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.  

Gaines and a bevy of Brooklyn based artists will celebrate the power of positivity and creativity at the site of the Black Live Matter Restoration Plaza mural on Fulton Street between New York Ave. and Brooklyn Ave. Peace One Love is a three hour (from 2pm to 5pm) free event. The event is best described as, “Part street fair, part bazaar, part outdoor performance venue and 100 percent a good time for all”.

One of the afternoon highlights will be the Creative Outlet Queens. The Queens are a multi-generational and interdisciplinary group of present and future dance enthusiasts. These performers faithfully meet on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings to rehearse outdoors (social distancing in full effect) on the upper deck in Fulton Park. The group exemplifies Gaines unique terpsichorean gift of making all performer regardless of age, discipline and proficiency blend into an exciting and cohesive ensemble.

Peace One Love-Creative Outlet at Black Lives Matter at Restoration Plaza

In addition, the thirty plus participating individuals, groups and organizations represent the rich and culturally diverse Brooklyn arts environment. Artists, performances and activities include:  

Fashion show and displays
Tribal Truth Collection
Moshood
Soma Bags
Woza Cephas Head Art
Javier Gooden
Hopie Lyn Burrows

Musician/Drummers performances and workshops
Nyemba Seales
Talu Green (lead musician Original cast*)
Ryan Greenridge

Yoga Class
Chauncie Parchment

Vocal Performances
Qaasim Middleton (American Idol Finalist)
Marcelle Lashly Davis

Dance Workshops
Pat Hall (Afro/Modern Fusion)
Ismael Kouyate- West African dance (Original cast Fela, dancer for Beyonce)

Dance Performances
Angels of Transformation- Literical Dance (Leslie Aston director)
New York Youth
Mateo d’Amato- Tap (Riverdance Broadway cast)
Calvin Booker- Tap (Fela original Broadway cast)
Cheryl Todmann (The Stars of New York Dance)
James Davis- (Hip Hop dance artist)
Vena Cooper (Original C.O. member)

Youth Scholastic Events
Isiah Schetelich- (Academic Brooklyn Friends)
Ezekial Edwards

Filmmakers-(presenting film entitled Summer Youth Employment)
Jessie Adler
Kenya Cagle

Peace One Love is a community celebration designed for adults and youth of all ages. Although this is an outdoor event we strongly suggest practicing social distancing whenever possible and please wear a mask. 

Peace One Love- Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet
Saturday August 29, 2020 from 2-5pm
Black Live Matter Mural Restoration Plaza
Fulton Street between New York Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue

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