Alvin Ailey choreographed his stupendous signature solo Cry as a birthday present for his dignified mother, Mrs. Lula Cooper, and created the dance on his stunning muse, Judith Jamison. In her autobiography Dancing Spirit, Ms. Jamison wrote: "Exactly where the woman is going through the ballet's three sections was never explained to me by Alvin. In my interpretation, she represented those women before her who came from the hardships of slavery, through the pain of losing loved ones, through overcoming extraordinary depressions and tribulations. Coming out of a world of pain and trouble, she has found her way-and triumphed."