full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Judith Jamison and members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Revelations from a lifetime of dance

Unscramble the Blue Letters

When I performed it the first time, it was pshlcliayy and emotionally draining. I hadn't yet run through the whole piece from beginning to end. The ballet is 16 minutes long. It's about a proud woman who has been to hell and back, from her journey across the Atlantic. She's exhausted, she's a queen, and in this section, you're going to see she is triumphant. She made it, and she is, in that last step that she does, beating away anything negative with her tremendous segnttrh. And in the last step, she digs into the earth and she reaches into the sky ... because she's clearing space for the next jurnoey. I profmeerd it in 1971, and we are still clearing spcae.

Open Cloze

When I performed it the first time, it was __________ and emotionally draining. I hadn't yet run through the whole piece from beginning to end. The ballet is 16 minutes long. It's about a proud woman who has been to hell and back, from her journey across the Atlantic. She's exhausted, she's a queen, and in this section, you're going to see she is triumphant. She made it, and she is, in that last step that she does, beating away anything negative with her tremendous ________. And in the last step, she digs into the earth and she reaches into the sky ... because she's clearing space for the next _______. I _________ it in 1971, and we are still clearing _____.

Solution

  1. space
  2. physically
  3. performed
  4. strength
  5. journey

Original Text

When I performed it the first time, it was physically and emotionally draining. I hadn't yet run through the whole piece from beginning to end. The ballet is 16 minutes long. It's about a proud woman who has been to hell and back, from her journey across the Atlantic. She's exhausted, she's a queen, and in this section, you're going to see she is triumphant. She made it, and she is, in that last step that she does, beating away anything negative with her tremendous strength. And in the last step, she digs into the earth and she reaches into the sky ... because she's clearing space for the next journey. I performed it in 1971, and we are still clearing space.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
water wade 6
river man 6
children wade 4
lord deliver 4
deliver daniel 4
alvin ailey 4
store bought 3
bought bed 3
mother save 3
ailey american 2
american dance 2
civil rights 2
clearing space 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
lord deliver daniel 4
store bought bed 3
alvin ailey american 2
ailey american dance 2

ngrams of length 4

collocation frequency
alvin ailey american dance 2

Important Words

  1. atlantic
  2. ballet
  3. beating
  4. beginning
  5. clearing
  6. digs
  7. draining
  8. earth
  9. emotionally
  10. exhausted
  11. hell
  12. journey
  13. long
  14. minutes
  15. negative
  16. performed
  17. physically
  18. piece
  19. proud
  20. queen
  21. reaches
  22. run
  23. section
  24. sky
  25. space
  26. step
  27. strength
  28. time
  29. tremendous
  30. triumphant
  31. woman