I want people to have their own visions for the dance. Some generations will sit back and relate to the music. And the young people ...they'll have the dance right in front of them.

So many people dwell on negativity and I've survived by ignoring it: it dims your light and it's harder each time to turn the power up again.

Dancing is a gift. You are supposed to do it; it's like breathing.

Dancing is being trusted with other people's guts; choreographing is trusting other people with yours. When I choreograph I'm giving a dancer something to do and trusting the dancer to do it and build on it.

I've danced all over the world, and people are people. We cannot cut off from each other in life. In order to lead, you can't do that.

I haven't had a family, but I don't think of that as a sacrifice: my dancers are my family.

Maybe its a generational thing, but I never wanted to be the best black dancer in the world. I just wanted to be the best.