Dance with all your heart and leave it all on the dance floor.

Strive for progress, not perfection.

Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself and try new things.

Surround yourself with positive and supportive people.

Your voice is your power; use it.

Never underestimate the power of perseverance.

Be the change you wish to see.

Dance is a universal language that can connect people from all walks of life.

Empower others to shine.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

Stay true to yourself and your artistic vision.

Inspiration comes from within.

Pass on your knowledge and inspire the next generation of artists.

Keep moving forward, even when it’s hard.

Your dreams are your blueprint.

Every setback is a setup for a comeback.

Always remember that hard work pays off.

Stay disciplined and dedicated to your craft.

Take risks and step outside of your comfort zone.

The journey is just as important as the destination.

Be fearless in pursuing your goals.

You must be willing to do what others won’t.

Embrace your uniqueness and let it shine through in your art.

Perseverance is the key to success.

Surround yourself with people who inspire you.

Dance is a celebration of life.

Chase your dreams relentlessly, no matter how impossible they may seem.

Michael Ralph brilliantly plays the street prophet, a West Indian who foreshadows the Harlem riot.

Education is the key to unlocking your potential.

Art is the most beautiful of all lies.

There are so many famous people now that are not really gifted or talented at doing anything other than getting made up, putting on tight dresses, acting badly, getting married. I mean, what the hell? I don’t know where we are going with this here in America. And we are setting a tone for the world, because everyone looks at what we do.

Never stop learning and growing as an artist.

Making this movie was a great opportunity for me to explore high-definition. I’m glad I got to see what the challenges are, what makes it better. It works wonderfully.

I want to be known as someone who opened doors for others.

The radio for these women is like television is for us today, which is really like looking at the radio.

I think a good director casts a film so that the actors bring a lot to the table.

Learn from your failures and use them as stepping stones to success.

There are some scenes that work beautifully in a moving, sweeping master, which is how I like to work.

Creativity is a gift that must be shared.

I didn’t need the insurance. I do it again if my DP tells me it didn’t look good in the camera or if the actors didn’t hit their marks. But if everything was working why do it again?

It’s kind of dangerous to cut in the camera, but that’s the only way I know how to direct.

Believe in yourself and your abilities, even when others doubt you.

The clothes back in those days were made so much better than clothes are today. They actually took time to make clothes to fit a woman’s body. Today they make clothes that fit sizes, so it stretches to fit this and that.

There’s a strength in vulnerability.

Fame is fleeting, honey. Fame is fleeting and it changes.

I design my shots. I walk the rehearsal as the camera and say ‘this is where I want to be… I want this look.

Dance is not just a physical activity, it’s a spiritual experience.

The riot isn’t seen in the movie, but it is alluded to. He has this one speech that gives a great sense of texture and paints a picture of what was happening in Harlem then.

Education is the foundation of our future.

As one who loves literature, art, music and history, I’ve been deeply rooted in the Harlem Renaissance for many years.

My mother Vivian Ayers always instilled within her children that our opinions, our thoughts and our ideas about what was possible was important. My mother made me feel that I was important as a thinker at four-years-old. And I instill that within my students everyday.

Moving your body in a rhythmic way can heal you, it can inspire you, it can set your spirit free.

The production team’s first meeting took place at my house. I had ideas and a color scheme in mind, how I wanted the movie to look, because that has to be a real collaboration.

Dreams don’t have to be big; they just have to be yours.

There was a time when fame meant that you were either someone who is really gifted in your field or you were making an impact or you are famous because you were a really horrible person, you know? But now, you can become famous by eating a frog. It’s just not the same thing.

I’m driven by passion. I mean, I am tired right now. I work to a point of abandon. I am fueled by my understanding of the need for self-expression that exists for young people.

Follow your passion and don’t let anyone discourage you.

Time management is a big part of the director’s job.

Success is not just about what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do.

I’m always moving forward.

Be true. Be beautiful. Be free. In the midst of segregation and racism Mamma raised us to be independent and free. We saw ourselves as citizens of the world, not of a block.

You have to create your own opportunities.

I use something that is a real staple in the directing world. It’s called a dance floor. You lay it down so that it’s so smooth you can roll around, and you can put furniture on top of it. It’s seamless and you don’t see it.

The arts are a reflection of the world we live in.

In places in the world where we don’t speak the same language, or even understand that we pray to the same God, we dance to the same beat, that is the ONE.

You have to continue to believe in yourself, know your value and continue to work on honing your skills. I was rejected by everyone but here I sit. So you have to stay in the game, you can’t just fall apart. Hopefully those challenges will make you stronger, it did for me.

The arts have the power to transform lives.

Even when you have a big budget, you can’t just shoot everything.

Dance is a way to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time.

If you just change one person’s life, you feel like you’ve done something. But if you can change a whole lot of them and get them looking at themselves differently, it’s amazing.

Failure: Is it a limitation? Bad timing? It’s a lot of things. It’s something you can’t be afraid of, because you’ll stop growing. The next step beyond failure could be your biggest success in life.

Dance is the hidden language of the soul.

But out of limitations comes creativity.