Judith Jamison

Mwanamugima Essay JUDITH JAMISON Judith Jamison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1944. She began dancing at the early age of six. Her first lessons were taught at the Judith School of Dance, where she trained mainly in ballet. She was also very athletic. She was given a scholarship to Fisk University, in Nashville, Tennessee, for physical education. There, she majored in psychology and studied for three semesters before she decided that her heart was …

…created whole works just for her, the most famous entitled Cry. Whenever Jamison performed this piece she made the audience do just that. She has received several awards. The most renown being from Dance Magazine, which was presented to her by Katherine Dunham. She has also been acknowledged by Richard Nixon and been apart of the National Endowment for the Arts board. She is presently the artistic director for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.