Departures of note

Hope Clarke was born on March 23, 1941, in Washington, D.C. She began studying dance with her sister at the Alma Davis Dance School and graduated from Spingarn High School in 1959. Her professional career launched that same year when she joined the original touring cast of West Side Story, remaining with the company until April 1960.

Clarke danced with legendary companies including Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Her Broadway credits included Kwamina, Hallelujah, Baby!, Purlie, and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. She appeared in the Metropolitan Opera's first production of Antony and Cleopatra in 1966 and performed at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and St. Mark's Playhouse.

As a choreographer and director, Clarke earned a Tony nomination for her work on Jelly's Last Jam, collaborating frequently with George C. Wolfe. Her film appearances included Basquiat and Seventeen Again. Clarke died on July 23, 2026, at the age of 85.