 For those familiar with the ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, you may be familiar with artistic director, Judith Jamison. She has been involved in dance since she began dance training at the tender age of six. Unlike many little girls, the thought of a career in dance didn't leave her thoughts when she went to high school. After she graduated Germantown High School in 1961, she went on to Fisk University and the Philadelphia Dance Academy.
Her first opportunity to appear on stage was at the American Ballet Theater n 1964 when Agnes de Mille invited her to dance in her ballet, "The Four Marys." In 1965, she picked up her roots and moved to New York City where she joined the Alvin Ailey Company. She became one of Ailey's most important dancers and stayed with them until 1980. Some of her most prestigious roles included "The Prodigal Prince (1967)," "Masekela Language (1969)," and "Cry (1971)." In addition, she danced with Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1976 performance of "Pas de Duke" that was set to the music of jazz great Duke Ellington.
Jamison left the Alvin Ailey Company in 1980 when she was offered the chance to star in a Broadway musical called Sophisticated Ladies, another show based on the music of Duke Ellington. At this time in her career, she also began choreographing her own work. Upon the death of Alvin Ailey in 1989, Jamison was offered the opportunity to become artistic direction of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and has choreographed many different works for the company since that time.
Jamison's career includes numerous awards including the following:
• Kennedy Center Honors (1999)
• National medal of Arts (2001)
• Emmy Award and American Choreography Award – Outstanding choreography "Great Performances: Dance in America" special
• Autobiography entitled "Dancing Spirit"
• Hymn for Alvin Ailey
Jamison has a long career standing in the dance world, and it's likely that she will add many more awards to her portfolio before she is finished. Starting at such a young age makes her prime for early success, and with that success comes the responsibility of making sure that you career is always the most important part of your life. Perhaps that is why her marriage to a fellow dancer lasted only two years. It's very difficult to combine a dance career with a marriage, especially if your career involves more than just that of a dancer.
Judith Jamison is a dancer and choreographer of impeccable talent, and as such, she will go a long way in the business. Working hard and striving for the best is something she has always done, and it has gotten her to the point of success that she now has. Once you reach that level, you are not going to back down, so even if she chooses to give up dancing, she always has her career in choreography, and anyone who knows anything about dance knows that choreography is one of the most, if not the most, important part of the entire show whether it's a musical or just a video for a song.
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