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Judith Jamison

Judith Jamison Quotes

Dancer

Judith Jamison is a renowned American ballet dancer, born on May 10, 1943. She was the principal dancer of the New York City Ballet during the 1970s to 1990s, known for her exceptional dance skills and artistic expression.

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Famous Judith Jamison Quotes

“One you've danced, you always dance.”

Author:Judith Jamison

“Every dancer lives on the threshold of chucking it.”

Dance Dancer Threshold

Author:Judith Jamison

“Maybe its a generational thing, but I never wanted to be the best black dancer in the world. I just wanted to be the best.”

World Wanted Black Being The Best Dancer

Author:Judith Jamison

“I can't really hear the audience applause when I'm on stage. I'm totally immersed in the piece. But sometimes I get a lot of it and wonder, "Now, why did they applaud here?" If it's a white crowd, they usually applaud because they think it's a pretty movement. If it's a black crowd, it's usually because they identify with the message.”

Ifs Thinking I Can Sometimes Black White Wonder Audience Pieces Stage Movement Messages Dance Crowds Applause

Author:Judith Jamison

“I felt the naivete of a child in my dancing. I cherished that feeling. I had what I call a knowledgeable naivete, and it worked for me.”

Children Feelings Felt Dancing Knowledgeable Naivete

Author:Judith Jamison

“I believe that this world was set about for us to enjoy and to love and to experience and to have it all be, to a certain extent, unpredictable. Ever since I was a child I have believed that my life has been guided.”

World Believe Children Has Beens Certain I Believe Enjoy This World Unpredictable

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“So many people dwell on negativity and I've survived by ignoring it: it dims your light and it's harder each time to turn the power up again.”

People Light Turns Harder Negativity Survived

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“I want people to have their own visions for the dance. Some generations will sit back and relate to the music. And the young people ...they'll have the dance right in front of them.”

People Want Young Vision Generations Fronts Relate

Author:Judith Jamison

“Dance is bigger than the physical body. When you extend your arm, it doesn't stop at the end of your fingers, because you're dancing bigger than that; you're dancing spirit.”

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“Dancing is a gift. You are supposed to do it; it's like breathing.”

Dancing Breathing

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“If you look at a dancer in silence, his or her body will be the music. If you turn the music on, that body will become an extension of what you're hearing.”

Ifs Looks Body Turns Silence Hearing Dancer Extensions

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“You don't enter a dance studio and say "I can't do that." If you do, then why are you in the studio in the first place?”

Ifs Firsts I Can Studios

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“The first time I started choreographing was in the dark, in my living room, with the lights completely out, to some popular music on the radio. I put the radio on full blast and I started moving. I didn't know what it looked like. I didn't want to see it... I had to start in the dark.”

Knows Want Firsts Light Moving Dark Rooms First Time Radio Blast Living Room Popular Music

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“People come to see beauty, and I dance to give it to them.”

People Giving Dance Dancer Ballet Inspirational Dance Motivational Dance Dancers Inspiration Classical Dance

Author:Judith Jamison

“Dance is about never-ending aspiration.”

Dance Aspiration Never Ending

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“I'm moved by contraries, by opposites, the strength that was my mother's eyes, the beauty of my father's hands.”

Hands Eye Mother Father Parent Opposites Moved Parenting Contrary

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“Learn the craft of knowing how to open your heart and to turn on your creativity. There's a light inside of you.”

Inspirational Heart Light Turns Women Creativity Knowing Self Discovery Crafts Turn-on Open Your Heart

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“It's never too early to teach your children about the tool of money. Teach them how to work for it and they learn pride and self-respect. Teach them how to save it and they learn security and self-worth. Teach them how to be generous with it and they learn love.”

Children Self Teach Security Pride Tools Our Children Possession Self Worth Your Children Generous Self Respect Love Of Money

Author:Judith Jamison

“I believe in spirit and then I believe a manifestation of spirit is dance”

Believe Spirit I Believe I Believe In Manifestation

Author:Judith Jamison

“I have been guilty of watching Westerns without acknowledging that Native Americans have gone through the same madness as African Americans. Isn't it extraordinary that sometimes the most offended have not seen others being offended?”

Has Beens Sometimes Gone Madness Extraordinary Guilty African American Native Native American Offended

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“I've always felt that complement of opposites: body and soul, solitude and companionship, and in the dance studio, contraction and release, rise and fall.”

Soul Body Fall Felt Solitude Opposites Studios Release Companionship Complement Rise And Fall Contractions

Book:Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

Source: Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography

“It's a real gift to have a husband and wife in the company that love each other and that work together. They check on each other emotionally and physically. That's beautiful to me.”

Real Together Beautiful Company Wife Husband Checks Working Together Love Each Other Husband And Wife

Author:Judith Jamison

“Dancing is being trusted with other people's guts; choreographing is trusting other people with yours. When I choreograph I'm giving a dancer something to do and trusting the dancer to do it and build on it.”

People Giving Dancing Dancer Guts Ballet Trusted Being Trusted

Author:Judith Jamison

“Excellence is the name of the game.”

Games Names Excellence African American

Author:Judith Jamison

“We can go on talking about racism and who treated whom badly, but what are you going to do about it? Are you going to wallow in that or are you going to create your own agenda?”

Talking Goes On Racism Treated African American Agendas Philanthropy

Author:Judith Jamison

“Once you've danced, you always dance. You can't deny the gifts that God sends your way”

Author:Judith Jamison

“Concert dance is the hardest kind of dance. We tour constantly, around the world, year in and year out. It just doesn't work for everybody. It's the lifestyle, it's the stamina, it's the love, it's the dedication, it's the commitment, it's all those words.”

World Years Kind Commitment Lifestyle Hardest Around The World Concerts Dedication Stamina

Author:Judith Jamison

“Dance is not endangered - it will always find a way to express itself.”

Author:Judith Jamison

“I haven't had a family, but I don't think of that as a sacrifice: my dancers are my family.”

Thinking Sacrifice Havens My Family Dancer

Author:Judith Jamison

“I want to know who you are as a person, and then I want you to develop as a whole human being.”

Knows Want Humans Persons Whole Human Beings Who You Are I Want You

Author:Judith Jamison

“I was a protege; by the age of 10, I was studying with ballet choreographer Anthony Tudor in a class of adults.”

Age Class Study Adults Ballet Choreographers Tudors

Author:Judith Jamison

“I've been in a competitive situation almost all my life. I've been having a competition with myself and trying to be the best I could be.”

Trying Situation Competition Being The Best

Author:Judith Jamison

“I've danced all over the world, and people are people. We cannot cut off from each other in life. In order to lead, you can't do that.”

People World Order Cutting

Author:Judith Jamison

“The word 'suffering' is not in my vocabulary.”

Suffering Vocabulary

Author:Judith Jamison

About the Author

Born: May 10, 1943
Known for: Dancer
Quotes: 34

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Books & Sources

Dancing Spirit: An AutobiographyRelated source material

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