Oh, You Dance? Dance Like How?

One of the things that I take the utmost pride and confidence in is being a technically trained, African American dancer. My resume includes names like Debbie Allen, being a Principal Dancer in Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls which had technical dancing, Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive, being an Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive Acceptance Awardee , Beyonce on Oprah and The Billboard Awards, Dames Aflame Burlesque Troupe as Josephine Baker, Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre rendition of Langston Hughes' Black Nativity, and I had a ten month contract in Paris, France doing a musical for Disney just to name a few.  African American technically trained dancers are some of the most beautiful and amazing entities on Earth. Being Black and a classically, technically trained dancer is an act of rebellion and revolution that honors the artistic and creative freedom and visibility that our ancestors have fought for in the Arts. It is an act of freedom. The truth is that they expect you to know how to slide down a pole and twerk. They expect you to know how to Dougie, stanky leg, and hit the hip hop combination eight count. What the pale faces DONT expect, however, is for you to know how to tombe pas de bouree jete double pirouette. Kanye West had a whole Ballet in his short film " Runaway". Prince took Misty Copeland on tour and married his first wife, Mayte Garcia, who is also classically trained. Andre 3000 performed with Dance Theater of Harlem's, Alicia Graf Mack. Beyonce used Ashley Everett in a pas de deux on her first tour The Beyonce Experience. Rihanna has had whole sections of just technically trained dancing in her SavageX Fenty annual performances.  They can see you dance hip hop, stiletto and other dance techniques, but when they find out you are beautiful, black, and technically trained, that is when they PAY you! Keep your foot on their necks and give them hell mermaids!!

The video footage I posted is of me taking a masterclass in Paris, France by T.J Cruz. Im the young lady in the yellow shirt. Enjoy!!