Judith Jamison Quotes

I don't want people to look back at my matches and say, 'When you did that move, it was good, and I liked it because it was cool.' I want people to sort of remember a rush of images and the emotion that they felt when they saw it. That's when I think you have a real masterpiece in your hands.

A film - especially when it's a personal film - is going to hit somebody or it's not. There's nothing you can do about it.

Some movies are the kind you take home with you at the end of the day, and some, you can let go.

When I did 'Venice Dawn,' there were times where people would cry after listening to it.

That's my job as an actor - to go on and try to do the work so subtle and so fine and specific that the memories will linger for a long time.

You can be moved by an animated film and not by a live action film. There could be great inspiration in and humanity in that animated story.

I think the same way about theatre, you go out there and you are creating a world for a moment that can actually have a real impact on people, present some kind of story that gives you something to think about when you walk away, feeling enriched - if it works out well.

When a song blows your mind the first time you hear it, you don't know where it's going. It's blowing your mind as it's unfolding. Then there's that sensation that you're actually going to remember the song.

You see thousands of films you forget the minute you come out of the cinema, don't you? Because they don't mean anything. It's the tough ones like 'Breaking the Waves' and 'Nil By Mouth' that stay with you, that you never forget. I'd like to leave a few of those behind if possible.

Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual meaning is less important than the words themselves.

I don't have a favorite genre. I love to work and live vicariously through every character. It's all about trying to bring the character to life and get the story across in a way that resonates with the audience. It's always interesting and challenging in a gratifying and unique way.

Once you do something violent in a film, you don't have to do too much. You do it once and the feeling of violence just stays there, do you know what I'm saying?

Nothing is more rewarding than to take a song, create it out of thin air and then watch it affect people.

If art doesn't move people, then art has failed.

The fact is that great musical pieces take and hold the stage because they provide great emotional experiences.

My approach is so simple; every song I sing, every story I tell, every move I make, must move the audience to laughter, tears, or inspiration. Otherwise, why do it? It's the communication.

The prime goal of an author is the same as a musician, which is to emotionally connect with the reader in some way or another.

Opera was the cinema of its time, so to bring back that popular appeal, you just need to unleash its visceral immediacy and excitement. Most productions don't manage that - but when an opera does do it, you never forget it.

I wanted to make people feel the same way I feel when I see a good movie.

What I want to give in the theatre is beauty, that's what I want to give.

I want to be able to make people laugh and cry and feel happy or sad and feel all these different emotions through singing and acting. Hopefully throughout my career, I'll get to pursue them.

Then came the choreography... the impact of music and choreography tends to really emphasize an overall feeling of what you really want out of the program.

I just try to touch people's hearts in a way through skating, so they're not just witnessing a performance, they're feeling a performance and they're a part of it.

I like making movies that people feel inspired by, a film that they will think about a few days after seeing it, and not entertainment that is completely forgettable the moment you walk out of the theater.

I'm always surprised when an actor goes so deeply into the truth that they shake you to your core.