Dancing Spirit

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Judith Jamison is a towering figure in American dance, known for her commanding presence and extraordinary technique. Her autobiography, recently released in paperback, allows a broader audience to explore her remarkable journey. It details her early years in Philadelphia, where she began dancing at six, her discovery by Agnes de Mille, and the challenges she faced in a field that favored petite, fair, White women. Jamison's legendary collaboration with Alvin Ailey, her work on Broadway in "Sophisticated Ladies," and the formation of her own company, the Jamison Project, are key highlights. Following Ailey's death in 1989, she returned as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The book features vivid portraits of artists she has collaborated with, including Agnes de Mille, Alvin Ailey, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and candidly discusses the costs of a dancer's nomadic life—rootlessness, fleeting relationships, and the obsession with physical beauty. Accompanied by sixty photographs, this autobiography offers an immediate and honest self-portrait of a unique American artist whose influence on dance is profound.