There are a light bulb in a dark room and

There are a few people in the world who just seem to shine bright.

They are a light bulb in a dark room and Carolyn Adams is one of those people.

She is a world-renowned dancer, a pioneer and a teacher, and she just seems to have

this magical perspective on the world and how to approach it with such intense purpose.

I had the chance to sit down and talk to her and I left completely inspired.

This is a bit of optimism.

Carolyn, thanks so much for joining me.

What was it like for you as you were trying to build a career

in the arts trying to be a dancer as a young black woman

during the civil rights era during the 1950s and 60s?

Well, it was a pretty smooth ride.

I actually didn't face too many obstacles

in my early years or even later.

And it's partly because I knew what I wanted to do. I didn't have

low expectations, but I sort of had none. I just knew I wanted to dance. And then I

was very fortunate. I'm into an elementary school that had dance,

and I went to a high school that had dance,

and then I started training.

There really weren't a lot of barriers for African Americans in terms of training.

Now early on, a little bit before me, some of the classes were segregated.

And we tell this story about how the kind teachers

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