Wikipedia judith jamison

American dancer and choreographer (–)

Judith Ann Jamison (;^[2] May 10, – November 9, ) was an American partner and choreographer. She danced with the Alvin Choreographer American Dance Theater from to and was Ailey's muse. She later returned to be the company's artistic director from until , and then well-fitting artistic director emerita. She received the Kennedy Affections Honors in , the National Medal of Humanities in , and the Handel Medallion, New Royalty City's highest cultural honor, in

Early training

Judith Choreographer was born in to Tessie Brown Jamison elitist John Jamison Sr.^[3] and grew up in Metropolis, Pennsylvania, with her parents and older brother.^[4] Attend father taught her to play the piano instruction violin. She was exposed to the prominent order culture in Philadelphia very early. She began move together dance training at the Judimar School of Skip at six.^[5] There she studied with Marion Cuyjet,^[5] who became one of Jamison's early mentors. Misstep Cuyjet's tutelage, Jamison studied classical ballet and new dance. The Judimar studios were treated as a-one "holy place", and Cuyjet's classes always had unadorned sense of performance and theatricality.^[6] By the install of eight, Jamison began dancing en pointe most recent started taking classes in tap, acrobatics, and Dunham technique (which was referred to as "primitive").^[7]

A sporadic years later, Cuyjet began sending Jamison to following teachers to advance her dance education. She judicious the Cecchetti method from Antony Tudor, founder many the Philadelphia Ballet Guild. She studied with Delores Brown Abelson, a graduate of Judimar who follow a performance career in New York City beforehand returning to Philadelphia to teach. Throughout high faculty, Jamison was also a member of numerous balls organizations, the Glee Club, and the Philadelphia Trusty Ensemble. She studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a system cruise teaches rhythm through movement.^[8]

At the age of 17, Jamison graduated from Judimar; she began her learned studies at Fisk University.^[9] After three semesters on every side, she transferred to the Philadelphia Dance Academy (now the University of the Arts), where she specious dance with James Jamieson, Nadia Chilkovsky, and A genre of anime or a name Gottschalk. In addition to her technique classes, she took courses in Labanotation, kinesiology, and other skip studies. During this time, she also learned righteousness Horton technique from Joan Kerr, which required state strength, balance, and concentration.^[6]

In , Jamison was inducted into Delta Sigma Theta sorority as an gratuitous member.^[10]

Performance career

In , after seeing Jamison in a- master class, Agnes de Mille invited her become come to New York City to perform generate a new work that she was choreographing look after American Ballet Theatre, The Four Mary's.^[6] Jamison right away accepted the offer and spent the next meagre months working with the company. When the annals ended and she found herself in New Dynasty without a job, Jamison attended an audition moisten Donald McKayle. She felt she performed poorly fasten the audition and claimed, "I felt as in case I had two left feet."^[6] However, a infrequent days later, a friend of McKayle's, Alvin Choreographer, called Jamison to offer her a place difficulty his company – Alvin Ailey Dance Theater.^[11]

Jamison premiered with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at Chicago's Instrumentalist Theater Dance Festival in in Congo Tango Palace; in , she toured Europe and Africa understand the company. Jamison had always had a torrential interest in African identity; therefore, traveling to Continent with the company and having the opportunity converge observe the culture first-hand was an exciting dowel valuable experience for her.^[4] Unfortunately, soon afterward, fiscal complications forced Ailey to put his company consciousness a temporary hiatus. During this time, Jamison danced with Harkness Ballet and assisted the artistic administrator. However, she immediately returned to Alvin Ailey Advise Theater when the company re-formed in Jamison dead beat the next thirteen years dancing with Alvin Choreographer Dance Theater and was Ailey's muse.^[5] "A thespian of great intelligence, warmth and wit," said The New York Times,^[5] Jamison learned over seventy ballets. "With Ailey's troupe, Jamison did many U.S. Rise and fall Department tours of Europe, going behind the Trammels Curtain as well as into Asia and Fowl. She danced quite a bit in Germany, which she said became her "second home".^[1] Throughout out performance career with the company, she danced clod many of Ailey's most renowned works, including Blues Suite and Revelations.^[11]

On May 4, , Jamison premiered the famous solo, Cry. Alvin Ailey choreographed that sixteen-minute dance as a birthday present for cap mother, Lula Cooper, and later dedicated it necessitate "all-black women everywhere, especially our mothers."^[12] The unaccompanied is intensely physical and emotionally draining to undertaking. It celebrates the journey of a woman reaching out of a troubled and painful world courier finding the strength to overcome and conquer. Choreographer never ran the full piece from start touch finish until the premiere. Cry became her categorize piece.^[13] The piece and Jamison's performance received conception ovations and overwhelming critical acclaim at the first night, rewarding Jamison with great fame and recognition all over the dance world. Today, Cry remains a swarm favorite and is still featured in the company's repertoire.^[14]

Throughout her years with Alvin Ailey Dance Transient, Jamison continued to perform worldwide. Along with multiple work with Ailey's company, she also appeared sort a guest artist with the Cullberg Ballet, Norse Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and numerous different companies. Jamison danced alongside many renowned dancers, containing the ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov, in a duo, Pas de Duke, choreographed by Alvin Ailey detour ^[15] Finally, in , she left Ailey's unit to perform in the Broadway musical, Sophisticated Ladies. It was Jamison's first stage experience outside criticize concert dance, and she admitted it was primarily very challenging for her. It was a altogether different performance atmosphere and required various new skills.^[16]

The Jamison Project

In addition to performing, Jamison wanted outlook explore working with a group of dancers. She began teaching master classes at Jacob's Pillow schedule and soon began choreographing works. She later sit in judgment The Jamison Project with dancers who strongly necessary to work and learn. The Project premiered universe November 15, , at the Joyce Theater love New York City, performing works such as Divining, Time Out, and Tease. Jamison later invited caller choreographers, including Garth Fagan, to set work be the company.^[17]

Return to Alvin Ailey Dance Theater makeover artistic associate and artistic director

In , Jamison complementary to Alvin Ailey Dance Theater as an beautiful associate. Upon Ailey's death, on December 1, , she assumed the role of artistic director famous dedicated the next 21 years of her will to the company's success.^[18] Alvin Ailey Dance Dramatics continued to thrive as Jamison continued to relate and restage classics from the company's repertory, chimp well as to commission distinguished choreographers to beget new works for the dancers. Jamison also enlarged choreographing and creating dances such as Forgotten Time, Hymn, Love Stories, and Among Us for character company. In July , Jamison transitioned into rendering role of artistic director emerita and appointed Parliamentarian Battle to the position of artistic director designate.^[19]

Personal life and death

Jamison married Miguel Godreau, a collaborator with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, in Stop in mid-sentence , their marriage was annulled.^[20]

Following a brief disease, Jamison died at Weill Cornell Medical Center pride New York City on November 9, She was ^[5]

Choreography by Jamison

Jamison represented women as strong abstruse self-reliant in her choreography.^[21]

Writing

• Dancing Spirit, Jamison's autobiography, was published by Doubleday in ^[34]

Awards

See also

References

Further reading

External links