How Alvin Ailey Restored Me
Menah Pratt
Keynote and Public Speaker, Vice President, Full Professor, Author of 6 books, including Blackwildgirl. Founder of the Future World Changers in the Academy National Conference.
I’ve been struggling.? Struggling to stand against the weight of the anti-; the anti-this; and anti-that; and the anti-all things in America that I thought were stable, good, wonderful, beautiful, different.
I am a firm believer in the importance of positive energy and I believe in hope.? I am still hopeful, but I’m sad. I’m sad at the words I’m trying to no longer say. I’m sad at the people in places that are no longer there.? I’m sad at the websites that no longer exist. I’m sad at the students, faculty, and staff, who no longer have the person or the place they once thought was guaranteed, reliable, dependable.
And, I came to the NADOHE - National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education conference that for years that has supported those who are leading vulnerable communities of concern.? It was a wonderful conference, uplifting, encouraging, hopeful, determined. It was awesome to present with my amazing colleague Michele Deramo on our Dear Higher Education open access project where we encourage the writing of letters to higher education, particularly at this moment in time. Learn more:
It was so affirming to be in community with over 1000 professionals working to make higher education better:
?And, as always, it was an honor to be in the presence of a powerful leader and warrior. Paulette Granberry Russell, J.D.
Yet, I still feel a sadness in my spirit.? It is almost a suffocating sadness.? At the conference they spoke about grief. I have been grieiving.? The “dismantling.”? Such an awful word, really.? It should be one of the words that we shouldn’t have to speak.? “dismantling.”? Sunsetting; elimination, roll back;
My heart is broken.? This slide at one of the sessions resonated with me.
And so, the conference reminded us to take care of ourselves.?
Fill our cups.
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Art has always filled my cup. ?I can get lost in beautiful art and paintings and images.? But one particular form or art has always moved me to another level – Alvin Ailey dance.
When I realized that I was going to be in Chicago, and that Alvin Ailey was going to be in Chicago, I thought it was a match made in heaven.
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Chicago is a place that my spirit has a long history. I was raised in Normal, Illinois, two hours south of Chicago.? A city where my parents were univeristy professors; my dad in physics; my mom in social work.? They started their journeys in 1969.? They were difficult and challenging journeys.? They started one year after Martin Luther King, Jr., Assassination.? I was only 2 years old.
Chicago is the place I feel in love for the first time….a classic Hallmark moment that I share in my memoir, Blackwildgirl: A Writer’s Journey to Take Back Her Superpower.? Learn more with the book and companion journal, including ebook or audiobook.
I was crossing the street with a beautiful 6’4 sugar brown friend who had invited me to visit him at his home in Chicago.? We ?tutored Upward Bound students together at the University of Iowa.? After a wonderful day and after going to the zoo. we were crossing a busy street together and he grabbed my hand and I never wanted to let go. When he took me to the Amtrak station to go back to Iowa, as I ascended up the escalator, he slowly walked away. We turned at the same time and waved.? I fell in love that weekend.? It was such a wonderful and marvelous feeling. I always feel that when I come to Chicago.? Love.
Chicago is where I played Katrina Adams for the first time.? Katrina went on to become the CEO of the United States Tennis Association. We have stayed in touch.? She graciously wrote a blurb for Blackwildgirl:
“Blackwildgirl encourages all of us to reclaim our superpowers and be change-agents in life.”—Katrina M. Adams, author of Own the Arena and former CEO of United States Tennis Association
Chicago is almost home.? I am always excited to be returning close to home. I still am and tomorrow I will go “home.”? “Home” because my mom isn’t there, and so there is really no home without mama.? But, there are people who have known me for many years and love me.?
I’m in need of that.? I’m in need of the familiar and comfortable, the homey, the chair in the beautiful room in my friends’ home that is full of love and peace. I’m excited to go home, but I am still sad.
Today, my sadness has been mitigated and soothed.? Alvin Ailey concert was the balm in Gilead for my spirit.
I’ve been going to Alvin Ailey concerts ever since my parents introduced me to them.? Whenever Alvin Ailey is close, or in driving distance, I get there.?
I’m always so excited to see all the African Americans dressed to the hilt….dressed up for a wonderful performance.?? I’m excited to see those who aren’t African Americans as well.? Alvin Ailey attracts a diverse audience…’whoops” said that word.
I am also thrilled to see so many children at the concerts.
I went to two shows – to watch different dances, other than Revelations that is always performed.? It was if the programs were messages from the universe for me.? I thought I would share the messages:
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1)????? One of the dances was called Grace – a reminder to give grace, even to those who may anger me.?
?2)????? The program started with a dance to “I feel Like going on.”? It was a reminder that though “trials come on every hand, I feel like going on.”? The music: “I feel like going on.? I feel like pressing my way.” It was literally as if the dancers were pressing forward, pressing on.
?3)????? Alvin Ailey dancers danced to a song: “By the waters of Babylon where we sat down, and where we wept, and remembered Zion.” ?It was a reminder to me that it is ok to weep.? I have been weeping much lately.
?4)????? They also danced to “Soon, I will be done with the trouble of the world.” It was a reminder that this, too, is temporary.? This awful moment is temporary.?
?5)????? Another dance on the program was called “Finding Free.”? The program explained: “Finding free is not the absence of trials but the ability to carry weight, gaining the strength to endure.”? The dance ?seemed to be a journey through the middle passage and enslavement. It was a reminder that trials and the weight may continue, but we can endure. The press release says: “One of this year’s world premieres is Boykin’s Finding Free, which explores resilience and self-discovery through layered choreography. “The dancers shed physical and emotional barriers as the piece unfolds,” she explained. The score was composed by Matthew Whitaker, a blind, Emmy-nominated pianist. “His music is soul-stirring,” Boykin said, “it was a true collaboration of faith, sound and movement.”
?6)????? Another dance on the program was Cry. It was choreographed by Alvin Ailey as a birthday present for his mother in 1971. It was beautiful.
“Cry,” was written as solo by Alvin Ailey, danced by Judith Jamison. It is a piece “in which a dancer explores a woman’s path from slavery and loss to a state of grace.? Ailey dedicated it to “all Black women everywhere — especially our mothers,” and in it Jamison was a rapturous pillar of strength and sorrow.”
Just a little clip of Cry, with the song, “Right On, Be Free.” ?It is about triumph over trials and tribulations.? ?https://pressroom.alvinailey.org/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater/repertory/cry
?7)????? The title of the premier piece was “Sacred Songs.”? Sacred Songs was part of the original Revelations, but too long for a tour performance.? But there are parallels between Sacred Songs and Revelations.? Brian Rushing explains more: “The closing moments of Sacred Songs quotes another from Revelations where a couple bends over water and splashes their faces. In Revelations, that dance is set to "Wade in The Water," a song that served as a coded message to enslaved people on the run to hide in the water to evade bloodhounds. The idea of cleansing one's self became a "connective point" of sorts between the two pieces, Rushing said. ?When I was working with the dance artists, I was like, 'Right now we live in a very challenging time. Sometimes we need to cleanse ourselves of the thoughts and the feelings that don't serve us,'" he added. "So if you see Sacred Songs, the last image is the dancers circled around a pool of water, washing themselves, cleansing themselves of thoughts and feelings that will not serve them."
?I needed that reminder.? To release and surrender thoughts and feelings that do not serve me.? See a little clip:
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8)????? Another piece was called Threading. ?It was one of the most beautiful pieces I have seen: ?“The two dancers in this sculptural, mesmerizing duet come together in fluid, intricate movements that combine with Steve Reich’s meditative music to create an aura of mystery and sensuality.”
?9)????? Another piece was called “Many Angels”
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It felt like a reminder that there are angels – all around.? In the sky, in the land, around….just need to be still enough to feel them.
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10)? I have always loved Revelations.? The songs reminded me of the songs my mother sung when she was 80 years old.? She took music lessons and recorded two DVDs: one of her reciting poetry; and one of her singing spirituals.? She instructued me to play them at her funeral, which I did.? I uploaded them to YouTube:
A little revelations:
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11)? There was a Q&A at the end of the afternoon program.? During that Q&A I learned that the mission of Alvin Ailey included “Forging fearlessly into the future”
“The Ailey legacy—using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present, and fearlessly reaching into the future.” https://ailey.org/people/judith-jamison
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??And so, the song that came to me as I walked back to my hotel: “Take courage my soul and let us carry on. For the night is dark, and I am far from home. Thanks be to GOD.? The morning light appears. The storm is passing over.? The storm is passing over.? The storm is passing over, Halelujah Halelujah Ha-le-lu-jah The storm is passing over."
I'm still sad, but the edge of the grief is not sharp. It is a bit smoother, like a good pedicure. I am ready to keep walking, one foot in front of the other, slowly, and a little unsteady, but walking nonetheless.
I'm walking into April and the conference I founded 13 years ago -- renamed and reimagined for 2025 - Future World Changers in the Academy National Conference. A conference open to all and a conference addressing issues affecting marginalized communities of concern in higher education.
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Have you registered for the Future World Changers of the Academy (FWCA) Conference?yet? If not, don’t miss your chance to join this transformative experience April 10-13, in Arlington, VA!
Register today and connect with a dynamic community of scholars, leaders, and change-makers who are faculty, graduate students, and administrators in higher education and education-adjacent industries (coaching, consulting, ed tech, publishing, etc.)
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??Exclusive Opportunity for Attendees?
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FWCA Virtual Writing Retreat: Anchoring Your Writing Practice
Facilitator: Dr. Aurora Chang
April 10, 2025 | 1:00 PM EST
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This immersive virtual retreat will help you:
??Reconnect with your purpose
??Overcome common writing blocks
??Build momentum in a supportive space
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Using the ANCHOR Writing Framework, you’ll engage in guided exercises, reflective prompts, and intentional writing sessions to gain clarity, confidence, and renewed energy for your projects. Whether you’re looking to jumpstart a new piece or refine your work, this retreat offers both?tools and community?to sustain your writing practice.
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?I hope you will join me in Arlington Virginia this April. Let's pack the room!
President, NADOHE - Equity, Inclusion, Dismantling Systemic Racism consulting and advising
1 天前Just what I needed to read, watch and listen to this morning after a restorative NADOHE - National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education conference. Your Mother singing “We are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” brought me to tears. I heard my grandmother’s voice. Menah, you are that reminder of all that we represent in our work. We take what they think they can destroy and make a way out of “no way”. Thank you for all you do, and continue to do. Thank you, BlackWildGirl!