3/15/24 O&A NYC CELEBRATING WOMEN ON SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Firebird- Dance Theatre of Harlem

Dance Theatre of Harlem’s iconic Firebird places the Russian folk tale about a magical bird that triumphs over evil in an exotic Caribbean setting. John Taras’ choreography to Stravinsky’s familiar score was further enlivened by sets and costumes by Geoffrey Holder. The 1982 DTH production was a tremendous worldwide success. Continue reading

3/8/24 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Lil Buck at Foundation Louis Vuitton

To mark the current exhibition at Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Icons Of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection, London-based director Andrew Margetson follows Memphis-born jookin’ dancer Lil Buck as he twists and turns past masterpieces by the likes of Picasso and Matisse. Continue reading

1/28/24 O&A NYC DANCE: Philadanco- “Philly’s Finest” Returns to New York’s Joyce Theater

By Walter Rutledge

Philadanco- the Philadelphia Dance Company returns to New York City’s Joyce Theater, February 6th thru February 10th, 2024. The highly anticipated four-day five performance series will present the works of four emerging choreographers of merit, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Nijawwon Matthews, Ray Mercer, and Christopher Rudd. Evans, Matthews and Mercer have history with Philadanco as company members and in Mercer’s case choreographer-in-residence. While Rudd has gained recent notoriety for the two works set on American Ballet Theater.   Continue reading

1/21/24 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Ronald K. Brown /Evidence

By Walter Rutledge

Ronald K. Brown /Evidence presented their 2024 New York season January 16 through 21 at the Joyce Theater. The nine-member ensemble offered two works Walking Out the Dark (2001) and Torch (2012). The program provided an overview of the range and diversity of choreographer Brown and his company in what is best described as an American artist’s declaration of his diasporic roots. Continue reading

1/3/23 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: The Genius of Alvin Ailey

By Walter Rutledge

Another bout of Covid (our third slow dance) prevented me from seeing the new works presented during the first and second weeks of the Ailey season. When Covid and I finished our Rumba, I attended an All-Ailey matinee featuring four works, Night Creature, Cry, Survivors and Revelations.   Continue reading

11/24/23 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Dear Quincy- Carmen De Lavallade and Wesley Fata

Carmen de Lavallade dancing to Quincy Jones’s “Soul Bossa Nova” with Wesley Fata on November 16, 1968. Ms. de Lavallade’s late husband, the great Geoffrey Holder, choreographed this piece This is jut an excerpt of a much longer dance. Continue reading

11/22/23 O&A NYC WALESTYLEZ DANCE PARTY: The Lockers – Rerun 70’s

The Lockers was a dance group formed by Toni Basil and Don Campbellock Campbell in 1971. Active throughout the 1970s, they were pioneers of street dance. Continue reading

11/17/23 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Robert Battle Resigns

 

From the Ailey Press Office

The Board of Trustees of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation today announced that Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Ailey since 2011, has informed them that he needs to focus on his health and has submitted his resignation. The Board has accepted Mr. Battle’s resignation with regret. Mr. Battle will remain available to the Board through December 31, 2023. Continue reading

11/6/23 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Vespers- Paul Taylor Dance Company

By Walter Rutledge

The Paul Taylor Dance Company began its sixty-ninth season on Tuesday October 31 at the New York State Theater. The two-week fifteen performance season will offer a total of fourteen works by five choreographers. The season will present a world premieres by Larry Keigwin and Lauren Lovette, the return of a work by Amy Hall Garner, company premiere by and Ulysses Dove and nine Taylor classics.

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10/20/23 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: House of Flowers From Carmen & Geoffrey (2005)

This House of Flowers excerpt featuring Geoffrey Holder and Carmen De Lavallade  is from the 2005 documentary Carmen & Geoffrey. Holder and his brother Boscoe talk about their early roots in Trinidad, forming a dance company and Holder meeting his wife (De Lavallade) in the 1955 production of House of Flowers. Continue reading