Joe V. Nash

In 2004, he tripped and fell in his apartment in the Manhattanville Houses, pinned to the floor by a stack of books. He died April 13, 2005 from cardiovascular difficulties, at age 85. The Manhattan Office of the Public Administrator sealed his apartment to search for any relatives due to fears of his collection being scattered. Two nephews were later discovered to handle the estate. The collection later found its way to Duke University in 2009.

Dance Magazine and The New York Times often quoted him and his contributions to dance magazines and the newspaper. He also gave commentary and photographs to The Black Tradition in American Dance. He also became a historian for the American Dance Festival, giving lectures nationwide and becoming a consultant for the PBS documentary Free to Dance in 2001.

In the early 1940s, he met Pearl Primus at the National Youth Administration and became her first dance partner before studying dance with Syvilla Fort and Katherine Dunham. After serving in World War II, he returned to New York in 1946 first performing on Broadway in Show Boat, and in London in Finian’s Rainbow. Later, Nash became a member of Donald McKayle’s company, another African American choreographer of New York. He became a regular in Broadway originals, performing in My Darlin' Aida, Flahooley, and Bless You All. He also danced with Alvin Ailey in 1954 when he danced in House of Flowers, choreographed by Pearl Bailey. Starting in 1948, Joseph Nash became a dance instructor at Marion Cuyjet’s Judimar School of Dance in Philadelphia. His classes became famous in the city dance scene. One of his most talented students, Judith Jamison, became a world-famous dancer, becoming the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Arthur Hall, a dancer and archivist, was also one of his students.

Joseph Vincent Nash (October 5, 1919 – April 13, 2005), was an American dancer, choreographer, and dance historian.

Joseph Nash was born on October 5, 1919 in New York City to a butler and a housewife during the Harlem Renaissance on 99th Street near Central Park West prior to clearing for the New York Housing Authority's Park West Village.