Choreographer Hope Clarke Dies at 85
Ms. Clarke was a Tony nominee for choreographing Jelly's Last Jam .
Ms. Clarke was a Tony nominee for choreographing Jelly's Last Jam.
July 27, 2026 By Logan Culwell-Block
Tony-nominated stage and screen choreographer Hope Clarke died July 23 at the age of 85. According to notes from family representative Donelle Chisolm, Ms. Clarke passed "peacefully."
Perhaps best known for earning a Tony nomination choreographing the Jelly Roll Morton jukebox biomusical Jelly's Last Jam in 1992, Hope Clarke was born in Washington, D.C. March 23, 1941. She would begin her career as a dancer, serving in the principal companies of both the Katherine Dunham Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and appearing on Broadway in such musicals as West Side Story, Purlie, Hallelujah Baby!, and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. On screen, she would play memorable roles in 1977's A Piece of the Action and 1996's Basquiat, along with making guest appearances on TV's Hill Street Blues, Sex and the City, and The Jeffersons.
But it was as a director and choreographer where Ms. Clarke made her largest impact. Jelly's Last Jam, her Broadway debut as a choreographer, was far and away the biggest hit of her career, earning her a Tony nomination, a Joseph Calloway Award, a Drama-Logue Award, and an NAACP Image Award. She would go on to choreograph The Tempest; Caroline, or Change; and A Free Man of Color on the Main Stem, and in 1995, Clarke became the first African American (and first Black woman) to direct and choreograph a major staging of Porgy and Bess, for Houston Grand Opera.
Off the stage, Clarke was a passionate mentor and advocate for her fellow dance artists. She was a co-founder of the 5 Plus Ensemble, created to celebrate and showcase dancers over the age of 50.
Clarke is survived by her sister, Barbara Clarke; nephew, Joseph Chisolm; great-newphew, Jaydon Chisolm; and great-niece, Jordon Chisolm. A celebration of life is planned for September 5, with details to be announced.
