(MUSIC) CHOREOGRAPHER, THEY DON'T SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE, AND SO I THINK WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IS T comprender cada vez más a la humanidad y crear THAT ADDRESSES IT. NOW ITOLE sin mucho trabajo arduo y mucha gente haciendo el trTHE WORK, EVERYBODY. - Es traba AS IF WE HAVE NEVER hubiéramos trabajado unLIVES. (MUSIC) IT'S THE BIRTHPLACE OF A LEGACY. THE CORNER OF PARK AVE. AND NORTH WASHINGTON WAS ONna de Park Avenue en el norte de Washington alguna vez fue el hogar d NOW IS HOME TO CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE. En este 53.° año de la empresa,COMPANY, CLEO REFLECTS ON HER OH, THAT'S A LOT OF YEARS! 53. [LAUGHING] - IT'S A GHT? I WEAR THIS LITTLE CAP THAT SAYS BLESSED AND I REALLY DO, I CAN feway al otro lado de la calle, camino a cualquWN, MY HAT SAYS BLESSED AND PEOPLE WILL STOP AND SAY: "YES, YOU ARE." AND THEN I KNOW IT, IT'S AN AFFIRMATION, IT'S A BLESSING. . Pero nunca imaginé que empezaría en la tienda de WeltonNEVER IMAGINED WE STARTED ON THE STOREFRONT ON WELTON STREET. [BLUES MUSIC] I WAS BORN HERE IN FIVE POINTS. Nací aquí en Five Points. [M ÚSICAES MUSIC] - CHARLIE BURRELL, THE GREAT BASS PLAYER. ALREADY GREW UP WITH MUSIC. DENVER, COLORADO ON THAT CORNER. [JAZZ MUSIC] -[ BLACK AND BLUE.] 50S, DESPITE HOUSING POLICIES THAT KEPT AFRICAN AMERICANS os afroamericanos.VE POINTS Five Points prosperó y se convirtió enCAME ANENTERTAINMENT MUST SEE. que hay que ve ITS FLAGSHIP VENUE, THE ROSSONIAN, WAS CLEO'S FIRST ON HIS LEG. ♪ BE LIKE GOLD NET. WishedI WAS DEAD. ♪ SHE WOULD ALLOW MY MOTHER AND FATHER TO STAY y mi padre se quedR OWN PLACE. THE ONLY TIME YOU SAW WHITE PEOPLE IS WHEN THEY CAME TO THE TO COME TO THE FIVE POINTS ROSSONIAN. AND EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A TIME OF SEGREGATIO época de segregación, había líderes de deICE ETHER. THEY HAD TO FIGHT TO BE TOGETHER. [BLUES MUSIC] - BOTH OF THEM WERE MUSICIANS. HE PLAYED TROMBONE AND TRUMPET. SYMPHONY. EnC. BETWEEN. TO ME LIKE THAT VERY YOUNG. Entonces tendríamos gente de toOM ALL KINDS OF BACKGROUNDS AT OUR AND SO WE FELT RICH. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY. WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF ANYTHING, BUT WE HAD EACH OTHER, No teníamos muchos edificios. No teníamos mucho de nada, pero nos teníamos el uno al otro, eTHAT MADE US DREAM. - THE TELEVISION WAS MAJOR. BUT IT WAS BETRN. SEE PEOPLE DOING THE JITTERBUG AND WE WOULD TRY AND WE SAY "OK, TURN OFF THE TUBE FOR A MINUTE. bien, apaga el tubo por un minuLET'S TRY IT. SO WE BECAME VERY INNOVATIVE THINKING ABOUT THAT HOW TO, YOU aburridos". Entonces TO FIGURE OUT, sabes, si no tienes mucho dinero, ECOME BORED? MY FATHER AND MOTHER WERE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT. YOU HAVE GOT TO HELP DO THE CHORES. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE INTELLIGENT. AND SOTCHING TELEVISION. THAT WASN'T ENOUGH. televisiYOU HAD TO READ, E JAZZ]N, Cab CaY ELSE. Estoy se [JAZZ MUSIC] do. MY MOTHER WA música a una hora determinada. Todos subíue a AND HAVE DINNER, BECAUSE SHE AND SHE BE LIKE, COME UP, "I TOLD YOU ALL TO COME UP AND GO." AND I GO. "MAMA, WHY ARE YOU YELLIdecía "Mamá, ¿por qué gritas?"QuHT? [SINGING] - ♪KN. Know this, that there's something between a liY ♪ HERSELF IN THE BACKYARD AND DANCES TO A STRANGE, SILENT AND ♪ INVISIBLE RHYTHMS THAT ARE MYSTICALo herwhite neighbors. "]rca laS THE FIRST TELEVISED PERFORMANCE FOR CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE ENSEMBLE. [MUSIC] WASN'T ALWAYS SO WELCOMING AND PERFORMA acogedor y actuaciones como ésta eran pocas y R IN BETWEEN. - I GOT INTRODUCED TO DANCE THROUGH WAileviendo a los bailarines. Quiero decir, me encantaba bailar mientras crecía, pero ver bailarines, prepUP, BUT TO WATCH AND PERFORMING AND HAVE AN AUDIENCE AND ALL THAT, I VERY todo eso, yo muy joven, comencé desde abajo de e STARTED AT THE BONFILS THEATRE BECAUSE MY porque mi padre fue la primera persona AS THE FIRST PERSON OF COLOR THAT THEY EVER HIRED. THE THEATRE. Ni sGHT ABOUT IT. DAY CLEANING AFTER THE BALLET DANCERS, AFTER THE ACTORS, AFTER THE GREAT SOCIETIES WOULD COME IN, THEY LOOK DOWN UPON IT. STAGE." AND THEY'RE LIKE, "OH, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE escenario". Y ellos decían: "oh, ¿qué enario "YOU'RE THE JANITOR" HE SAID, "NO, I WATCH YOU. I WATCH YOU EVERrvo. Te observo todas las noches, to A BEAUTIFUL JOB." THEY'RE LIKE, "REALLY?" DO YOUIS? FROM DAY ONE. [MUSIC] rasera 'T GO THROUGH THE FRONT. SO THAT'S WHERE IT STARTED. I HAD TO UNDER no sólo entrar por la puerta delantera, trasera y THE SIDE DOOR, BUT TO HAVE OUR OWN BUILDING TO OWN YOUR OWN BUILDING. persona para ser dueño de tu propio edificio.. [MUSIC] - THIS IS MY EARLIER COMPANY AND LATER COMPANY. - Esta es mi empresa anterior y mi empresa poste SISTER DANCED WITH ME. THIS IS ME DOING RUN, MY DOING BARHOUSE BLUES. BUT THAT'S THE ROLE I DO NOW. THAT. TO CELEBRATE AND TO COME TOGETHER. Y, MINE. THEY DON'T ALWAYS KNOW HOW TO ACCESS IT. SO, MY WORK HAS BEEN ABOUT HOW istido en cómo hacer que la belleza de la vida sea accesible para todACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE. AND THEN THEY CAN MAKE A CHOICE ABOUT WHETHER THEY WANT IT OR Y luego pueden elegir si lo quieren o no. Pero tener acceso a él es lore ha NG ACCESS TO IT IS WHAT HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE. Sólo ciertas personas con cierta clTAIN CLASS OR CERTAIN CULTURE, OR ARE LIKE THIS, NO, WE SHOULD ALL HAVE ACCESS. THAT MIGHT BE THE AVENUE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO MOVE TOGETHER, BUT Ese podría ser el camino que todos tenemos para avanzar juntos, pero una vez que avanzamos juntos, estamos en l ONCE WE MOVE TOGETHER, WE'RE IN EACH OTHER'S MINDS AND IN OUR SPIRITS AND IN OUR EMOTIONS. AND I'ALL. LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW. Así, ya sabes. [M ÚSICAMUSIC] [CLAPPING] [JAZZ MUSIC] THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS WAS THE DESTINATION FOR ANYONE WITH THE DREAM OF THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR LIFESTYLE, A LIFESTYLE CLEO WAS SURE SHE WANTED TO BE A PART OF. THAT'S WHERE I WENT THERE ATLIKE THIS "NEW YORK HERE I AM!" Yo estaba así " ¡Nueva YorkENT, DO YOU arines hay en Nueva York? I WASN'T READY. SO, I'M LIKE THIS, NO OTHER CHILD WILL GO ANYWHERE WITAsí que dije, ningún otro niño irá a ningún lado sin estarDY. SO THAT'S WHY I FELT THAT I HAD TO CREATE A SCHOOL AS SOON AS I CAME BACK. AND WE HAD LITTLE ROOM, ONE LITTLE ROOM, AND WE egresé. Y teníamos poco espacio, un cuartito, y estábamos contentos WE FELT WEese espacio. Entonces, a medida que crece y se convierN AND BECOMING THE BLESSINGS JUST FLOW, NOW, IT'S NOT BLESSINGS WITHOUT A WHOLE LOT OF HARD WORK, AND A duro y mucha gente haciendo el OLKS DOING THE WORK, EVERYBODY. WORKING. IT'S WORK, BUT THE JOY OF IT IS AS IF WE HAD NEVER WORKED A DAY trabajando. Es trabajo, pero el disfrute de hacerlo es como si nunca hubiéramosstraUST AN EXTRAORDINARY THING TO HAVE A COMMUNITY THAT WILL HAVE FAITH IN AN IDEA AND SOMETHING YOU'VE NOT SEEN BUT HAVE FAITH AND A VISION AND A SPIRIT. BUT I THINK IT'S ABOUT AN ENERGY AND I ALWAYS LOVE BEING FROM DENVER. COMING TO DENVER. WE USED TOOU KNOW, THEY GO FROM NEW YORK TO DIDN'T HAPPEN. MOUNTAINS, AND NOT JUST FOR THE BRONCOS OR FOR THE MOUNTAINS, OR GROWING UP AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN, BUT BIRACIALLY IT'S KIND OF A CHALLENGE TRYING TO DISCOVER WHO YOU ARE AND WHO PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE. DEFINING WHO YOU ARE. SO, THEN YOU HAVE TO GO AND REDEFINE YOURSELF ALL THE TIME [MUSIC] [M ÚSICA] - Fue estresan- IT WAS STRESSFUL. NoOMENT. UL. [JAZZ MUSIC] SEE NOT PERSONAL. [M C] YOU GOT TO BE THAT. AND THERE ARE NO EXCUSES. AIN'T, THEN YOU MISS THE TRAIN. no la tienes, entonces pierdes el tYOU MISSED IT. THERE CAN'T BE ANY EXCUSLo perdíSO, I THINK THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO BECOME A WARRIOR. YOU HAVEER BE READY TO BE YOU HAVE TO DO THAT. LOT AND I PRAY THROUGH MANY, MANY TIMES. orar mucho y yo oro muchas, muchas veces. Entonces, para qE LOOKED AT AND TO BE FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHY WAS BLACK DANCE BEYOND THE BLACK DANCE. NOTHING. SO, I KNEW I WAS CARRYING AT THE TIME, I WAS STANDING ON HER SHOULDERS AND THE SHOULDERS OF MANY, MANY MORE. IT'S A TREMENDOUS RESPONSIBILITY WHEN YOU KNOW THAT. I SIMPLYlásico decir AS YOU KNOW, AND SO MUCH BALLET IS JUST A NARRATIVE. BUT TO CAPTURE THE MEANINGTHE PEOPLE. I FELT THAT I HAD TO TAKE SOMETHING DIRECTLY FROM THE PEOPLE AND DEVELOP THAT. - [DRAMATIC MUSIC] KATHERINE DUNHAM. THAT WAS THE ONE THAT BLEW MY MIND BECAUSE SHE WOULD DO STORMY Ella fue lTH ALL THAT EVERYBODY ELSE, THAT WAS IT. [MUStodo. [M ÚSICA] - No necesitabRINTED SO IT'S HUGE AND A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE SHE WAS SO MANY THINGS TO SO MANY PEOPLE. JOURNEY. SHE CAME UP IN THE 30S. I CAME UP YEARS LATER, I'M COMING UAT'S Ella surgió en los años 30. Yo crecí años después, en los años 60, eso es DIFFERENT THING. difere[MUSIC] ALSO HAVING A VOICE AND SOME OF THAT TRAINING, I DON'T THINK tener una voz y algo de eso. Creo que los padres ya nAT WHAT I REALIZED IS THAT THE WE HAVE TO BE THOSE VOICES IN THOSE PLACES TO LISTEN TO FOR SOME OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND SOME OF THEM ARE COMING TO ME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND THEY HAVE THE SAME CHALLENGES, IT DOESN'T MATTER. SO, I HAD TO LEARN THAT THE COMPANY, THE ENSEMBLE, THE ORGANIZATION BECAME A FAMILY UNIT THAT THEY NEEDED. SO, I LEARNED THAT. COUNSELOR, AND A MAMA, AND A SISTER, AND A YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THAT FOR EACH OTHER. YO U AS Ye ocurre cuando la gente te mira como si fueras bailarHER. THEY DON'T SEE IT. ANCESTORS THAT COME WITH YOU, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THE ANCESTORS ARE ALWAYS DANCING WITH ME, TO KEEP THIS COMPANY TOGETHER FOR 53 YEARS. I SAY. [CLAPPING] [PIANO MUSIC] [APLAUSOS] [M ÚSICA DE PIANO] . Se ha coT HAS INFLUENCED REPRESENT HER, BUT IS FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. THIS IS A LOT OF PRIDE OF A LOT OF PEOPLE. HAVE THE WRONG PERSON." I DON'T KNOW. THAT STAGE, I'M LIKE I NEED TO BE FIRED, I FNo sé. Cada vez que le digo a mi mamá que necesito que me despidan, medespido yo mRIGHT? CLEO, YOU NEED TO DO THAT. THERE WITH STOKELY CARMICHAEL. THEN YOU KNOW YOU' ahí para ti. Estás ahí fuera en un GGER, IN A BIGGER SELF. - FOR EXPANDING OUR NATIONS APPRECIATION FOR THE PRACTICE - ON MARCH 21ST, 2023, PRESIDENT BIDEN AWARDED THE NATIONAL MEDAL - El 21 de marzo de 2023, el presidente Biden otorgó la MedaANCE, AN ORGANIZATION CLEO HELPED TO ESTABLISHED, AND SERVES AS VICE CHAIR. MEDAL FOR THE ARTS WAS REALLY AN EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT. IT WAS OVERWHELMING AND IT W PINCHING AN D THEN I WANTED TO ACT UP. RIGHT? THEY WOULD PLAY, YOU KNOW, TAYING MUSIC ALL AROUND THE ROOM. IN FROM ANOTHER. AND THAT WAS A WONDERFUL MOMENT. THAT WAS REALLY GREAT. BUILD FOR 35 YEARS. POINT WHERE IT HAS TO CONTINUE. continuar. Y es necWITH VISION, YOU GOT TO HAVE ALL THAT. TienesED THE WISDOM AROUND THEM AND THE COambién necesitan la sabiduría que los rodea y la confianzN'T BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. TEACHERS. MY SON BECAME MY TEACHER. A GREAT TEACHER TAUGHT ME Mi hijo fue un gran maestro para mí, un gran maestro me enseñó LD, TRYING TO CREATE A NAME FOo solo para mí, sino TO DO IT. THAT'S HARD AS A WIFE, AND I'M LIKE THIS, WAIT, SUGAR I'LL BE RIGHT BACK, HOLD IT, STAY RIGHT THERE. I'LL BE RIGHT THERE. CREATE THE ORGANIZATION FOR 52 YEARS AND THAT MALIK IS CARRYING ON THIS LEGACY MORE, THAT BETTER THAN I COULD EVER IMAGINE IT, legado aún más, mejor de lo que jamás podría imaginar, mejor de lo que EVER IMAGINE IT. [PIANO MUSIC] [CLASSIC MUSIC] BUT HE WAS HE WAS QUITE A MAN. HE WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL. GOOD WOMAN. Pero detrás de toda buena mujer THERE IS A MAN, AND HE WAS CLEARLY, I CALLED HIM SAINT THOMAS. era, lo llamaba Santo Tomás. Recuerdo losALK ABOUT HIM BECAUSE hablo de él porque lo amERO AND I WAS HIS HERO. WOULD HEAR HIM GIVE A SPEECH AND HE'D BE TALKING TO THEM, WOULD HE grandes, la NFL,, AND HE DIDN'T escuchab ALWAYS LISTEN. I Cleo ”, y yo decía: "¿quMEAN LIKE: "WHAT?" Quiero decAZING! [CLASSIC MUSIC]