Judith Jamison Quotes & Sayings

“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.”

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

“I believe God has a path for me. He's always had a path for me, and I've always been in the right place at the right time - not because of my efforts, but because of my preparation and because of the guides that I have, the mentors that I have, the spiritual walkers that I've had all my life.”

“People don't remember me for how high my legs went, even though they went up very high, and how many pirouettes I did. They don't remember me for that. They remember me and any other dancer because something touched them inside. It's an indelible memory on the heart and in the mind.”

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

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

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

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

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

“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.”