Angi clark Lampkin

While I always loved to dance, my path to the Buckeye Dance Force — now called the Ohio State University Dance Team — was interesting because my background was in cheer.

In the late 80s, I was an African American cheerleader at a predominantly white high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Early on, I saw the difference shown to me due solely on the color of my skin. I was the only African American cheerleader through my years in Junior High and High School, and leadership roles were not awarded to me even though my skill set and time on Varsity warranted them. Those experiences and situations made me strong and resilient. They pushed me to be the best I could be and to enjoy my cheerleading experience of entertaining the fans, no matter the obstacles.

After high school, I attended THE Ohio State University, and I wanted to carry on with my pom poms in college. In preparation, I attended cheerleading prep classes with the OSU cheerleaders and other potential new recruits. I realized very quickly, though, that my 120 lb. frame didn’t fit the early 90s college cheerleader qualifications. I was devastated, but still passionate about entertaining and my love of the fans. So, in 1992, I decided to take a chance and try out for something new — the Buckeye Dance Force. Many of the dancers trying out had the type of formal dance training to have a great tryout. As a young child, I took dance classes but only in elementary school, so it was a little more challenging for me (that’s also when I realized that a lot of African American children did not have the opportunity or funds for private classes to learn and improve their dance technique and skills). But like I said before, challenging situations made me work harder. I worked extremely hard during tryouts, even learning words like plié, passé, and even fouetté. At the end of tryouts, I was offered a position on the Buckeye Dance Force. Even though I did not have the “classical” dance training that my fellow dancers had, I possessed enough God-given talent along with strength, resilience, and perseverance to hold my own at the French Field House.

I spent two years on that team with some amazing dancers and dynamic women. During that time, I was one of two African American members, and I learned a lot in a short amount of time. My fellow dancers taught me fouettés, passés, pliés, and many more dance moves that I was never taught as a young child, and we all worked as a team to help each other improve skills and become better dancers. This newfound experience of dance brought different opportunities and experiences. I was able to dance in San Diego, CA. at the UDA National Competition, OSU sports events, and various community related events around Ohio. Also, I was given the privilege to dance with some of the BEST HUMAN BEINGS IN THE WORLD who, at the end of the day, became family.

Even though the majority of the Buckeye Dance Force was white, they never made me feel different or not part of the team. While there were times when I felt like less of a dancer because I was a cheerleader and it took me longer to master specific things, I also realized that the work ethic and dedication I needed to become a great high school cheerleader was equally important here because both cheer and dance require dedication, energy, and time to become the best. And, at the end of the day, both should be inclusive because there are different things that each person can bring to the table to make the entire team EXCEPTIONAL!! We were a team of White, Black, and Asian members — a melting pot of dancers — and it strengthened us. My teammates never saw color and I truly felt as though we were a family. We were Buckeyes!

During my time with the Buckeye Dance Force, I made a ton of memories and amazing friendships that will last a lifetime. I am truly grateful for that. Not only were friendships made, though, but it also sustained my love of entertaining. I graduated from The Ohio State University and went back home to find a job in Cincinnati, where my cheerleading and dance background led me to become a Cincinnati Ben Gal Cheerleader in the NFL.

My path was not easy at the beginning because my talent was overlooked because of my skin color. Once I pushed past all the naysayers, though, I was able to do what I love — entertain fans at my Jr. High and High School, at The Ohio State University, and on the professional stage with the NFL. I would like to acknowledge those who, in my early years, neglected my internal drive and love for performing because of what they saw. You individuals actually made me push myself to be better, making myself a collegiate and professional athlete. For that, I thank you!!!

Cierra Kaler-Jones

I’ll never forget the moment that changed my life. I was a junior in high school when my school district faced major budget cuts and decided to cut the arts programs. I was a shy teenager, whose continued struggle for approval stemmed from how deeply my self-worth was wrapped in perfectionism. This made me cower at the thought of raising my voice. 

But something changed for me that day. 

I’ve been dancing since I was five. Dance has been a constant in my life. All of the words I was too afraid to mutter and all of the emotions I didn’t quite have the vocabulary to articulate could be expressed through the rhythmic contractions of my body. When I would take that first step on stage, everything around me would dissipate. Dancing helped me to learn how to take up space in the world. It enabled me to be free in my body. It allowed me to stand in my power.

When the school board released its decision to cut the arts programs, I felt, for the first time, overwhelmingly passionate about something. I was so fervent about it that I started organizing my peers and community members to fight to reinstate the programs. I went to school board meetings to share my story and make a plea for what the arts meant to me. At one meeting when the board members called for public comment, I slowly stood up, with shaky legs and sweaty palms and said, “I have something to say.” As I detailed the important role that dance played in my life, I felt a rush overtake my body. The shy girl who hated raising her hand in class was now sharing her story in a room full of strangers. I could no longer be silent.

While the board ended up reinstating the programs, I found that I started to have questions about how many other schools ended up in similar predicaments and why the arts were often the first to get cut. These questions stayed with me as I chased my dance dreams –to dance for the Rutgers University Dance Team, to live out my childhood dream of competing on the Miss America stage as Miss New Jersey, to dance professionally in the NBA, to be a dance educator and choreographer, and now to be a scholar and researcher who studies how Black girls use art (e.g. movement and music) as mechanisms for expression, identity development, and resistance of oppressive structures and systems. Each of these experiences have helped me to answer those persistent questions. Each of these have helped me deepen my arts advocacy. 

The arts are a tool for storytelling. They provoke new ways of understanding the world. For so many, like me, the shy girl with the shaky voice at the school board meeting, dance and art are outlets for speaking truth to power.

Emily Amador Pareti

During my senior year of high school, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This was a shock to everyone because I was extremely healthy, rarely got sick, and was aware at a young age about the importance of eating healthy and clean. When I found out, I immediately started treatment. I tried my best to handle my diagnosis with resilience and grace, but truth be told I was devastated after missing my first dance competition of the year due to surgeries. Two weeks after treatment started, I lost all of my hair, my white blood cells dropped, and I had scars all over my body.

That didn’t stop me from doing what I loved most — dance. I was back on stage two weeks later performing with my wig taped to my head, eyebrows drawn on, and eyelashes glued to my eyes. I didn’t care how I felt or how crazy people thought I was for doing that — I just wanted to dance. Movement has always been therapeutic for me and a great form of self-expression. Growing up, the one activity that made me feel alive was dance.

I already had plans to attend Rutgers in the fall. I also had plans to audition for the Rutgers Dance Team in the spring, but due to my chemo schedule, I was in the hospital hooked up to IVs instead, hoping that I would soon be in remission. Three months later, we found out that the treatments worked and I could stop therapy and move on with my life. 

I was very fortunate that the head coach of the Rutgers Dance Team, Christine Zoffinger, granted me a private audition — she had me do a few turn sequences and acro tricks, and decided I would be a great addition. My dream of attending Rutgers and dancing for the football and basketball games came true! That first year, I wore my wig so I could feel a sense of normalcy as a college dancer and student.

Over my four years, I competed at UDA Nationals in Orlando each year and traveled to a few of the bowl games. It was an experience of a lifetime!

After graduating with my BA in 2014, I moved to Hawaii with my high school sweetheart. Unfortunately, the cancer returned during our third year living there. In addition to Western medicine, I learned Eastern practices such as meditation and continued therapeutic movement to help my body to heal itself. During this time, yoga helped me tune into the body-mind-spirit connection. The feeling on my yoga mat was the same exact feeling of dancing on stage and on the sidelines. I felt alive and free and through this expression of movement and emotion, I could feel the cancer dissolving through each stretch, twist, backbend, and breath.

I am now married, in remission for three years, a teacher of many types of movement, and work at Rutgers Foundation full time. I want to share my story to help others in whatever life challenges they are going through.