Even when something does not go my way, I get up and fight, that is what keeps me going.

I realized that a dancer's life is very short and I had so much of a creative energy in me that I needed outlets to do other things so that's when I started acting more and it all kind of blended together. When you're on stage you're acting and you're dancing, it started blended together now.

I get hired to be a certain character, but I cannot change my look especially since I have been in the business this long. I can't gain 20 pounds and wonder why I am not working anymore or I'd have to transition into other types of roles. You have to take care of yourself and be vigilant.

You have to control things, especially with the social media, because once it's out there, it's out there. And that becomes the fact.

The thing that I've learned is to stay ready to be ready, and I tell this to young people all the time. You don't have time to get ready. So, what that means to me is if you don't like your hair, your weave is wack, your teeth need fixing, if your attitude needs adjusting and you need therapy, you really want to lose 10 pounds - whatever that is for you - then you need to work on it starting now.

Anytime anybody asks you to do anything that is celebrating you or highlighting your life, just the fact that they cared enough about me, who am I to say no? It's a form of flattery to me and I take those things seriously, because in the long run, people don't have to care about you.

I want to see 61, and one day I want to see 90, so that means I have to keep having birthdays. So what am I supposed to do? Be ashamed because I'm getting older? No, how about I embrace myself, my age, the space that God has put me in, and learn from and teach other people and we support each other as women, because we're all beautiful - different sizes, shapes, colors - and we celebrate ourselves as we grow older and become better.