ear to Stone (presented at the 1999 Avignon Festival in France), and the Shakespeare-inspired Caliban (a full-length rock ballet, to music by St. Elmo’s Fire). He also composed music for several of his works and for other choreographers.

James’ pedagogical studies took him to the Royal Ballet School in London, Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Ballet School, and to the Bolshoi and studying the Vaganova method in Russia. He also spent several months as a guest teacher at New York City’s High School of Performing Arts. His teaching in higher education included faculty appointments to The Juilliard School, Connecticut College, and the American Dance Festival. Those were followed by leadership positions at Loretto Heights College in Denver, where he became chair of the Programs in Fine Arts, and at Texas Christian University, where he served as full professor and chair of the Department of Ballet and Modern Dance. A subsequent seven-year stint at the University of North Texas ended in retirement. But, in another surprise twist, James would come out of “retirement” to join the dance faculty at the University of Arizona, where he served another 18 years.

His lifelong dance studies in pedagogy, kinesiology/injury prevention, and history positioned him to teach a range of academic classes while continuing as a creative artist. His courses, along with his work creating new choreography, staging classics, and remounting some of his earlier repertoire, led to his receiving the James R. Anthony Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Arizona’s College of Fine Arts.

More recognition followed when, in 2015, the organization CORPS de Ballet International selected James for its Lifetime Achievement Award, where he joined the ranks of other awardees such as Alonzo King and Amanda McKerrow.

As his final retirement neared, James, at age 84, took on the direction and choreography for Bernstein’s Mass, a collaboration with artists from UA Dance, the Tucson Symphony, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Tucson Boys Chorus, and special guest vocalist Jubilant Sykes. Mass was the crowning performance of the 2018 Tucson Desert Song Festival.

While it is impossible to sum up James’ life, it was indeed a “festival”—filled with energy, adventure, magic, and joy. The countless thousands of people he touched and inspired will remember, with endless gratitude, his kindness and wisdom and the artistry of his life, and they will pass on to future generations his gusto for forging a path.

James Clouser is survived by son Mathew and daughter-in-law Miranda, his sister Mary, his wife Sally Waldmann-Clouser and her daughters, Karen Waldmann and Kriste Brushaber. The legacy of his life lives on through them along with the many friends, colleagues, and students whose lives he touched. The family’s wishes are that contributions in honor of Jim’s legacy be made to Dancing In the Streets AZ. —Written by Melissa Lowe and Jory Hancock