COVER STORY
O tis Sallid vividly recalls the day early on in his career that he could not remember other people’s choreography. “It was very unusual for me… but it was also very natural,” muses the professional dance legend, husband to wife Kyme, father of children Micah and Taaj, and current Atlanta resident. “I suddenly had no interest in doing other people’s choreography as a dancer, so I started choreographing my work.” And when word got out in the New York City dance community that he was working on becoming a choreographer himself, other choreographers stopped hiring him. “So now I seriously had to go for it.” “Go for it” is an understatement for what Sallid did—working his way as an actor-dancer through scores of Broadway shows and dance companies, directing, producing, and choreographing more than a dozen national commercials for clients like Coca Cola, McDonald’s, General Motors, and Ford; and putting his gifts as a choreographer and director to use on music videos, winning the MTV and Music Video Production Association Award. In 1995 he conceived the Broadway musical Smokey Joe’s Café , and a year later he choreographed the 69th Annual Academy Awards. He has worked with talent as diverse as Spike Lee (in the musical comedy School Daze , which starred his wife Kyme, and the comedy-drama Do the Right Thing ), Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Patti LaBelle, Tony Bennett, Denzel Washington, Gregory Hines, Prince, Sarah Jessica Parker, Don Cheadle, Julio Iglesias, and Faith Hill; plus so many additional stars it would take a book to rattle them off. And he has won the coveted Bob Fosse L.A. Choreographers Award, to which he simply says, “I honor the work and keep it sacred … The art is the thing.” Of his accomplishments, Sallid is humbled and grateful, and yet he is real. “I have done some good work in every genre of the entertainment business that I am proud of, but I don’t think I have a piece of work that is my best as of yet. I was born, hardwired, and made to direct and choreograph film musicals. Unfortunately, for many of us, these projects are not afforded to people of color.” Comprehending this unfathomable reality in such a monumental time in history, and at that hearing the words come from Sallid’s mouth, provides a stark and stinging wakeup call. “I do not believe that there has ever
stresses. “We had so many opportunities to choreograph with giants next to you that you were able to get all of your bad choreography out of the way.” Several other New York institutions played significant roles in Sallid’s early development as a choreographer. One of them was Clark Center for the Performing Arts. “This was a place that Alvin Ailey created,” he says. “It was on 51st and 8th Ave. In the day I was at the Juilliard School, but in the evening I was at Clark Center studying with visionaries such as Alvin Ailey, Thelma Hill, Pepsi Bethel, James Truitte, Eleo Pomare, and Geoffrey Holder.” For those not well versed in the world of professional dance, Sallid urges, “Google some of these people. They are astonishing.” These foundational representatives of the dance world, as Sallid credits them, provided an almost mystical opportunity for him to immerse himself into the art and find his own movement there. Of these powerful mentors, he says, “I am grateful to them for what they gave to me. I always try to pay it forward. I try to be a blessing wherever I go. They taught me so much I put it in a form I call ‘QuOtis’s quotes.” Some QuOtis’s include: • “You can’t sell a secret” • “Do not be committed to people who are not committed to your commitment” • “The spirit will not descend without ritual” • “You come towards it, as it comes toward you” • “You can’t lie over there and be truthful here in rehearsal” Sallid adds, “My mentors not only taught me the craft but also showed me all the possibilities within it.” When truth is present, those possibilities increase. As Sallid puts it, “The truth is an important thing for a dancer or any artist to have in their soul. They should be able to tell and share their truth… This is not easy in today’s talent market because so many jobs want you to be one way. But the dancer who can find their truth amidst a crowded market of dancers will shine through.” As for Sallid and his truth as a director and choreographer, “I like to use dance when words cannot tell the story. Dance can say what words cannot.” otissallid.com
The truth is an important thing for a dancer or any artist to have in their soul. They should be able to tell and share their truth.
been a creative team of color in a major motion picture. If so, there are very few. That’s crazy,” he says. “And let us not talk about the Broadway stage. Outrageous! So, I am hoping that after this pandemic and civil unrest there will be significant changes in the way we hire and de- velop projects.” To truly understand Sallid beyond the glittering accomplishments is to step back and consider the boy, the art, the magic, and what makes the man. His story began in the vibrant community of Harlem. “When I was growing up, Harlem was a Mecca for all things artistic, social, political, and spiritual,” he describes. “Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Malcolm X, Nikki Giovanni, Gordon Parks, (and) Roy DeCarava would just walk down the streets and you could have conversations with them. More importantly, you could easily scope their vibe in how they dressed, walked, leaned, and spoke. That was important because they were passing down a sense about who I am and what I could be. Harlem was a very positive influence on me.” Another immeasurable influence: Juilliard School, where Sallid was invited on a full scholarship after attending the already prestigious High School of the Performing Arts in New York City. “The Juilliard School was a very special place because I was able to intermingle with so many powerful choreographers and dance- makers: Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Antony Tudor, Mary Hinkson, Ernesta Corvino. “Many of these people, though you may not be familiar with them, are the cornerstone and the founda- tion of American dance as we now know it today,” Sallid
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