An invitation means everything to me. During the summer of 2022, I spent time in New York getting to know the African dance community that my late uncle, Luther, was so deeply invested in. I wanted to learn about the art form itself. I wanted to build relationships with the people in Luther’s orbit. A bit selfish, I wanted to see what could have been if ailment did not take my uncle from me. I met a divine woman who revealed all of this to me, and more. Her name is Dyane Harvey-Salaam. She performed with Luther in the Broadway show, Timbuktu!, currently serves as the assistant artistic director of Forces of Nature dance company, and lectures at Princeton University, which is how we initially connected. Us crossing paths felt fated. Over the course of the summer, I had extended conversations with Dyane about what West African dance has meant to her and her generation. These conversations contoured my understanding of dance as something that is redemptive, sanctified, and an every day, life-giving practice capable of bending reality itself. I saw these dynamics play out first hand as Dyane would invite me to event after event put on by the many impressive dance companies in New York—dance companies that folks like Dyane and my uncle breathed life into throughout their lives. These invitations were more than just an opportunity to experience a moment; they were a warm welcome into an entire world wherein an understanding of dance’s capacity to sustain the soul is held by all.