James Jamieson

Who was James Jamieson?

James Jamieson was a specialist in Highland dancing, best remembered for both performing in and restaging Agnes de Mille's Brigadoon.

Jamieson was a native of Evanston, Illinois and studied at Northwestern University. He began his career in ballet, but by the mid-1940s was an internationally recognized Scottish dance champion. In 1947, de Mille hired Jamieson to coach the cast of Brigadoon in traditional Scottish dancing, which inaugurated a decades-long association with the musical. Jamieson replaced James Mitchell as Harry Beaton, then went on to play Harry on tour, overseas, and in assorted stock productions. In New York, he recreated de Mille's choreography for Brigadoon at New York City Center in 1957, on Broadway in 1980, and at New York City Opera in 1986 and 1991; in addition, he was de Mille's assistant for the 1963 City Center revival, which starred Edward Villella as Harry. De Mille also featured Jamieson in the Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre and the Heritage Dance Theatre, as well as in television specials.

Besides his various productions of Brigadoon, Jamieson choreographed for a number of regional and stock theatres, working with such stars as Judy Holliday.