Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Naila Ansari Carbonell Catilo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Naila Ansari thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

As a professor, researcher, and creative, my work centers on the profound and transformative power of Black women’s stories. My project, The Movement of Joy, is a celebration of Black women’s humanity, resilience, and boundless capacity for joy. Traveling across the country, I interview Black women from diverse walks of life, archiving their narratives of discovering Joy. Through these interviews, I push against historical stereotypes that have confined and dehumanized us, showcasing instead the richness and fullness of our lives.

The stories I collect become the foundation for a multifaceted body of work that includes performances, lectures, and community dialogues. Each performance and lecture explores the intersections of race, gender, and faith, demonstrating that when Black women prevail, we all prevail. In doing so, I aim to redefine how Black women are seen, celebrated, and understood—not just as survivors of oppression but as creators, visionaries, and essential contributors to society.

As an Interfaith America Fellow with the Black Interfaith Project, I have been able to expand The Movement of Joy to include an exploration of the spiritual and faith traditions that ground and inspire Black women’s lives. This fellowship has deepened the project’s scope, fostering interfaith dialogue and emphasizing the role of spirituality in cultivating joy, healing, and community.

Through this work, I invite audiences to witness and engage with the humanity of Black women in ways that transform perspectives, dismantle stereotypes, and build bridges of understanding. This is more than a project—it is a movement to honor Black women’s voices, their unyielding joy, and their capacity to shape a more just and compassionate world.

Naila Ansari, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For those unfamiliar with my work, I am Naila Ansari Carbonell Catilo, a native of Buffalo, New York, where my roots in community leadership and advocacy were planted early on by my parents. Their commitment to uplifting others profoundly shaped my path as an artist, scholar, and storyteller. A graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts and the University at Buffalo, where I earned my MFA, I now serve as an Assistant Professor of Theater and Africana Studies at SUNY Buffalo State University. My work merges performance, research, and advocacy to celebrate the stories and humanity of Black people—especially Black women.

How I Got Started

My journey began in dance and performance, but I quickly realized that my purpose extended beyond the stage. I wanted to tell stories that deeply resonate with communities, stories that center Black voices and experiences often marginalized or misunderstood. This drive led me to theater, choreography, and ultimately to academia, where I could combine my creative work with rigorous scholarship. It also inspired my commitment to community-based projects that not only entertain but educate, empower, and uplift.

What I Do

My primary creative work, The Movement of Joy, exemplifies this mission. It is a national project that documents and archives the lived experiences of Black women, focusing on their expressions of joy and resilience. Traveling across the country, I conduct interviews, collect stories, and transform these narratives into performances, lectures, and a documentary film.

Through these platforms, I aim to combat the stereotypes historically placed on Black women, showcasing instead their humanity, complexity, and unyielding joy. My work invites audiences to recognize that when Black women thrive, we all thrive.

In addition to this project, I serve as the dance director and company member of Ujima Theater, a collective committed to amplifying Black voices through theater. I have also had the privilege of choreographing and directing notable productions such as Once on This Island and Black Roots Summer, which was named Best Theater by The New York Times.

What Sets Me Apart

What makes my work unique is the way I merge artistry and scholarship to tell Black stories in America. I am deeply committed to bridging academic inquiry with creative expression, using both to challenge dominant narratives and celebrate the richness of Black culture. As an Interfaith America Fellow with the Black Interfaith Project, I also bring an interfaith perspective to my work, exploring how spirituality and faith ground Black women’s joy and resilience.

My work isn’t just about entertainment—it’s about creating lasting impact. I strive to spark meaningful dialogue, inspire action, and archive the beauty and power of Black experiences for generations to come.

What I’m Most Proud Of

Among my proudest accomplishments is the expansion of The Movement of Joy to include a documentary film and podcast, as well as the opportunity to present this work nationally. I am honored to be guest host for WBFO What’s Next, and to have been recognized for my creative contributions by platforms such as The New York Times and Broadway World. Most importantly, I take pride in staying true to my mission of uplifting Black women’s stories, demonstrating that their joy is not only transformative but essential for collective progress.

What I Want People to Know

• My Mission: To honor, archive, and amplify Black women’s stories, showing their humanity and joy rather than the stereotypes imposed on them.
• The Movement of Joy: A project that goes beyond storytelling to create community, heal, and inspire action.
• My Philosophy: When Black women prevail, we all prevail.
• My Approach: Combining scholarship, performance, and advocacy to create meaningful work that celebrates the richness of Black culture and inspires transformative change.

I am also a proud wife and mother of three boys, and my family fuels my drive to create a world where our stories are not only told but valued and celebrated.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

For a long time, I believed that being a creative and being a business owner were two separate identities. I thought my role as an artist and scholar was about creating, teaching, and sharing, while the “business side” was something external that could be delegated or secondary. But the reality—and the lesson I had to unlearn—is that as a creative, I am the business.

This realization came to me gradually but hit hard when I started expanding The Movement of Joy. Archiving Black women’s stories, creating performances, lecturing, and producing required me to think about sustainability and growth in ways I hadn’t before. I saw the parallels between my work as an artist and the processes of building a business: the need to invest in myself, to create a strong foundation, and to offer work so compelling that others are inspired to invest in it as well.

I came to see that artists, scholars, and entrepreneurs are not so different. We’re all in various stages of growth, navigating how to manage our resources, build connections, and scale our impact. Whether it’s developing a performance or launching a startup, the mindset is the same—you’re creating something that brings value to others and working to ensure its longevity.

This lesson shifted how I approach my work. I no longer separate my artistic and scholarly pursuits from the logistical, financial, or strategic aspects. Instead, I embrace them as interconnected, understanding that building systems, marketing, and collaborating are just as integral to my mission as the creative process itself. It’s about seeing the big picture and treating my work like the meaningful enterprise it is.

Unlearning this separation has empowered me to approach my craft with greater intentionality and pride, knowing that I am both the creator and the CEO of my own journey.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

At the heart of everything I do is a mission rooted in community, equity, and storytelling. These values guide my work as an artist, scholar, and advocate, especially in a time where divisiveness and efforts to silence marginalized voices are so prevalent.

I believe that storytelling has the power to bridge divides and foster understanding. When we truly listen to someone’s story, we don’t have to agree with their perspective to recognize their humanity. Stories create space for empathy, connection, and the possibility of collective healing.

Ultimately, my mission is to remind us all of our shared humanity. In seeing one another fully—through the lens of equity and the power of storytelling—we can work toward a more compassionate and united world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.movementofjoyllc.com/
• Instagram: Naila_Moves_Joy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naila-ansari-25480634?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Naila_Ansari?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZJDJ7CKEmGnAOdO5l81D9iqYMR79U8fed1ZFbycfz7cGFiL2LQzmkBRZc_aem_o4jH0N7thX4cv2-Veus0wA

Image Credits

Silma Suba
Mustafa Hussain
Paolo A. Catilo
UB MFA Program