Cincinnati, OH

Childhood: he started performing in talent shows. His interest in teaching became apparent when he started offering dance lessons from his own backyard. Dance became extremely important to Sparks after his sister’s boyfriend was murdered, as it became a way for him to escape and feel safe.

After an initial seven season run, America’s Best Dance Crew was cancelled in 2012 due to declining ratings. However, on January 10, 2015, MTV announced that the series would be revived for an eighth season.

Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Melvin Shane Sparks (born June 25, 1969) is an American hip-hop choreographer best known for his work as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and judge on America’s Best Dance Crew.

Due to his ability as a teacher and dancer, his class expanded from only three people to a record high of one hundred and seventy-five people. Shane Sparks has worked with and impressive list of stars, including Lindsay Lohan, Aaliyah, Monica, and Benji Schwimmer.

tw(y)-la. Origin:French. Popularity:7908. Meaning:twilight or early evening. Twyla as a girl’s name is of English origin meaning “twilight or early evening”.

Abel also mentions that most white readers read Twyla as white, while most black readers read Twyla as black (Abel 471). In Abel’s interpretation, Twyla looks towards Roberta’s socio-economic status as something she desires and feels like she deserves.

In “Recitatif,” Maggie represents the “outsider.” The way she is treated by both the big kids and by Twyla and Roberta represents the individual whose voice is marginalized. Maggie is on the outside and does not experience solidarity with anyone.

There are 1.98 people named TWYLA for every 100,000 Americans. This name is most often used as a first name, 99% of the time. Based on the analysis of 100 years worth of data from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Baby Names database, the estimated population of people named TWYLA is 5,367.

Like all of Morrison’s work, “Recitatif” centers questions of racial identity, community, and prejudice. Unusually, however, the races of the three main characters are deliberately kept mysterious. The reader is told that one of Twyla and Roberta is black and the other is white, however it is unclear which is which.

The title refers to the French form of “recitative,” a style of delivery sometimes used in operas when a performer sings ordinary speech, often during interludes. This refers to the episodic nature of the story that brings together the two characters—Twyla and Roberta—in five “moments, all narrated by Twyla.

St. Bonny’s

1983

Toni Morrison