In March 1969, Diana Ross and the Supremes hosted the television show, The Hollywood Palace, a musical variety show typical of the 1960s. It was among a flurry of televised performances for the group, all of which proved instrumental in making Diana a generational star. By 1970, the group had dissolved and Diana began her solo career.

In February 1969, however, Diana Ross and the Supremes were in their full glory. They performed as a group, Diana sang duets with Stevie Wonder and Ethel Waters, Soupy Sales and Sammy Shore told corny jokes, and right in the middle of this middle-America blitz, Diana Ross and Donald McKayle, a dancer and choreographer, danced to “Soulful Strut.” No one knew she could dance before then, but having done so, she established her place as not just a singer, but a multi-dimensional talent. Or at least one big enough to convince Berry Gordy to give in to her demands to be a solo act.

We’ve talked about “Soulful Strut” here before and its roots as the ballad, “Am I the Same Girl?” Enjoy this little video from 1969 if you love seeing skinny girls dancing all over their band mates’ careers. Kidding. Talent do what it do.

Let it.