After a chance meeting with Sammy Davis Jr. at an airport when I was ten, I became obsessed with the performing arts. I attended musicals at Whiting Auditorium with my mother, tuned into Fred Astaire movies on TV on Sundays, and watched Solid Gold in High School with my friend Bethany. My dancing experience was limited to recreational dancing, but I continued to be fascinated by that world.      

     Mozel Spriggs, my friend Sondra Williamson’s mother, has always been a big part of that world. She has lived and breathed dance almost from the time she was born in Chattanooga Tennessee on January 1, 1926. When I spoke with Mozel, I was astounded by her memory. At almost 95 years old, she recalls dates, names, and places with incredible accuracy.

     Mozel received her bachelor’s degree with a concentration in dance at Virginia’s Hampton Institute, now Hampton University, where she toured with the university’s dance team. At Hampton, she was a charter member of the Gamma Theta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s (“AKA”) Sorority, the first African-American Greek-lettered sorority. She received her master’s degree at New York University, and is part of a small percentage of women, 5%, who earned an advanced degree in the 1940s. 

     She recalled one memorable performance where she danced during the unveiling of a bronze bust of Booker T. Washington at NYU’s Hall of Fame for Great Americans. Additionally, while in NYC, she studied under Martha Graham, a modern dancer and choreographer whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance.

     Mozel was married to her husband, Alfred S Spriggs, for 50 years before he passed away in 2000. Alfred grew up in the poverty-stricken 5th ward in Houston, but always aspired for a better life. He received his PhD in Chemistry while Mozel focused on her dance career. She was hired by Spelman College, a historically black women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta to establish its dance program. Her goal was to provide training in many genres of dance and encourage students to embrace their love for the performing arts. To do this, she introduced exceptional African-American concert dancers to Spelman who taught master classes to her students and performed for the greater Atlanta community. A local Atlanta newspaper article even stated that it was Mozel who “ introduced modern dance to Atlanta.”

     Mozel brought the renowned Arthur Michell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem, the first African-American classical ballet company, to Spelman for their first-ever performance as a dance company. Other artists she introduced to Spelman include: Geoffrey Holder, principal dancer for the Metropolitan Ballet, Katherine Dunham, known as the “matriarch and queen mother of Black dance,” Carmen de Lavallade, Broadway performer and prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera, African dance pioneer Pearl Primus, a close personal friend who referred to Mozel as her “lifetime sister-friend,” and Alvin Ailey of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, whose dance Revelations is one of the most popular and most widely performed modern dances in the world. While at Spelman, Mozel was an educator and mentor for many students who have gone on to build prominent careers, including Pearl Cleage, a celebrated playwright, novelist, and poet, whose works address issues involving racism and sexism.

     The Spriggs’ friendship with former Congressman, UN Ambassador, civil rights activist, and Atlanta Mayor, Andy Young, led to Mozel chaperoning professional dancers on a tour of the Ivory Coast to introduce modern dance to Africa. After her return, she helped to sponsor the culturally diverse Ballethnic Ballet Company in Atlanta by serving on its Board of Directors and providing rehearsal space at Spelman. Mozel’s lengthy career has earned her a number of awards, including an NAACP Image Award, and a Pioneer of Atlanta Dance Award.

     Grit, gifted, gracious, and glamorous, are just some of the words that Sondra uses to describe her mother Mozel. Sondra knows that she would not be the person or mother she is today without her own mothers unconditional love and support. Sondra has three siblings, and indicated that it was through her mother’s example and encouragement, that they all learned the importance of embracing their creativity.

     For Sondra, performing and creativity has become a family affair. Sondra was a model and actress who was a cast member on Days of Our Lives and has appeared in numerous commercials. Her husband, Mykelti Williamson, is an actor, Broadway performer, and director renowned for many roles in film and television: including 24, Forest Gump, Fences, and Chicago P. D. They have two amazing daughters; Nicole, a gifted costume and fashion designer, and Maya, a talented trumpeter and college film student. Sondra’s siblings are also very accomplished. Her sister Linda graduated from Juilliard in dance, bringing Mozel’s dance career full circle when Linda joined Alvin Ailey’s Dance Company.

     After retiring from Spelman in 1991, Mozel taught free exercise and dance classes to women aged 60 to 90 years at her church. When Jane Fonda learned of Mozel’s classes, she donated exercise equipment to the women. Eventually, Mozel began teaching free water aerobics at her home which she continued until 4 1/2 years ago.

     Currently, Mozel is involved in numerous activities, including her church, and her AKA Sorority, of which she is now the oldest living chapter member. When we spoke, she was sewing children dresses and shirts for AKA’s Global Impact Program which is presently donating clothing to Haitian children. Additionally, she is a 30-year member of a social club whose members travel and play bridge together. She spoke fondly of years past when she frequently entertained and threw parties for family and friends.

   Although Mozel has excelled as a dance educator and leader, she believes that her children are her greatest achievement. She made me laugh when she mentioned that it might have been nice if just one of them had inherited Alfred’s aptitude in the sciences. When I asked her if she enjoys today’s dance styles, she indicated that she is “old school” and “prefers professional and modern dance.” She said that when she watches Dancing with the Stars, she doesn’t always agree with the judges. After an extraordinary life and dance career spanning decades, she has earned the right to disagree.

     I really enjoyed my conversations with Mozel talking about her interesting and impactful life. She inspired me to pursue my passions and as a result, I intend to register for dance classes. Creativity requires us to try new activities and experiment, even when we feel intimidated. Is there an activity you are interested in but have never had the courage to try?

Sammy Davis Jr.’s Signature