Germaine Ingram is an American lawyer, dancer, and choreographer. She was also the first Black woman to be appointed as a full-time faculty member at Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia in 1972. Prior to earning the title of assistant professor, Ingram served as a law clerk in Pennsylvania's

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

for Judge Theodore Spaulding."First Black." New York Amsterdam News (1962-), Jul 29 1972, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 10 Mar. 2022 . Furthermore, she was the recipient of the Rocky Award from DanceUSA in 2011 and the Tap Preservation Award in 2016, among many others.

Early life

Ingram is a graduate of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...

where she also worked as a research assistant for the Voluntary Defender Association and participated in the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council. She also completed post-graduate work at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

as a Fellow in Law and Humanities. Following her graduation, Ingram worked as an attorney for thirty years; she focused on laws and advocacy work in the areas of child welfare, education reform, and the arts. As a practicing attorney, Ingram defended discrimination class action suits and fought for gender and minority equality in the workplace. In 1994, Ingram served as chief of staff for Philadelphia Superintendent David Hornbeck.Zalenski, L. (2007, December 7). Steppin' it up

Retrieved April 4, 2022, fro

/ref> While working for the Philadelphia School District, Ingram led the effort to ensure that poorer districts receive fair and proper funding. In her early thirties, Ingram developed an interest in

tap dancing Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...

. LaVaughan Robinson mentored Ingram. In recalling her earliest memories of working with Robinson, Ingram says simply, "It was all hard." Robinson, according to Ingram, danced without music, which was challenging for Ingram. Two of her major artistic works include "Stepping in Time" and "Plenty of Good Women." Described as a "revue of fabulous Philadelphia artists," "Stepping in Time" featured professional African American tap dancers from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. The show opened at the Arts Bank in Philadelphia on February 4–5, 1995. Ingram was the show's project director, organizer, executor, and performer. Her other major work "Plenty of Good Women Dancers" (1996) was inspired by brave Black female dancers from the Swing Era following the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...

Career

Career in Law

Ingram graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1971. She then served as a law clerk in Pennsylvania's Supreme Court for Judge Theodore Spaulding. In 1972, she became the first Black woman to be appointed as a full-time faculty member at

Temple University School of Law The James E. Beasley School of Law (known as Temple Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Temple University, a public university, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls ...

in Philadelphia. Ingram's law practice, which spanned thirty years from 1971 to 2001, focused on child welfare, education reform, arts, and equality in the workplace. As an attorney, she defended discrimination class action suits and fought for gender and minority equality in the workplace. In 1994, using her background in law, Ingram worked as chief of staff for Philadelphia's public school system. In this position, she prioritized the allocation of proper and fair funding to poorer districts.

Career in Dance & the Arts

In 1980 at the age of 33, Ingram put her law career on hold, and under the mentorship of

LaVaughn Robinson LaVaughn Robinson (born LaVaughn Evett) (February 9, 1927 – January 22, 2008) was an American tap dancer, choreographer, and teacher. A virtuoso tap dancer, Robinson perfected a high speed, low to the ground, a cappella style of dance tha ...

, she pursued dancing. As her teacher, Robinson encouraged Ingram to find her own voice and to use her whole body. In 1984, Ingram performed with Robinson at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. By 1985, she was performing on stages and in festivals across the country, and in 1989, Ingram was featured on an Emmy Award-winning PBS television special called Tap Dance in America. In the early 1990s, Ingram began working on an oral history project under with the Philadelphia Folklore Project. This project evolved into a stage production called "Stepping in Time"—which celebrated the careers of Black artists dating back to the 1920s-1950s. In 1996, Ingram helped create and release of the documentary Plenty Of Good Women Dancers: African American Women Hoofers from Philadelphia, which is about Black female dancers who secured a spot in the world of tap despite restrictions, limited roles, and lack of recognition. Ingram became a choreographer commissioned by Manhattan Tap and Tappers with Attitude, a

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

company. She partnered with Robinson for 25 years. In 2005, she published an article titled "Chronicling Resistance Fellow" about the contributions of performer Louise Madison who challenged gender norms in dance by outdancing her male peers, wearing male dance attire, and raising questions about her sexual orientation. In 2010, she also co-wrote "Parallel Destinies", a reflection on

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

's ownership of enslaved African Americans and the quarters in which he housed them near the Liberty Bell. In 2012–13, Ingram was commissioned to create a performance about the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. In 2014, she collaborated with violist Diane Monroe on a project called "Freedom Underfoot," which commemorated the

Battle of Atlanta The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Union forces ...

. Later that same year, Ingram served as a resident fellow at the Sacatar Institute in Itaparica, Bahia, Brazil.

Awards and civic engagement

* Board member for the Leeway Foundation and Arts Nova Workshop * Member of the Public Art Committee of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority's 1% for Art program * Member of

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

International Advisory Board for the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life * Member of the Leadership Circle for IMPACT, an initiative based in Brandeis University to support the arts * 2010: Recipient of the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, which is awarded to exceptional artists in the Philadelphia area * 2012: Recipient of the Philadelphia Folklore Project's Award for Folk Arts & Cultural Heritage Practice * 2012: Recipient of the Arts & Change Award, given by Leeway Foundation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingram, Germaine Living people 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American dancers Actresses from Philadelphia African-American actresses African-American choreographers 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics African-American female dancers American choreographers American civil rights lawyers American female dancers American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American tap dancers American women choreographers 20th-century American women educators Brandeis University faculty American dance teachers Dancers from Pennsylvania Educators from Philadelphia Harvard University alumni Law clerks Lawyers from Philadelphia Musicians from Philadelphia Pew Fellows in the Arts Syracuse University alumni Temple University faculty University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century African-American lawyers