Soul Train. Soullll Train. The hippest trip in America. I was in front of my television nearly every Saturday morning and pouted when I couldn't be.
Soul Train. Soullll Train. The hippest trip in America.
I was in front of my television nearly every Saturday morning and pouted when I couldn’t be. Because why do Saturday morning errands have to run over and make me miss Soul Train?
Then at some point, my local television station would run that day’s episode back late at night or maybe late Sunday afternoon if you were lucky.
I wasn’t alone. People across various races, ethnicities, and ages were doing the same thing even if we didn’t talk about it together.
So, let’s talk about Soul Train — not as nostalgia, but as legacy, genius, and cultural leadership. Because those dancers were not just “having fun on television.”
They were innovators. Stylists. Athletes. Choreographers. Cultural architects.
And they made it look effortless — which is exactly why too many people underestimated the brilliance.
Soul Train: Where movement became language
Week after week, Black dancers brought their full selves to that stage:
- rhythm layered on rhythm
- footwork that defied gravity
- style that felt like freedom
- personality that spoke louder than words
They didn’t wait for permission.
They didn’t ask for validation.
They shaped:
fashion (we tried to wear the clothes that they wore)
music trends
hair styles
how we move at weddings, clubs, cookouts, and celebrations even today
Artists came on Soul Train hoping to be accepted by the dancers — because if the dancers loved your sound, the culture followed.
That’s power.
And yet — like so much Black brilliance — it was often framed as “fun,” “natural,” “just dancing.”
No.
It was training without trainers.
Choreography without credit.
Discipline without applause.
They paid their own way.
They practiced for hours.
They created moves that later got copied, monetized, and studied — while many of their names were left out of history.
They were leaders.
When excellence looks “easy,” people forget the work
This is where it connects back to you.
When you carry something with grace —
when you move with skill —
when your voice, presence, creativity, or wisdom flows…
People can dismiss it.
“Of course she can do that.”
“That’s just natural.”
“That’s not a real skill.”
They get comfortable with your labor.
They get used to your brilliance.
And suddenly:
- your gifts become “expected”
- your genius becomes “ordinary”
- your effort disappears behind the shine
But what Soul Train shows us is this:
Just because something is done beautifully does NOT mean it was easy.
Just because you make it look smooth does not mean it did not cost time, strength, courage, and soul.
The dancers were unsung — but not unseen
In the years to come, we cannot allow their legacy to be minimized for anyone’s comfort.
We will not:
- let their artistry be written off as “cute”
- pretend they weren’t pioneers
- ignore how they expanded culture, joy, and possibility
They deserve the same respect given to classical dancers, choreographers, and performance artists — because they were all of that.
They owned the floor.
They owned their bodies.
They owned their creativity.
And they built a path many others are still walking.
And you — your gifts deserve that same honor
Whatever your gift is:
- storytelling
- organizing
- caregiving
- spiritual insight
- leadership
- artistic creation
- survival wisdom
- innovation
It matters.
You do not have to shrink so others feel relaxed.
You do not have to dull your shine so others don’t feel threatened.
The dancers didn’t tone themselves down.
They didn’t apologize for being great.
They danced like the world needed that light —
because it did.
And so do you.
Your gifts are brilliant.
Let them shine.
Let them stretch.
Let them lead.
History will remember those who dared to move freely —
and you are part of that lineage.
**There is a difference between Studio54 and Soul Train. Two entirely different entities. Soul Train was a legendary cultural experience that ran on television for 36 years. There will never be another. Respect.
**Note, it is unlikely that these dancers were “high” on anything but the music, the fashion, and vibe which they always knew was special. The producers ran a tight ship.
