Biographies: Judy Williams

Judy Williams received her BFA in Dance from Temple University in 1983. While there, she also studied dance theater production with Nanette Hudson Joyce and worked backstage at many dance performances at Conwell Dance Theater. After graduation, she designed the lighting and staged managed for local companies including South Street Dance Company and several others. This led to her being hired at the Painted Bride Art Center as their first Technical Director. Shortly after that, she added Dance Programmer to her duties at the Bride, presenting out-of-towners Urban Bush Women, Liz Lerman's Dance Exchange, Steve Paxton, Yoshiko Chuma and local companies Zero Moving Company, Terry Beck Troupe, Melanie Stewart Dance, among many, many others. For a number of years, she hosted weekly improvisational sessions at the Bride where many local dancers, including Ellen Forman, Trina Collins, Steve Krieckhaus and others came to try out new things and explore new possibilities.

After the Bride, Judy worked as a consultant with Danceteller and Ausdruckstanz Dance Theater. She then worked at the Opera Company of Philadelphia for ten years, starting as the Assistant Director of Education and then becoming the Director of Educational Operations of the award-winning Sounds of Learning education program, which brought the magic of opera to over 1500 5th-12th grade students at the final dress rehearsal of every opera at the historic Academy of Music. Now, as Rental Manager at the Performance Garage, Judy is happy to provide dancers and theater artists the space to cultivate their art and extend it to others.

Since seeing Terry Fox and a few others perform at the Rose Garden in Society Hill in the late 70's, Judy has always loved seeing dance in non-traditional spaces. In the 80's, as Dance Programmer at the Bride, one highlight was when she organized a one-week residency with Kei Takei, which culminated in 24 Hours of Light throughout the city. In 1999, Judy performed her Women Walking piece along Independence Park from Walnut Street to Race Street for the Women's Theatre Festival. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to perform in Leah Stein Dance Company's Gate at Eastern State Penitentiary (June 2007) and Anne-Marie Mulgrew Dance Company's Hidden River Project along the Schuylkill River Banks (August 2007).

In 2007-2008, Judy attended every one of Merian Soto's One Year Wissahickon Park Project Branch Dances (16 total) and wrote about her experiences for the blogspot: One Year Wissahickon Park Project. Judy has also studied and practiced shotokan karate since 1978 with the International Shotokan Karate Federation in West Philadelphia and currently has a 3rd degree black belt.