Juidth Jamison: A History
Judith Jamison's accomplishments and contributions as a dancer have made her one of the most well-known performing artists of the twentieth century. She danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre for fifteen years and during that time she emerged as an international dance star. Her exquisite dancing and elegant persona transformed the stage into a landscape filled with magic, power, and spirit. Her career has encompassed the modern dance and ballet worlds, musical theater, choreography, and the founding of her own dance company. In 1989, after the death of Alvin Ailey, Jamison was selected as the artistic director of the AAADT and her charge was to lead the world's most widely seen dance company into its fourth decade and the twenty-first century. Born in Philadelphia in 1943, Judith Jamison was the younger of two children. As a very young child, she took piano and violin lessons. By the age of six, her parents decided to enroll her in dance classes to complement her height with grace and elegance. She was enrolled at the Judimar School of Dance where she was trained in classical and modern ballet under the instruction of Marion Cuyjet, Delores Brown, and Jo
Today Jamison remains Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Jamison founded her own dance company named, "The Jamison Project. " The mission of her company was to explore the opportunities of getting a group of dancers together, for both her choreography and to commission works from others. Needing a job, Jamison joined the Harkness Ballet where she stayed for a few months until Ailey could reopen his company. Her tall, and elegant features and graceful moves soon became an emblem of the company. " It was during this time that she realized she wanted to use her talent as a dancer and turn it into that of a choreographer. Jamison became artistic director after the untimely death of Ailey in December of 1989. (Maynard) It only took Jamison three semesters to realize that she was destined to dance. She moved back to Philadelphia and finished out her studies at the Philadelphia Dance Academy. These dances include Cry, Revelations, The Prodigal Prince, Knoxville: Summer of 1915, The Lark Ascending, and The Mooch. She is currently building a new home for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre that is said to be completed by 2004. Her autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was published in 1993. ) She is on the board of several organizations including Jacob's Pillow and the Advisory Board of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries.
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