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 John Jones. As much as Jamison loved dance, she decided on a career in psychology at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. (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. After she finished college, Agnes de Mille recognized her talent and invited her to perform in "The Four Marys" at the American Ballet Theatre. Honored by this invitation, Jamison eagerly accepted the offer and packed her bags to move to New York City.
             In 1965, the same year she finished "The Four Marys," Jamison joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. She traveled Europe with Ailey for a year until he had to close his
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