Beyoncé’s Dance Floor Liberation

From the Golden Age of House to ‘Break My Soul,’ Black Divas Continue to Lift Us Up in Hard Times

I can very clearly remember in 1993 the first time I heard Robin S.’s “Show Me Love.” I felt moved.

It wasn’t just me. The infectious groove and Black gospel diva delivery filled dance havens across New York City (where I had become a studied and serious house head) and all over the country. It had us all doing our best house moves on the dance floor as we loudly sang along to the lyrics of the anthem, still considered, by many, to be the last great song of the golden …