2. Judith Jamison was born on May 10, 1943 and grew up in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her mother, father, and
older brother.
Her father taught her to play the piano, and violin. She
was exposed to the prominent art culture in
Philadelphia from a very early age. At the age of six,
she began her dance training at Judimar School of
Dance where she studied classical ballet, and modern
dance. The Judimar studios were treated as a "holy
place" and there was always a sense of performance
and theatricality in Marion Cuyjet's classes.
By age eight, Jamison began dancing on pointe
and started taking classes in tap
dancing, acrobatics, and Dunham technique
(which was referred to as "primitive").
3. In 1964, after seeing Jamison in a master
class, Agnes DeMille invited her to come to New
York to perform in a new work that she was
choreographing for American Ballet Theatre, The
Four Marys. Jamison immediately accepted the
offer and spent the next few months working with
the company. When the performances ended and
she found herself in New York without a job,
Jamison attended an audition held by Donald
McKayle. She felt that she performed very poorly
in the audition and claimed, "I felt as if I had two
left feet.” However, a few days later, a friend of
McKayle's, Alvin Ailey, called Jamison to offer her
a place in his company – Alvin Ailey Dance
Theater.
4. On May 4, 1971, Jamison premiered her famous solo, Cry.
Alvin Ailey choreographed this sixteen minute dance as a
birthday present for his mother, Lula Cooper, and later
dedicated it to "all-black women everywhere, especially our
mothers." The solo is intensely physical and emotionally
draining to perform. It celebrates the journey of a woman
coming out of a troubled and painful world and finding the
strength to overcome and conquer. She never ran the full
piece from start to finish until the premiere, the piece
received standing ovations and overwhelming critical
acclaim, rewarding Jamison with great fame and
recognition throughout the dance world. Today, Cry remains
a crowd favourite and is still featured in the company's
repertoire
5. Jamison stayed with Alvin
Ailey until 1980 and
during that time gave
several notable
performances, including
1967’s The Prodigal
Prince and
1969’s Masekela
Language. Audiences
also remember
1976’s Pas de Duke, a
duet with Mikhail
Baryshnikov set to the
music of Duke Ellington.
6. After leaving the company, she
appeared as a guest artist with ballet
companies all over the world, starred
in the hit Broadway
musical Sophisticated Ladies.
7. In addition performing, Jamison wanted the opportunity to explore working with
her own group of dancers. She began teaching master classes at Jacob's
Pillow in 1981 and soon began choreographing her own works. She later
formed The Jamison Project with a group of dancers with a strong desire to
work and learn. The Project premiered on November 15, 1988 at the Joyce
Theater in New York City, performing works such as Divining, Time Out,
and Tease. Jamison later invited guest choreographers, including Garth Fagan,
to set work for the company.
8. She returned to Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater in 1989 when Ailey
asked her to succeed him as Artistic
Director.
9. In the 21 years that followed, she
brought the Company to unprecedented
heights – including two historic
engagements in South Africa and a 50city global tour to celebrate the
Company’s 50th anniversary.
10. Alvin Ailey Dance Theater continued to thrive as
Jamison continued to rehearse and restage
classics from the company's repertory, as well as
commission distinguished choreographers to
create new works for the dancers. Jamison also
continued to choreograph, and created dances
such as Forgotten Time, Hymn, Love Stories,
and Among Us for the company. In July 2011,
Jamison transitioned into the role of Artistic
Director Emerita and appointed Robert Battle to
the position of Artistic Director Designate.
11. Jamison has been the recipient of
numerous awards, including the
Kennedy Center Honors in 1999 and
the National Medal of Arts in 2001.
Her autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was
published in 1993.
