11/30/21 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Harlem On Parade (1944)| Louis Armstrong and Dorothy Dandridge

Harlem On Parade is a musical number from the 1944 American musical romance film Atlantic City. The supporting cast features Louis Armstrong, Buck & Bubbles and Dorothy Dandridge who recreated Vaudeville acts. The film was reissued in 1950 under the title Atlantic City Honeymoon. Continue reading

5/7/21 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: The Harlem Sandman (1943) Count Basie and Dorothy Dandridge,

Count Basie and his Orchestra play Harlem Sandman, an extended number in Hit Parade of 1943. It features Dorothy Dandridge and Jack Williams singing plus dance act Pops and Louis (Albert Whitman & Louis Williams) along with dancers Dorothea Durham, Neva Peoples & Ruth Scott.
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11/27/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: The First Moonwalk- Bill Bailey At The Apollo Theatre (1955)

Bill Bailey, brother of singer Pearl Bailey, is frequently credited with inventing the moonwalk because of a tap dancing move called backslide; making this one of the first ever moonwalks on film Continue reading

6/11/20 O&A NYC LOCKDOWN LEARNING: The Harlem Renaissance – Black Cultural Movement in Art Music and Literature

This a video biography of the Harlem Renaissance, a negro movement where Black America developed significant cultural resources and a new cultural identity. It was an era of intellectual flowering. The levity of this movement produced great Black renaissance poets, music, art and literature . Continue reading

9/28/19 O&A NYC SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Motown Returns to The Apollo (1985)

Motown Returns to The Apollo (1985) a star studded celebration of the 50th anniversary and re-opening of The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. Proceeds from the concert went to the Africare/Ethiopian Relief Fund. The program received a 1985 for Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Program. Continue reading

9/16/19 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth Dance So Near and Yet So Far (You’ll Never Get Rich – 1941)

You’ll Never Get Rich (Columbia Pictures) is a 1941 Hollywood musical comedy film with a wartime theme directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth. The picture was very successful at the box office, turning Hayworth into a major star, and provided a welcome boost to Astaire who felt his career.
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8/5/19 O&A NYC DANCE: It Don’t Mean A Thing from Sophisticated Ladies- Phyllis Hyman, Gregg Burge And Hinton Battle

It Don’t Mean A Thing from Sophisticated Ladies features a  knockout cast including Phyllis Hyman, Hinton Battle, Gregg Burge and Mercer Ellington. Continue reading

5/17/19 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Nicholas Brothers- Lucky Number (1936)

The Black Network (1936) the all-black musical short starring Nina Mae McKinney and including this dance number with the Nicholas Brothers, a fifteen-year-old Harold and twenty-two-year-old Fayard Nicholas, perform the song Lucky Number.
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5/10/19 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Paula Abdul’s Performance – 2019 Billboard Music Awards

Paula Abdul closed the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with a six-song medley of her hits.
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4/24/19 O&A NYC DANCE: Fosse- Ann Reinking and Ben Vereen

Fosse– A 2001 Broadway tribute to the work of Bob Fosse and dedicated to Gwen Verdon. Including appearances by Ann Reinking and Ben Vereen. Continue reading