Homecoming is a documentary produced in partnership with Netflix that debuted last month. On it, Beyoncé proposed to show the backstage of the production of her concert and shows that the beauty seen by the audience during the event is not easy to set up and plan. It takes so much more than a simple rehearsal, a partnership in family, willpower, creativity and fun to make it happen.
The show took place at the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival last year. Bey (as Beyoncé is called by the fans) received the invitation to be the first black woman to be the main attraction of the event, so she decided to use the traditional American universities and colleges for blacks where afro-descendants had some connection because they were rejected and forbidden to attend other universities because of prejudice. “So many people who are culturally aware and intellectually sound are graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including my father. There is something incredibly important about the HBCU experience that must be celebrated and protected”, said Beyoncé at the documentary.
More than 200 artists such as dancers and musicians were part of the cast beyond the production team. Even knowing the effort that would be necessary to make this show happen and that would be pulled, the singer hoped and affirmed several times that the most important of all there was that everyone had fun. “I want it to be an experience where we grow, encourage and look good inside us. I want everyone to feel beautiful, strong and united”, said the singer.
Image Source: IMDb
In the documentary, you can see the details of the backstage of the show and the show itself. The organization is done with some scenes of the concert, others of the backstage and reciprocally. The details presented in each section are very important for the 2 hours and 17 minutes of video. On it we can follow how was the singer’s recovery process after the twins pregnancy, how difficult it was to lose weight, the strict diet she had to follow to stay in shape – which shows how women are still pressured to follow beauty standards – until the moment she managed to get into the costume she would wear in the show.
In addition, her family is placed on a very high pedestal all the time; she considers them her “sanctuary and strength”, because her 3 children, her husband Jay-Z and her sister Solange participated in all the rehearsals and productions and even the show; including the group Destiny Child in which she made part of at the beginning of her career and was very important to form the person that Beyoncé is today.
Lessons that Beyoncé teach during the documentary
1. Ancestral value
In a modern version, the singer opened the show with a look inspired by the queen of Ancient Egypt, Nefertiti, from the eighteenth century. Another costume used made reference to the Partidy of Black Panthers, one of the main organizations of the history of the black movement. The documentary features phrases of black people who have gone through institutions or marked the history of the black movement as W.E.B. Du Bois of the Fisk University of 1888 – “Education must not simply teach work – it must teach life”.
2. Being together with the people who do you good
Bey shows how important it’s to create a network of affections and have moments with people who share experiences similar to yours.
3. Give opportunities
The singer didn’t accidentally choose a black team to participate in the show, but to highlight the professionals to increase their self-esteem and attract the attention of the public.
4. Don’t be the same as before
Beyoncé shows her evolution physically and as a person with the support of the family.
Image Source: IMDb
Beyoncé inspired several universities of blacks with her idea to plan a show with this structure and aimed at enhancing the black movement. She organized the social project Homecoming Scholars Award where the BeyGOOD project – designed to support the disadvantaged, sick and unemployed – donated $25,000 on scholarships to students at some universities.
The work of this artist certainly goes beyond the stages, where “If you surrender to the air, you can ride it”, Ton Morrison, Howard University 1953.