Audrey Pleasant: Lil’ Mama - The Moth

Summary

Summary of "Audrey Pleasant: Lil’ Mama" from The Moth Podcast

Introduction

In the July 18, 2011 episode of The Moth podcast titled "Audrey Pleasant: Lil’ Mama," Audrey Pleasant shares a transformative personal story that chronicles her journey from youthful humiliation to celebrated performer. Delivered live as part of the annual Moth Shop All-Star Review in 2010, Audrey's narrative is a compelling testament to resilience, determination, and the power of self-improvement.

Audrey's Story

Timestamp: [02:31]

Early Experiences at the Church Dance Center

Audrey begins her story by recounting her time attending a church dance center in Harlem during her early teenage years. At 13, she participated in dance sessions at a community center located at 141st Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. The center was a vibrant space where young individuals honed their dance skills, particularly in the side-to-side shuffle—Audrey's preferred move regardless of the music genre.

"Side to side, side to side, side to side."
—Audrey Pleasant [02:45]

Humiliation and Determination

Audrey introduces Tommy Johnson, a more skilled dancer who frequently invited her to dance. Despite her enthusiasm, Tommy's advanced moves—slides, turns, splits, and energetic performances like shaking a tail feather—left Audrey feeling inadequate and humiliated.

"I got tired of looking at him doing all his slides and everything."
—Audrey Pleasant [05:10]

One particularly humiliating experience led Audrey to a moment of introspection. Determined not to be overshadowed, she transformed her frustration into motivation. She began practicing tirelessly at home, employing a makeshift training regimen that involved balancing exercises and repetitive dance moves.

"I was going to show him that I was not going to be a little step, step, step."
—Audrey Pleasant [12:00]

Transformation and Success

After a month of dedicated practice, Audrey returned to the dance center with newfound confidence and skills. When Tommy approached her for another dance, she decisively showcased her improved moves, leaving him and the onlookers astonished.

"I showed him my slides. I did the best thing I could do."
—Audrey Pleasant [08:20]

Audrey's enhanced performance began to draw attention beyond the local dance center. Her breakthrough moment came when a passerby recommended her to perform at the Apollo Theater—a prestigious venue located nearby. Despite initial apprehension, Audrey seized the opportunity and performed alongside The Coasters at the Apollo.

"He looked at me, he said, wow. Little mama."
—Audrey Pleasant [11:45]

The name "Little Mama" became her stage moniker, symbolizing her transformation and success. Audrey continued to perform at renowned venues such as the Carver Ballroom, Renaissance Ballroom, and Audubon Ballroom, captivating audiences with her dance prowess.

"I never knew what happened to Tommy Johnson, but deep down in my heart I thanked him for humiliating me the way he did."
—Audrey Pleasant [12:50]

Audrey concludes her story by reflecting on how Tommy's initial humiliation inadvertently fueled her ambition and led to her flourishing career in dance. Her journey underscores the significance of perseverance and turning setbacks into stepping stones for success.

Conclusion

Audrey Pleasant's story on The Moth is a poignant illustration of overcoming adversity through determination and self-belief. From feeling overshadowed by a more talented peer to becoming "Lil’ Mama" on some of Harlem's most esteemed stages, Audrey's narrative inspires listeners to harness their challenges as catalysts for personal growth and achievement.

Notable Quotes

"Side to side, side to side, side to side."
—Audrey Pleasant [02:45]
"I got tired of looking at him doing all his slides and everything."
—Audrey Pleasant [05:10]
"I was going to show him that I was not going to be a little step, step, step."
—Audrey Pleasant [12:00]
"I showed him my slides. I did the best thing I could do."
—Audrey Pleasant [08:20]
"He looked at me, he said, wow. Little mama."
—Audrey Pleasant [11:45]
"I never knew what happened to Tommy Johnson, but deep down in my heart I thanked him for humiliating me the way he did."
—Audrey Pleasant [12:50]

Final Thoughts

Audrey Pleasant's engaging storytelling exemplifies the essence of The Moth podcast—sharing real, impactful stories that resonate with audiences worldwide. Her experience highlights how personal challenges can lead to extraordinary achievements, offering a relatable and inspiring message for all listeners.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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B (1:09)

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy. This is where you'll hear true stories told live on stage. We're excited to announce that the Moth is coming to Clayton, New York on Wednesday, July 27th. The theme is Home in a Way and tickets can be purchased by visiting themoth.org and for you listeners in Chicago, Peter Sagal hosts the second Chicago Grand Slam on Tuesday, August 2nd at the Park West. For more information, visit themoth.org and if you're looking for the latest news from the Moth, including information about our tour shows across the country, visit our recently redesigned website, themoth.org okay, so now let's get to this week's story. The story you're about to hear by Audrey Pleasant was recorded live as part of the annual Moth Shop all star review in 2010. The Moth Shop Community Education program brings storytelling workshops free of charge to high school students and adult participants in underserved communities. The program aims to discover storytellers like Audrey who might not otherwise find their way to us. Here's Audrey live at the mall.

C (2:31)

Tommy. Tommy Johnson. That was my humiliator. I mean, at the age of 13, how could you be so humiliated? Let me not get ahead of myself. You see, I was going to a church right across the street from me. That was at 141st street in Harlem between 7th and 8th Avenue. They had a center down there that we used to go down to dance my dance step Side to side shuffle. Side to side shuffle. Regardless of what type of music it was. And I would go there and I'd sit on the side where the young ladies would sit that didn't get a chance to dance too much. And I would sit and sit. And this young man by the name of Tommy Johnson would come and ask me to dance. I'd get up and I'd follow him out to the dance floor like the moth to the flame. And we get out there, Tommy would do slides, turns, splits, bend over and shake a tail feather. And I would do my little favorite step. Side, side, side. Regardless of what he did, I would. Side, side, side. That was my movements. Well, Tommy did this so much. And I got tired of it. I mean, I really got tired of it. And I went home one night after being humiliated. And I laid on my bed crying and thinking about Tommy and his splits and his turns and his bending over and shaking the tail feather. I thought about doing a step. I said, I could do this. I could do this. I got up off that bed, got my belt out of the closet, put it on the doorknob, tightened it up, closed that door, and I started doing me some slides. Almost tripped over my own foot, but I still did my slides. And I bent over and I shook a tail feather. I even did a little twirling. Then I did the half split. I couldn't do the whole split, of course, but the half split will suffice. Me. And I kept this up for a whole month. I mean, I would eat. I would stop and eat. Yes, I'd stop and go to school. I had to go to school, but my mother wasn't going to have that. And I'd come back home, do my homework, have my dinner, go to my room and I'd do my little dancing. I'd practice and practice and practice. One night the closet door came open. I bumped my head, but I just shook that off and kept right on dancing. And I even practiced doing the headstand. I bumped my head again on the floor, shook that off and tried it again till I got it. Like I said, I did that for a whole month till I felt I had it together. And then one night, one Friday night at 6 o'clock I got dressed and I went down to the center and I sat in my same little spot. Now, I don't know who Tommy was dancing with while I was gone, but I guess he was dancing with somebody. But I sat in my same spot waiting, just waiting for him to come over and ask me to dance. Through the form, here comes Mr. Tommy Johnson. And I got up and I followed him out to the dance floor. Now when you get out there on the dance floor, if you're really doing something spectacular, a crowd will gather around you. Now that crowd is there to help you stay inside the circle, to let the person that's doing the fantastic dancing do their thing. And if you're not dancing so good and you try to get out that circle, you can't go nowhere. You got to stay inside that circle and endure the humiliation. Well, Tommy had asked me to dance again. And I was inside the circle and he was doing his splits, he was doing his turns, his slides. I mean, he had it going on. He was sliding all over the place and then bending over and shaking a tail pepper. And I let him go right ahead. Go ahead, son, slide some more. Do split. Shake a tail feather. And he even galloped like he was riding a pony. I said, yeah, go right ahead, go right ahead. And I got tired of looking at him doing all his slides and everything. And I slid up to his face and he stood there with his mouth wide open looking at me all wide eyed, all bug eyed. And I showed him what I could do. I showed him my slides. And I mean, I slide, you could think I was James Brown, I was sliding so good. And I showed him how I could bend over and shake a tail feather. And I went and did me a half split, which I could do. Did it pretty good too. And he just stood there looking at me with his mouth wide open, all buggy eyed like he was. He tried to walk out the circle, but they wouldn't let him out. They came in tighter and enforced it. And that made me more determined to do my slides, my shaker, tail feather. And I even did like the pony too. Showed him I knew what I could do. And then when I tired of him, I slid up to his face again and threw him a kiss, let him know that, hey, you ain't got it all like that. I got me a little bit of it too. And I walked out of that circle. Now I didn't go back to the center for a while. And I didn't know what happened to Tommy Johnson. But anyway, one day I was walking down 125th street between 7th and 8th Avenue. The Apollo Theater is around there. And then across the street there was a store called the Record Shack. And they were playing some music, I mean, they were throwing down. And it was one of James Brown's records too. And I just. Something just came over me and I started dancing. Next thing I knew, I had a crowd of people around me, and I just showed off even more so. And this man stepped out of the audience, and he said, you know what, miss? You should be at the Apollo Theater. I looked at that man like he was crazy. He said, I'm serious. He said, here. He said, come here. At this time and on this date, I took the paper and I said, well, I couldn't lose. I might gain something. And on that day, and at that precise time, I went to the Apollo Theater, and they had a group performing up there called the Coasters. And the lead singer was Speedo. He would come down and interact with the audience. He would take the mic and he would put it to somebody. He said, whoa. And then he put the mic to somebody's mouth, and they said nothing. He went to the next person. Whoa. He got nothing. He came to me. He said, whoa. I said, wow. He jumped back and looked at me, and he grabbed my hand and he pulled me up on the stage. And that's the first time in my life I had ever seen anybody do the twist on one leg while they got the other leg extended. Well, I couldn't do that. So I did the best thing I could do. I turned around and showed him my posterior jumping up one at a time. And he took off his shirt. But when he went to take off his pants, I screamed and I ran off the stage. I hurried up and got back to my seat. The usher came down with a flashlight, and he was shining in my face. I said, oh, gosh, did I do something wrong? He said, miss, come here. And I got up and I went to him. He said, the manager wants to see you. And I thought to myself, I'm going to get put out of the theater. They're going to put me out. They're really going to put me out. And I paid to come in here. But I went up to the manager, brave, very brave. He said, are you working anywhere, miss? I said, no, sir. Now, here I'm. I'm 13 years old. And he said, would you like to appear here on stage with the Coasters for the rest of the week? Would I? Yes. He said, you'll get paid Friday, just like they do. I said, thank you. He said, you wouldn't have to go up on the stage every show, but be here every day. And I was to the phone. I was here every day. I went up on the stage some of the times, and one time I was up there on the stage, and who made an appearance was James Brown himself. I said, wow. Then I really did something. Then I did my slide and I had trained myself so well that I could do the slide and make it into Figure 8. He looked at me, he said, wow, Little mama. That became my stage name. Little mama. And from there I went to the Carver Ballroom, the Renaissance Ballroom, the Audubon Ballroom, the Baby Grand Smalls paradise. And I did my slide and my bendo and shake a tail feather. I even did the fly and I stopped doing my little side to side. That was off the hook. No more doing that. I no more doing that. But you see, I never knew what happened to Tommy Johnson, but deep down in my heart I thanked him for humiliating me the way he did, because it made me more determined. And I mean I was determined to show him that I was not going to be a little step, step, step, step, step. I was going to show him something and I showed him and I showed the ones that held me back in that circle that I could do something, hold him back and let me do my thing. Whoa, Mama got a.