Judith Jamison

At 81 years old, Judith Jamison has this physical status:

Judith Ann Jamison was born on May 10, 1943 to Tessie Brown Jamison and John Jamison Sr. She is best known as a ballet dancer and as the Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

Early training

Judith Jamison was born in 1943 to Tessie Brown Jamison and John Jamison Sr. and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her parents and older brother. Her father taught her how to play the piano and violin. She was introduced to Philadelphia's rich art scene from a young age. She began dancing at Judimar School of Dance at the age of six. Marion Cuyjet, one of Jamison's early mentors, spent time there. Jamison studied classical ballet and modern dance under Cuyjet's tutelage. The Judimar studios were regarded as a "holy place" and there was also a sense of performance and theatricality in Cuyjet's classes. Jamison began dancing on pointe and started taking classes in tap, acrobatics, and Dunham methods (which were described as "primitive" by the age of eight.

Cuyjet began delivering Jamison to other teachers to improve her dance training a few years ago. She learned the Cechetti technique from Antony Tudor, founder of the Philadelphia Ballet Guild, and studied with Delores Brown Abelson, a Judimar graduate who worked in New York City before returning to Philadelphia to teach. Jamison was a member of numerous sports groups, including the Glee Club and the Philadelphia String Ensemble, throughout high school. She studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a method that promotes rhythm by walking.

Jamison graduated from Judimar and began her undergraduate studies at Fisk University at the age of 17. She attended dance with James Jamieson, Nadia Chilkovsky, and Yuri Gottschalk after three semesters there. She took courses in labanotation, kinesiology, and other dance studies in lieu of her technique classes. She also learned the Horton technique from Joan Kerr, which demanded a lot of strength, balance, and concentration during this period.

Jamison was inducted into Delta Sigma Theta sorority as an honorary member in 1992.

Personal life

Judith Jamison was married briefly to Miguel Goderau, a dancer with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, from 1972 to 1974, when the marriage was annulled.

Source

Performance career

Agnes de Mille invited Jamison to perform in a new work for American Ballet Theatre, The Four Marys, in 1964. Jamison accepted the bid right away and spent the next few months with the firm. Jamison attended an audition held by Donald McKayle when the shows ended and she found herself in New York without a job. She complained that she did a job well in the audition and said, "I felt as if I had two left feet." However, Alvin Ailey, a McKayle's friend, called Jamison to give her a seat in his company – Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, just a few days later.

Jamison made her debut with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre in Chicago in 1965, and she and the company traveled throughout Europe and Africa in 1966. Jamison had always been keen on African identity, and so going to Africa with the company and learning the culture first-hand was an exciting and enriching experience for her. Unfortunately, Ailey's company was forced to suspend its operations for a brief period of time due to financial difficulties. Jamison performed with Harkness Ballet and served as an assistant to the artistic director during this period. When the company re-formed in 1967, she immediately returned to Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. Jamison spent the next thirteen years with Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, teaching over seventy ballets. Jamison spent many tours of Europe with Ailey's troupe, including tours of Europe's Iron Curtain, as well as Asia and Turkey. In Germany, which she says became her "second home." Throughout her time with the company, she performed in several of Ailey's most popular productions, including Blues Suite and Revelations.

Jamison performed the iconic solo, Cry, on May 4, 1971. Alvin Ailey choreographed this sixteen-minute dance as a birthday gift for his mother, Lula Cooper, and later dedicated it to "all black women everywhere, especially mothers." It's both physically and emotionally exhausting to perform. It celebrates a woman's struggle and painful life as well as her ability to overcome and triumph. Jamison never performed the complete piece from start to finish until the premiere, bringing standing ovations and overwhelming critical acclaim to the piece, recognizing Jamison for her fame and acclaim in the dance world. Cry is still a hit among crowds and is now included in the company's menu.

Jamison continued to appear all around the world during her time with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. In addition to her roles with Ailey's company, she has appeared as a guest artist with the Cullberg Ballet, Swedish Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and various other companies. In a duet called Pas de Duke, choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1976, she danced with many well-known dancers, including ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. She then left Ailey's company to perform in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies in 1980. Jamison's first stage appearance outside of concert dance was difficult, and she admits it was tough for her at first. It was a completely different work environment and demanded a variety of new skills.

Source

Awards

• Candace Award, Arts, National Coalition of 100 Black Women (1990)
• Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1992)
• Youngest person ever to receive The Dance USA Award (1998)
• New York State Governor's Arts Award (1998)
• Kennedy Center Honors for her contribution to American culture through dance (1999)
• A prime time Emmy Award and an American Choreography Award for her work on the PBS Documentary "A Hymn for Alvin Ailey" (1999)
• National Medal of Arts (2001)
• Honored by the National Theater of Ghana (2002)
• The Paul Robeson Award from the Actors' Equity Association (2004)
• Bessie Award for her commitment to development in dance and the arts (2007)
• Honorary degree of Brown University in Fine Arts (2008)
• The BET Honors Award – a tribute to the achievement of leading African Americans (2009)
• Listed in the TIME 100: The World's Most Influential People (2009)
• Congressional Black Caucus' Phoenix Award (2010)
• The Handel Medallion (2010)
• BET Black Girls Rock - Living Legend Award (2018)