New Yorkers know that one of the key elements of “getting lite” is constant motion. The Harlem-indebted dance style is all about seamlessly shifting from one move to the next, which homegrown New York dancers, like Harlem’s own Academy- and Grammy Award-nominated multihyphenate Teyana Taylor, understand requires thinking two or three steps ahead. And in a year that demanded her attention across music, film, fashion and motherhood, Taylor proved that she can still “get lite” with the best of them.

In August, she unveiled her cinematic album Escape Room, her first full-length release since her self-professed retirement from music in 2020. Accompanied by a 38-minute short film that corralled famous friends ranging from Oscar winner Regina King to South African pop sensation Tyla, Escape Room netted Taylor her first career Grammy nomination, nearly two decades after she made her Billboard chart debut with 2008’s “Google Me.”

The following month, she emerged as one of the breakout stars of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another — which won best picture and five other Oscars in March — with her nuanced performance illuminating the psyche of a revolutionary battling postpartum depression. Taylor picked up acting nominations at virtually every film awards ceremony of the season, winning the Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a motion picture.

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