Attend an opening night gala

“Throughout the night, as I danced in the center of the floor – and started the Electric Slide, might I add – I realized that this night wasn’t about myself, my body insecurities, or my outfit. It was about a vibe that couldn’t be recreated or duplicated by any other group of people aside from who I was with. The wine was flowing, the band was raging and sanging, and a time was had.”

“There was no surprise that the performance was tear-jerking and emotion-evoking, especially Revelations. “Fix Me, Jesus” and “I Wanna Be Ready” always get me every time, but it was time to grab my coat and trudge across the street to the next location. I made my way to my assigned table – number 1 – and found myself at the front left-hand corner of the Ziegfeld Ballroom. The night was young at the age of 9:00 pm and the ballroom was filled with nothing less than beautiful spirits and energy.”

“If there was any night for Black folks to show up and show out on a Wednesday night in the city, it would absolutely be Ailey’s gala. While I may have missed the mark, walking into the City Center was what I needed to see that though I may have been dressed for a different occasion, my fellow brothers and sisters understood the assignment. When I found my B5 seat in the orchestra, the audience had already been around 85% filled with patrons of all ages, races, genders, and more. One thing everyone had in common was they all looked absolutely stunning.”