Black Pioneers really do come in all shapes and sizes. In the past decades we’ve had greats like Zora Neale Hurston, “one of the most important writers of the Harlem renaissance” to Charles Mingus, a jazz legend who “stretched the boundaries of improvisational and big band jazz through the 50’s and 70’s” to Sojourner Truth, “one of the most outspoken abolitionists and woman’s right advocates in the U.S”.
So many black women and men have fought their own way in various fields to bring about a change for human kind not only as a race, but as a unified human population. Whether it be through music, politics, and/or technology, black pioneers of the past and present are still being recognized for the fight towards a more better equal world.
Right now, we’d like to take and focus our lenses to Normani Kordei: a passionate dancer and singer hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. She is a member of the multi-platinum girl group Fifth Harmony and sees dance as her primary motivational source. Throughout her childhood Kordei became inspired by dance and explained in a Complex magazine interview the following:
“Dancing is more than just moving body parts, it is a pathway of expressing your deepest inner thoughts. When I dance I escape the present and become one with my soul. I put my all into performing so people can walk away knowing a bit more about me and feel the passion in my story.”
In short, dance helped the ambitious young woman shape who she is today. This alone shows that anything can inspire anyone to become powerful and more confident. So it’s safe to say that besides singing with one of this generations most popular girl band, dance has become a safe haven for Normani.
She has posted several videos of her dancing skills, but before all the expertise dancing came years and years of practice. Check out this YouTube video below, courtesy of her mother Andrea Hamilton, featuring her daughter with a blast from the past.
It’s been amazing to see her growth over time. At this stage in her life, Normani has a huge opportunity to spread her wings of advice to people from all ages; and that she has. She’s consistently told her younger fans to never allow color, skin, age, sexual orientation, etc to define how far you can go.
And that’s what artists like Normani should be doing now – inspiring the youth and in general, just people of all ages, to continue in the path of persistence. Because with persistence, comes success. It may not come at the same time for everyone, but in this case, patience is definitely a virtue.
But no matter how old you are, you have the power to inspire and motivate everyone around you. Whether it be through the arts or teaching, the possibilities are endless. And we’re so glad that Normani Kordei is inspiring other young black women and men to focus on their dreams.
It seems like an easy thing to do, but when you’re shrouded in the celebrity world, you can get easily pushed and influenced both negatively and positively. It’s fortunate to say that women like Normani aren’t letting any negative influences in. She’s bold, powerful and over time, this young lady could be an inspirational dancer for all.
In fact, she already is. And her fans have openheartedly expressed Normani’s impact on them. Even on social media. Check out some tweets we found below!
https://twitter.com/DINAHISMYBABY/status/705521387805523970
Normani is my stronghold, my Angel that inspires me to fight my dreams @Andiluv @NormaniKordei
— ? boiola do caralho (@chaepoety) January 13, 2016
Normani is so passionate about what she does in life .. It inspires me to do what I wanna do in life and that's to sing .. 5H is my idols
— jen (@ejtmcrleys) December 4, 2015
https://twitter.com/5HBookClub/status/656924158572412928
This is what impact is. And we’re so proud to see how this grand woman continues to inspire people of all ages.
Normani Kordei is a black pioneer in art, dance, and music: through her constant influence, she will continue to empower all. Wishing you the best in everything you do!
Tag us on Twitter @CelebMix and @CelebMix5H, and let us know how and why Normani Kordei inspires you. Does she inspire you through dance, music, or just sense of self? We can’t wait to hear your responses!