Is there any honor Beyoncé hasn’t received? The multi-talented performer can now add award-winning journalist to her list of accolades.
The New York Association of Black Journalists is paying tribute to Mrs. Jay-Z for an article she wrote called “Eat, Play Love.” The July 2011 Essence…
(Source: hlntv.com)
She’s notoriously private. For years the only offstage glimpses we’ve had of BEYONCÉ (who has won 16 Grammy Awards and held six leading film roles) have been paparazzi snapshots of her fabulous life: the yachts, the shopping, the court side seats hugged up with her husband, Jay-Z. Yet to really understand Beyoncé, you have to tap into one of her fondest memories — how every year Mama and Papa Knowles would treat their girls to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a spectacle brimming with pageantry and flair. Now with a new life filled with its own thunder and applause, and on the eve of her fourth solo studio album, 4, Beyoncé is stepping up to a new kind of power. She recently announced that after 15 years of having her career managed by her father, she’s taking the reins herself. She spent nine months traveling the world and sorting out her work–play balance. She also took on the opportunity to write her first cover story, because, she says, “after doing so many interviews in my career…with no one asking me questions, what would I say?” Here Beyoncé shares her journey with ESSENCE readers exclusively.
Whenever I work with ESSENCE, it feels like home. The collaboration is always smooth and the concept of the rodeo took me back to my days growing up in Houston, Texas. I had a pair of pink cowboy boots that you’d think were glued to my feet. My mama begged me to take them off! Memories like these I’ll cherish forever. I especially enjoyed watching Frankie Beverly and Maze perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It was like the biggest family picnic; there was laughter and music everywhere and everyone dressed in their Texas finest. I loved watching all the people. We’d eat fried Snickers, funnel cakes and fried turkey legs; the smell was the best mixture of spicy and sweet.
I also spent some amazing days at Headliners, the hair salon owned and operated by my mother, Tina Knowles. From 6 to 9 years old, I would sing and put on little shows by myself for the women who wanted a hot press and curl and some good conversation. I helped sweep hair off the floor for tips to pay for my season pass to Six Flags. (I still love a good roller-coaster ride.) And when I wasn’t cleaning up the salon, I was watching my mother become my greatest role model.
On Thursday, May 3, 2012, WAT-AAH! will be spearheading the one-year anniversary celebration of the “Let’s Move! Flash Workout,” with the support of 16-time Grammy Award winner, Beyoncé, and the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF). Students from over 600 schools across the United States will unite to celebrate the first anniversary commemorating last year’s event where children across the globe were moving and dancing to Beyoncé’s workout routine in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative to combat childhood obesity.
Last year, Beyoncé debuted “Move Your Body,” for the Let’s Move! Flash Workout event. The song and music video instructed a pre-choreographed dance routine to be performed by the thousands of school children on May 3rd, at 1:42 EDT, simultaneously. As the featured performer of this movement, Beyoncé surprised Harlem’s P.S. 161 students on the day of the event, which gained global recognition.
The nationwide event will be held on an identical date and time as last year. Elementary through high school students and other supporting organizations, professional athletes, celebrities and politicians, will simultaneously dance to Beyoncé’s “Move Your Body” 4-minute exercise and dance routine.
“We are so happy to participate in WAT-AAH!’s event,” says Emily Natalie, from Harding Elementary, Erie, PA. “We have been using the ‘Move Your Body’ song this year as our physical activity. The majority of our school, 630 students, actually have been taught and know the dance, so this event will be even bigger for us this year.”
Last year, the NAB Education Foundation spearheaded the Let’s Move! Flash Workout. “With the extraordinary success of last year’s movement, people around the world became aware of the impact childhood obesity has on the lives of our children,” says NABEF President Marcellus Alexander. “This year, we are all pleased to support WAT-AAH!, the students, schools, and organizations that have joined together for a fun exercise routine that reinforces the Let’s Move! message about the benefits of healthy diet and exercise.”
“We are thrilled to lead the first anniversary celebration of the Let’s Move Flash Workout. The tremendous and positive response we received from everyone is bound to make May 3rd a spectacular day,” says Rose Cameron of CEO/Founder of WAT-AAH!.
(Source: marketwatch.com)
