"She awakened my awareness that I could do this art form however I imagined. "The irony," Arnold says, "is that I grew up dancing with women." It wasn't until she was 16 and studying with Debbie Allen-who has been her mentor ever since-that Arnold realized she, too, could be an artist.
![ciara like a boy photoshoot ciara like a boy photoshoot](https://i2.wp.com/newsofafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Ciara-and-Russell-Wilson-scaled-e1584526969301.jpeg)
Its formation, in fact, was born out of the realization that virtually all the celebrated tap dancers-Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover-were men. The Syncopated Ladies have been together for almost 15 years, but the company expanded its vision in 2012 after Arnold had saved money to invest in the group. The joy and power they feel when they dance is infectious.įrom left: Orialis Ashley, Assata Madison, Chloe Arnold, Anissa Lee, Maud Arnold. It is the perfect song for this moment in history and for a company built on sisterhood, a philosophy that is not only articulated and danced about, but felt: Before filming begins, Arnold makes a point of warmly welcoming everyone to set (recalling everybody's name and role) the dancers get ready by chanting "Team work, dream work!" Despite the fact that the women perform the piece upwards of three dozen times full-out while shots are captured from various angles, nary a peep of complaint is heard. It's about breaking free, about not letting conditioning stop you." "Walk a day in my shoes, and you'll have compassion and understanding for what it is to be a woman, battling oppressions on a daily basis. "The song is talking about switching roles," Arnold explains.
![ciara like a boy photoshoot ciara like a boy photoshoot](http://www.mv-files.com/v10/pobo072/24.jpg)
Ciara like a boy photoshoot series#
The Ladies are filming their latest video, the 15th in a series that have, by and large, gone viral. "Wish we could switch up the roles," Ciara sings, and the Syncopated Ladies, led by choreographer Chloe Arnold, hit it-hard, again and again, as the cinematographer glides the camera along a track across the room, capturing their every move. With concrete floors and a windowless, tunnel-like interior reminiscent of old London Tube stations, it feels like a place far below the earth.Ĭiara's "Like a Boy" blasts through the speakers, and the dancers, dressed in camo and golden tap shoes, saunter into their positions facing the lights and camera, eyes focused forward, bodies vibrating with energy. In an unassuming industrial neighborhood east of downtown Los Angeles, five tap dancers are huddled in a bunker-turned-tap-studio.