12/3/15 O&S NYC Throwback Thursday Holiday Greeting: Eartha Kitt- Santa Baby

THROWBACK HOLIDAY
Eartha Kitt

Eartha Mae Kitt was an actress, singer, cabaret star, dancer, stand-up comedienne, activist and voice artist.  Known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of C’est Si Bon and the enduring Christmas novelty smash Santa Baby. Both songs became US Top 10 hits. Orson Welles once called her the most exciting woman in the world.
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10/30/15 O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday (Repost): Clive Thompson- The Early Years (Video)

By Walter Rutledge

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Clive Thompson literally began performing before he worn his first pair of long pants.

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9/16/14 Reflections on Katherine Dunham and Lavinia Williams (part two)

By Noel Nantambu Hall

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On her passing Mme. Williams was recognized by the Haitian government with an official national funeral and a posthumous award, Grand Officer De L’ Ordre National Honneur et Merite. She is survived by daughters Sharon and Sara, both of whom are active in the dance field. Sharon, a master percussionist and Sara, a former leading dancer with the Harkness and Atlanta ballets, the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Continue reading

9/15/14 Reflections on Katherine Dunham and Lavinia Williams (part one)

By Noel Nantambu Hall

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 Katherine Dunham laid some sturdy foundations in arts and education that would not only benefit her era, but mushroom through the years and inspire new foundations and further growth. Education and the self-reaffirming power it wielded on an individual, group or society had clearly evidenced itself on her development and growing consciousness in the mid-nineteen thirties, and at the forefront were dance and anthropology. Continue reading

1/9/16 O&A NYC (REPOST) Bambi and Thumper – Diamonds Are Forever featuring Trina Parks- The First African American Bond Girl

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Trina Parks was born on December 26, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. Her father Charles Frazier, was a renowned tenor saxophonist with Cab Calloway’s orchestra. Parks majored in modern dance at the New York High School of Performing Arts. She also studied with Katherine Dunham and subsequently joined Dunham’s professional dance company in 1964. Additional concert dance credits include Donald McKayle, Anna Sokolow, Talley Beatty, Geoffrey Holder, Eleo Pomare and Rod Rodgers. Parks performed in numerous Broadway productions as a vocalist and dancer, including a lead role in the 10th anniversary touring production of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. She was the first African- American Bond girl Thumper in the 1971 James Bond classic Diamonds are Forever. Continue reading

Shall We Dance Friday: Katherine Dunham and her Dance Company in Casbah

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In 1948, Dunham and her company appeared in the Hollywood movie Casbah, with Tony Martin, Yvonne de Carlo, and Peter Lorre. The film was the cinematic debut of Eartha Kitt.  Continue reading

O & A NYC: Conversation with Clive Thompson Part one- The Early Years ( Reposted)

By Walter Rutledge

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This is the first part of a series of interviews with dancer and choreographer Clive Thompson. In this installment Thompson discusses growing up in Jamaica and his early dance training and career.The series will chronicle his amazing career and life in the arts.  Continue reading

Out and About with Walter Rutledge: Clive Thompson The Early Years- Life In Jamaica

By Walter Rutledge

Clive Thompson literally began performing before he worn his first pair of long pants.

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