Seeing Alvin Ailey for the first time with my mom, my daughter, and her dance friends from OU was such a delight. Our house was full of dancers getting ready in every room before we headed to the Winspear in Dallas on a rainy Tuesday evening. It felt special before the show even began.

When you talk to dancers about a company like Alvin Ailey, you hear the same words again and again—energy, connection, community. And you feel it the moment the performance begins.

One dancer shared Ailey’s vision beautifully:
Ailey wasn’t interested in dancers who all fit the same mold. He wanted individuals—artists brave enough to bring their whole, authentic selves to the stage, imperfections and all.

That spirit was everywhere on stage, leaving us all inspired and not wanting the night to end.

Alvin Ailey himself was born in Texas, which made the evening feel even more meaningful here in Dallas.My mom said the songs from Revelations, like “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” took her right back to her childhood. Meanwhile, I was completely pulled in by the Roy Davis Jr. disco sounds in Grace—again with that unmistakable energy.