Geraldine Williams

Geraldine "Mama Geri" Williams grew up on the South Side of Chicago and studied tap dance with Sadie Bruce. As an adult, Williams first took classes with Darlene Blackburn before focusing primarily on the technique of Katherine Dunham, studying with former Dunham company members Lucille Ellis and Tommy Gomez, to then become a certified Dunham instructor herself. Known to her students as “Mama Geri,” Williams focused on educating children, both in dance studios, as a part of ETA Creative Arts Foundation, and through her job as a special education teacher with Chicago Public Schools.