Finding Sylvia changed my life. She was open to what I had been doing as a child and also wanted to see how I could make those dances accessible to broader audiences. She never wanted me to water them down, only to learn more about other styles to see if they would enhance my work. I felt so liberated, especially because at the time she was the only director courageous enough to have both black and white dancers in her company. The spirit of my family and ancestors, along with Sylvia, inform everything I do.
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