World-renowned dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison has strong ties rooted in the City of Brotherly Love. Long before her rise to fame, Jamison was exposed to the arts and culture of Philadelphia. By age six she began training at the Judimar School of Dance. She studied classical ballet and modern dance under the revolutionary Marion Cuyjet, who became an early mentor. By eight years old, Jamison was already learning pointe, tap dancing, acrobatics, and Dunham technique, a pedagogy created by famed dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunhum. Cuyjet also introduced Jamison to Antony Tudor, founder of the Philadelphia Ballet Guild, in order to receive more advanced training. Jamison graduated from Judimar at age seventeen and went on to study dance at Fisk University.
In 1964, Jamison was invited to perform with the American Ballet Theatre and remained with the company for the next few months. She later auditioned for Donald McKayle but felt terribly about her performance saying, “I felt as if I had two left feet.” Apparently those feet were good enough to catch the attention of rising choreographer Alvin Ailey, who then invited her to join his company. Jamison spent the next thirteen years with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater.
Jamison truly rose to fame after her performance of Cry. The sixteen minute piece choreographed by Ailey as a birthday present for his mother was later dedicated to “all black women everywhere, especially our mothers.” The dance is both physically and emotionally demanding of its performer so Jamison had never run through it from start to finish until the night of the premier. At the end of the number, Jamison was rewarded with a standing ovation, huge critical acclaim, and her name buzzing within the dance community. To this day, Cry remains in the company’s repertoire. In 1980, Jamison left the company to try her hand at Broadway, starring in the musical Sophisticated Ladies.
Just a year later, Jamison started her own dance company, The Jamison Project. She gave back to the Philadelphia community by fostering and mentoring students from the area who joined her company. The Jamison Project would last for several years until Jamison would be called back to the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. In 1988, Jamison returned as an artistic associate, but after Ailey’s passing just a year later, she assumed the role of artistic director. She would spend the 21 years working towards upholding Ailey’s legacy.
Jamison has not only made a name for herself, but was definitely a driving force in putting Philadelphia on the map in the dance world. Today, she continues to mentor and choreograph, spreading her passion to dancers of all ages.
