10/3/20 O&A NYC ITS SATURDAY- ANYTHING GOES: Jill Scott – Back Together featuring Complexion Contemporary Ballet


jill-scott-back-together-video

Jill Scott has release her latest music video Back Together. While Scott isn’t in the video herself, the theatric clip features dancers from Complexions Contemporary Ballet breathe life into relationships broken by misunderstanding, the death of a loved one or personal issues. Continue reading

10/2/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Jennifer Lopez & Maluma – Pa Ti + Lonely

After promising fans that they were “recording a hit” together back in July, Jennifer Lopez and Maluma have officially dropped their collaboration, blessing fans with a two-part music video out Thursday (Sept. 24). Continue reading

9/28/20 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: New Orleans (1947) Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Woody Herman- Musical Movie

It’s the Lowdown of Wicked Old Basin Street! And the Music That Made It Wicked! A gambling hall owner relocates from New Orleans to Chicago and entertains his patrons with hot jazz by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Woody Herman & his Orchestra, and others. Continue reading

9/21/20 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Hellzapoppin’ (Lindy Hop Scene In Full Color) 

Lindy hop is the granddaddy of all swing dances, a blend of African and European dance influences that is both uniquely American… and now spans the globe.  Lindy hop takes its name from the Charles Lindbergh’s flight to Paris in 1927. 

If Tango is sultry, and Ballroom dancing is aloof, lindy hop is joyful and playful.  Lindy has a grounded, flowing style that closely reflects its music — from the late 20s hot jazz to the early 40s big bands. Harlem, New York, and in particular the Savoy Ballroom (“The Home of Happy Feet”) is where the dance was developed and innovated from the 1920s onward. Based on earlier dances such as the Charleston, the Black Bottom and the Breakaway, the dance evolved and spread over the decades along with the new swing music. 

Hellzapoppin’ (In Full Color) 

And while the dance continues to evolve today, contemporary lindy hoppers still strive for that same spirit, inventiveness, and musicality of the pioneers of lindy hop like Norma Miller, Dean Collins, Frankie Manning and many more.

9/11/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Yanis Marshall “Love Hangover” Diana Ross- Heels Intensive Paris

“I’m so excited to share some of the material I’ve been working on earlier this summer for 3 weeks with my Advanced heels intensive program in Paris, France !” @yanismarshallheelsintensive.
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9/9/20 O&A NYC GOING BACK TO AFRICA WITH WaleStylez: Masaka Kids Africana Dancing African Dance

The Masaka Kids Africana is composed of Uganda-based children’s group, from the age of 2 and up. Many have lost one or both parents through the devastation of war, famine and disease. They represent all the children of a continent and they demonstrate the potential of African children to become strong leaders for a better future in their land.
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9/3/20 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY ON THURSDAY: #WAP #LGBTQ

Lead choreographer Nicole Kirkland leads a cast of male dancers in this fun cover of the Cardi B hit WAP. Continue reading

9/1/20 O&A NYC GOING BACK TO AFRICA WITH WaleStylez: Burna Boy – Wonderful

Wonderful is a song by Nigerian singer Burna Boy. It was released on June 26, 2020, as the lead single from his fifth studio album Twice as Tall (2020). Continue reading

8/24/20 O&A NYC DANCE… AND MORE: Peace One Love- Bringing Brooklyn Together

By Walter Rutledge

Dance has always been a catalyst for change. In 1936 Martha Graham created her masterwork Chronicles as a weapon against the rising menace of fascism in Germany. In 1959 Donald McKayle’s Rainbow Round My Shoulder evoked the hopelessness and inequality of Black men on a southern prison chain gang. On Saturday August 29 Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn (also known as Creative Outlet or just C.O.) will also use the power of dance to heal a community with Peace One Love, an afternoon of the arts celebrating the spirit of the now internationally recognized Black Lives Matter movement.   Continue reading

8/21/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s Shelter

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s Shelter is a passionate statement about the physical and emotional deprivation of homeless people.  Continue reading