It's good to try different things. It helps you grow, It takes you out of your comfort zone, It could lead to new discoveries and help you bring out something in yourself that you didn't know existed. This song is not something I would initially choose to choreograph to, but a friend of mind (Valerie Ramirez) envisioned footwork to this song and approached me to do it. When I first heard the song, I thought to myself "what would I do with this?! This isn't really me." However I approached it with an open mind and as I started to freestyle and create to this sound I found myself liking it even more and to think coming up with a piece took me less than an hour. As artist we have to always remember to stay true to our roots but to also explore and try new things. This song actually sample's Ray Charles's "I got a woman" Ray Charles wrote this with his bandleader Renald Richard after hearing a spiritual on the radio while his band was on the road.
The mix of Gospel in Blues on this track was shocking in some circles, but also made the song accessible to a wider audience. The decision to mix styles happened organically. "I was just being myself," Charles said. "Of course it created a lot of static from a lot of people. But then, on the other hand, it was a hit. It was a hit in the black community and the white community." Ray Charles took a chance and created something great! What I want to convey in this message is that as artist we should know it's okay to try new things as long as it feels good and comes from the heart. I sometimes want to mix house technique with my own movement to songs that aren't always house songs. It's a risk I'm taking but I love it and hope you will too :)
