Judith Jamison Major Accomplishments

486 Words2 Pages
Do you know who Judith Jamison is? Have you ever heard of her? Her life was very extraordinary. In this essay, you will learn about Judith Jamison, her life, and achievements. Judith Jamison was born in May 10,1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “When I was six years old, I was tall, lean, and long-legged. At ten, I could walk down the street and see over everybody’s head. I loved being last on line in elementary school and peeking at what was happening up front.” wrote Judith in her autobiography, Dancing Spirit. Judith was hunched and shy but had a high self-esteem and boundless energy. Her parents enrolled her in the Philadelphia’s Judimar School of Dance. There, she studied ballet, jazz, tap, acrobatics, and African dance. It was at the Philadelphia’s Judimar School of Dance where she met Pearl Primus, an anthropologist and choreographer who specialized in African dance. Pearl Primus impressed Judith because she had gone to Africa and her performances were amazing.…show more content…
She enrolled in Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She planned to major in psychology. After three semesters at Fisk, Judith’s dancing spirit brought her back to Philadelphia where she started to go to the Philadelphia Dance Academy. It was here where Judith met Alvin Ailey and his troupe. Alvin focused on black themes. “Nobody danced live Alvin. He moved like quicksilver.” Judith said astounded. Judith took a class with Agnes de Mille, a legendary white dancer and choreographer. De Mille saw something special in Judith and invited her to dance in a ballet of hers at New York City’s Lincoln Center in the spring of 1965. She was very excited to go to New York and be a part of Agnes de Mille’s The Four

    More about Judith Jamison Major Accomplishments

      Open Document