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Black Ambition

Chris taught me "We Are Family." Anverrea inspires. And I bow down to Ella, Etta, and Beyoncé.

By Melissa Yi Yuan-InnesPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Anverrea Bennett captures "Me and the Sky."

1.

"Come From Away" is a musical set in Gander, Newfoundland, so you might not expect to discover a Black singer, but I did.

Through the magic of YouTube, I discovered Anverrea Bennett singing a stripped down version of "Me and the Sky," just her and a guitarist, and I was hooked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK7YSJgTnTM

In the YouTube comments, someone asked for the guitar chords, and Anverrea said sure, get in touch.

So I did, even though her comments also mentioned that she'd just had a baby girl. She sent me the chords, and now I follow her singing as part of The Davis Sisters.

While I'm a fan of everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James to Beyoncé, I particularly love artists who are on their way up. They have so much talent and energy, and they're still happy to meet you.

Popular artists are awesome, but they're already household names. They have their millions and their mansions. I'll memorize their lyrics and their dance moves, but there's no sense of discovery or of helping the underdog.

2.

Digging deeper into my memory vaults, I remember another Black woman in music.

"I can teach you how to dance," said Dr. Christine Peterkin. We were all family medicine residents, MD's getting ready for the end of year show, and Christine was organizing the musical numbers. She taught us her original choreography, stomping the ground, slapping our chests and thighs in sync and, okay, out of sync too.

For our grand finale, we broke into song.

"I want us to sing 'We Are Family,' Because St. Mary's is like a family," Chris said, naming our community hospital.

No, she didn't pursue a professional career in music and dance. She's a family doctor in Drayton, Ontario now.

But I'll always remember her singing and dancing and patiently teaching us the moves. She also hosted a movie night and a sleepover. She radiated joy.

3.

And now the three iconic Black women in my musical life.

Ella Fitzgerald sang "All of You" at our wedding. I own a CD of her duets with Louis Armstrong, and I studied for years to her songbook. Something about her voice strikes a chord in my heart. I channelled Ella, singing "Summertime," when I auditioned for a radio show.

The same year I dove into Ella, I discovered Etta James. "At Last" is another irresistible wedding classic, but the song that tickled me the most was "If I Can't Have You," her duet Harvey Fuqua. A love song had never been so funny and full-throated.

As for Queen Bey, I first saw Beyoncé in Destiny's Child, undulating to the sounds of "Bills, Bills, Bills," and "Say My Name." But she really captured my attention with Jay Z in "Crazy in Love," and no one could escape "Single Ladies" or "Run the World."

Queen Bey is even in my Fringe show, "I Am the Most Unfeeling Doctor in the World." For my dance number—since I no longer have Chris to coach me—I watched a lot of YouTube choreography At one point, I incorporate a dance by Matt Steffanina and Dayna Alexa. He cues a new dancer through the moves, at once point coaxing her with, "Beyoncé!": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP87pgFYPto&list=PLSsQR1cKnka_zg8ONj_XVQxQNQ8E31Df8&index=43

Gotta admit, I'm a cultural ignoramus (see: med school), so I don't know which of her moves he's imitating when I'm imitating him. And I know that's problematic when everyone rips off Black culture.

But at least Matt and I give her credit. When I'm jigging and twisting on stage, and the audience is probably thinking they don't know whether to laugh or run out of the room, I end up in a wide-legged squat with my fist in the air, punching the air and telling them exactly where it came from: "Beyoncé!"

Cracks them up every time.

So thank you, queens. Whether you're packing the arenas, building your YouTube subscribers or practicing family medicine and singing on the side, I salute you.

Thank you for lifting the world through song, dance, love, and ambition.

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About the Creator

Melissa Yi Yuan-Innes

Melissa Yi is an emergency physician and award-winning writer of the Hope Sze medical thrillers. As Melissa Yuan-Innes, she has also won awards for speculative fiction, poetry, and children’s literature.

Facebook

@dr_sassy

www.myi.ninja

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