Maya Angelou started a career as a dancer during the early 1950s, while performing in traveling theatrical companies. She had an instinctive talent for movement and often found herself picked out of the chorus line to star in the musicals. Angelou was especially intrigued by the African-American and Caribbean dance styles she saw while traveling with the shows.
She was also exposed to African drumming which had a great influence on her poetics, rhythm and movement. Angelou began to develop her own dance style and wrote about it in her classic 1969 memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” In the book, she mentioned that she had immersed herself in the African-American or Caribbean dances, like the cakewalk and calypso.
By the mid-1950s, Angelou had become a professional dancer and choreographer. She appeared in film and theater performances as well as nightclubs, which added to her experience. She also worked as a dance instructor and taught basket weaving, African dancing and other activities, eventually becoming a teacher for the Watts Writers Workshop in Los Angeles.
Angelou’s dancing career continued until she encountered spiritual awakening in the late 1950s. After her spiritual journey, she moved to New York to work as a columnist, teacher, actress and playwright. With the publication of her acclaimed autobiographies and poetry collections, Angelou became a famous American writer – and her dancing has been largely forgotten.
Dreams And Inspiration
Although Angelou’s dancing career came to an end in the late 1950s, she continued to draw inspiration from it for the rest of her life. She described her dancing as “dream sailing” wherein she felt like she was “weightless and effortless,” and her body moved with ease, “shape-shifting to the sound of drums,” as if a “malleable balloon that could expand and recoil without languor” and “come awake only in the ability to soar.”
In her second memoir, Angelou described dancing and singing as “twin wings of freedom”, which helped her to express powerful emotions and grounded her in her strength and dignity. She further wrote that “the dancing and the singing had become concentric circles, nearing the same truths,” speaking about them as two sides of the same coin and similar pathways to self-expression.
In her last volume of poetry, “Mom & Me & Mom”, Angelou revealed how she was influenced by the drumming and dancing of her grandparents. She wrote about watching them “inmates at a private Eden”, and described their “tribal dance around the mid-Mississippi Christmas circle”. The awareness of the power of her heritage inspired Angelou to become a creative force that transcended genres and spread her messages of hope and resilience.
Rise To Popularity
During the time when Angelou was a dancer, she was one of the few African-American women to be employed in professional theater and nightclubs. Her work in these venues contributed to the increased visibility of African-American women in the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, her involvement in the civil rights movement grew as well, giving her further visibility.
In 1961, Angelou’s first full-length play, “Cabaret for Freedom”, was produced in New York City, which featured a number of her original dances that were influenced by her travels in South America and the Caribbean. Further, Angelou became the first African-American woman to choreograph a musical for a mainstream Broadway production with “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope”.
By the close of the 1960s, Angelou was a major figure in the civil rights and Black Power movements, and her openness about her personal life and her expansive repertoire of art and writing established her as an icon of expressive self-liberation for African- Americans. In the following decades, Angelou became a recognisable celebrity and a significant figure of the Black Arts Movement.
Artistic Impact
Angelou’s influence on American literature has been extensive. Her stories of a poor, uneducated, African-American girl who overcomes racial and financial obstacles to become a powerful force in literature has transcended generations and class. Her personal story has been a source of motivation to countless individuals. Additionally, the stylistic decisions she made in her writing, such as her use of poetic language, her recognition of the power of spoken language, and her attention to the details of her stories, have proven to be very influential.
Like any great artist, Angelou also had a great impact on popular culture. Television programs, music, and books that have been inspired by Angelou’s works have all been successful and have generated strong, positive responses from audiences. Her impact on popular culture is reflected in the great number of documentaries and biopics that have been made about her.
Angelou’s legacy of combining writing, activism, and dance has had a lasting effect. For example, Beyoncé’s video “Lemonade” featured the poem “Still I Rise” by Angelou, while Alicia Keys’ song “Girl on Fire” references the same poem. Both tracks have gone on to become huge hits and have provided a platform for Angelou’s work to reach new audiences across generations. The visuals also provide a vivid tribute to Angelou’s pioneering activism and dancing.
Final Years
At the end of her life, Maya Angelou remained an active and vital presence despite her declining physical health. For example, in 2013, she was a part of the celebratory performance of “Still I Rise” at the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Washington. Her presence at the event was particularly meaningful because she was a part of the march in 1963. This inspiring performance cemented Angelou’s legacy as a trailblazer in the civil rights movement as well as a force in the fight for justice and equality.
Angelou’s later years also included the publication of her final book of poetry, “Mom & Me & Mom.” Although her health had deteriorated, Angelou was still very much active and vibrant. During the time leading up to her death, she completed a one-woman show, “Glory: A Celebration of Maya Angelou,” which only further highlighted her creativity and the resonance of her message of hope and liberation. Angelou was truly a multi-talented artist and a powerful voice for the civil rights movement.
Personal Legacy
Following Angelou’s death in 2014, her work and life continued to inspire many. Her memorial service was attended by hundreds of mourners, including dignitaries like President Barack Obama, who celebrated her life and her iconic literary works. She was memorialized further with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds in New York City, which continues to draw hundreds of visitors every day.
Angelou’s work has also continued to capture the attention of artists, writers, and scholars. Her works have been adapted for stage and screen, while her influence can be seen in the works of writers like Toni Morrison and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Scholars and critics also have praised Angelou’s oeuvre and her commitment to bringing to light the stories of African-American women.
It is clear that Angelou’s voice will echo through the ages and that she remains an important and inspiring figure. Her works on race, feminism, identity, and justice continue to resonate powerfully with readers and scholars alike. Her art and activism remain ever relevant and her jubilant advocacy and reclamation of African-American lives will forever be remembered.
