As a Youth Development Worker I Can Say Beyoncé was Absolutely Right in Having Blue Ivy Perform on the Renaissance Tour.
Beyoncé having Blue Ivy perform during the Renaissance Tour exemplified elements of positive youth development.
If there was a superlative for “Proudest Mama/Grandmother on Earth”, that award would likely go to Tina Knowles.
And why wouldn’t it?
She birthed arguably the biggest musical icon of a generation (Beyoncé), one of the most talented, multi-hyphenate artists breathing (Solange), is a surrogate mother to the incomparable Kelly Rowland, and the grandmother to four children who are the not-too-distant apples that fell from the tree of her lineage.
And over the past few months, none have shined brighter than her 11-year-old grandbaby, Blue Ivy Carter.
“Mama Tina” has been the epitome of the doting grandmother on Instagram for the past half-year, chronicling Blue Ivy’s dance performances throughout Beyonce’s record-breaking Renaissance World Tour. As Beyoncé has crisscrossed the globe in celebration of her Renaissance album/25+ year music career, she has brought Blue along to do choreographed dance routines at several shows. And with seemingly every tour stop that Blue joined Queen Bey on stage, Mama Tina made a post beaming with joy and pride watching her “baby Blue” continue the legacy Beyoncé has laid out for her.
I could not be more proud of my beautiful granddaughter. She worked so hard.! She is a true talent. Good at so many things, and keeps surprising us every day with her mature, intelligent analogies of everything in life at 11 years old she is so wise beyond her years hard-working never backs down from a challenge. She is kind and loyal and wise and beautiful. Go Blue !!!!!! Love and Godspeed ❤️❤️❤️❤️ - via Tina Knowles on Instagram
Anyone who went to the Renaissance World Tour or watched clips of it on social media has also witnessed the show's star radiating with pride watching her daughter take the stage in front of hundreds of thousands. Blue Ivy’s performances have been the talk of Beyoncé’s devout “Beyhive” fan base, as legions of internet aunties have fawned over the poise, skill, and growth of their “play niece.”
But Blue’s performances were not all met with praise, as an insufferable amount of adults took to social media to criticize the dancing of an 11-year-old. In a span of months, the impact of Blue Ivy’s dancing connected with more humans than any of her critics will likely have the chance to engage with even if they lived multiple lifetimes.
Beyoncé’s world and all that encompasses it is a fortress, so it’s very likely that Blue Ivy was shielded from the vitriol that her performances elicited. However, the mere fact that she was the subject of slander from lame-ass adults who could not fathom that, despite her being the child of two of the biggest icons on the planet, she’s still a child, highlights how many of those grown folks probably did not grow up having their talents supported, nurtured, or prioritized by the village that raised them.
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