Nicole Tucker-Smith is a longtime member of Full Circle Dance Company who has created several works for the company. Her daughter Nala Smith is a student at the Morton Street Dance Center who studied at the Ailey School last summer. Together they will perform Nicole Tucker-Smith's "Birthrights" as part of Full Circle's show "From the Source of Our Power" November 3 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The Baltimore Dance Bulletin asked Tucker-Smith about the creative process.
Q. What does it feel like to share the stage with your real-life daughter?
When I think about this opportunity to dance with my daughter, the greatest feeling that comes to mind is one of gratitude. I appreciate that there’s a small window of time when I can still dance at this level and she’s also growing into becoming a beautiful dancer in her own right. This moment, when we are both able to dance at this level at the same time, feels like an amazing blessing.
Q. Has the process of creating and performing this dance together been easier or harder than you expected?
This process has actually been easier than I thought it would be. I went into this a bit nervous and with trepidation because our choreography preferences are somewhat different. I would start rehearsal with ideas, and she would say yay or nay, and we’d work them into something much better. We would try some things that didn’t work and other things that surprised us. It was fun and playful. It has become a beautiful blend of her strengths and mine to create something even more special than I could have predicted.
Q. What do you hope your daughter takes from this experience?
One thing I hope my daughter takes away from this experience is that life will bring storms, but living is about choosing to dance in the rain. I remember one day when I was going through breast cancer treatment, which was a yearlong process for our family, during the pandemic. I was in my daughter’s room and found a post-it note that she had written to herself. It said, “Stay strong for her.” I remember feeling so sad that she had to go through this. But this was our life. We couldn’t change it; we had to live through it. Even through the struggles, we’ve kept telling ourselves: It’s not always the fight you choose. It’s always how you choose to fight.
Q. Is it important for the audience to know that you are mother and daughter?
The mother-daughter relationship is a more important aspect of this piece than I had originally considered. The concept of "Birthrights" is about finding power in not conforming to other people’s expectations of who you should be and learning to live as your authentic self. When I first told my daughter about the concept, her response was, “Oh and it’s about a mother passing that message on to her daughter.” In that moment, I realized how much I pass on implicitly just by how I choose to live. My daughter sees those choices and takes away her own messages about how to live her life. Ultimately, this piece is about the daughter finding her own way - even if it’s different from mine as her mother.
Q. What message do you want to share with your audience through this piece?
This piece is about breaking cycles of abuse and generational trauma that teach us to dim our light to fit into someone else’s box. Society and even our own circles tell us who we’re supposed to be and how we’re supposed to limit our lives based on preconceived notions. It takes courage to choose paths less traveled. This dance shines a light on what a disservice it would be if we hide the masterpiece each one of us has to offer the world. Our hope is that we inspire others to connect with their birthright to find joy and live fully and freely as their beautifully unique selves.
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