In the land of the fabulously fake and the morbidly mindless mobile mannequins dwell in Atlanta – the Black Hollywood of the South, it’s no wonder that dance as an art form has taken a hit as well.

One can only wonder what the great predecessors of dance who fought to have a venue to celebrate African-Americans in the Arts would think of today’s display of thoughtless performers and the lack-luster performances they deliver.

Currently, thanks to reality television, when people think of Atlanta, they first recall the ladies of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, the hit BRAVO network show that chronicles the antics and drama of five outspoken women who know how to milk a camera opp. Their lifestyles are over-hyped, their wardrobes are overdressed, and their lack of substance and social consciousness is overindulged. Unfortunately, this mentality bleeds over into other facets of popular forms of media and how the people of Atlanta in the entertainment industry are depicted.  The dance world has taken the biggest hit.

Dance is my drug of choice.  Outside of God and my wife and family, it is what motivates me, inspires me, soothes me and blesses me financially.  More recently, it’s been difficult supporting my platform due to the fact that dance for dance sake is what’s selling.  The days of Debbie Allen and Alvin Ailey standards have been masked by the Soulja Boy Movement and Swag Surf phenomena.

Recreational dance has bombarded structured dance, as a result of YouTube celebrities and their homemade concoctions of what they call entertainment.  In the current state of affairs it takes a million hits on YouTube to dictate what society deems as marketable, but this usually means subjects with substance take a backseat to fluff and fantasy – I call this the Microwave mindset of thinking.

There was a time not long ago where being black in the dance world was a rarity, and in the world of Classical Ballet and Modern Dance, it still is.  It’s no wonder being an African-American dancer is still considered a handicap, due to recent depictions that still have us hopping around and shucking and jiving like Mr. Bojangles and the days of Minstrel Shows.  All that’s missing is the “blackface” and white gloves.  My people, we’ve got to do better!!!

Fortunately things are looking up; with choreographers like CiCi Kelley, famous for her work with Beyonce and MTV’s documentary show: Made, and Sean Bankhead, who’s also worked with Beyonce.  Their styles are diverse; their movements have clear story lines and they don’t have to conform or impair their technical abilities to succeed.

I pray artists and upcoming dancers and choreographers take heed to the resurgence of dance movement with meaning and embrace it and celebrate the fullness of dance and all it has to offer.

Sadly, the road ahead will be a hard-fought battle, in part to mindless dance concepts like the “Stanky Leg” and “The Jerk”, to name a few; but anything worth standing up for is worth fighting for.