Loretta Abbott, dancer, actress, singer and choreographer passed away on Sunday June 5, 2016. A natural performer Abbott had two passions: her love for dance that spanned over 70 years, and her allegiance to the Harlem community where she lived her entire life. Continue reading
Lots can be said about performance tango but I am a lot more of a milonga kind-of-guy. Milongas are social dance parties at the dance halls that are less formal, less rigid, and much more nuanced by the small dance floors and relationships that form. Milongas are a place to find “under the radar” performance gems. Here are my top 5 picks of the best Argentine Tango performances at milongas in 2014 (new rankings based on viewers’ choice): Continue reading
Don”t Cry, an excerpt from On The Block (After Bearden) a full evenings one act dance work choreographed by Walter Rutledge and based on the six panel mural The Block by Romare Bearden. In the section a man, who deeply loved his wife, visits her grave. Her spirit returns one last time. The images were derived from the second panel of the Bearden rural. Continue reading
The original two man duo in Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity created by Patrick King and performed by King and Johan King Silverhult. Stunning choreography with a chic homoerotic twist. Enjoy! Continue reading
By Adewale Adekanbi Jr.
Storyboard P, a stranger in Sweden, a documentary film about Storyboard P, the Bessie Award winning dancer that New Yorker Magazine described as “the Basquiat of street dance“ will have it’s world premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest in the United Kingdom on Saturday June 11th. To celebrate the occasion Storyboard P will perform live accompanied on piano by composer Douglas Dare. Continue reading
The Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC) announced the roster of artists they will present for their 40th Anniversary season June 19 through 22 and June 28 at the Actors Fund Center, 160 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn based THPAC has presented companies and choreographers of color for 40 consecutive years making it the oldest continuous presenting organization in the country. The list of artists reaches back to the past with established artists while remaining true to its credo offering performance opportunity to the new and emerging.
“When you put it in prospective back in 1976 there were very few presenters programming artists of color,” states THPAC Executive Chairman Alex Smith Jr. “Dance Theatre of Harlem had made their premiere only five years earlier in 1971, The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (Ailey II) was two years old, and the George Faison Universal Dance Experience was one of the hottest emerging companies in town. We presented the controversial Eleo Pomare and female powerhouse Dianne McIntyre when mainstream presenters were looking elsewhere. We have planned an exciting season for 2016, look for some surprise appearances from our dance family.”
Over the last forty years THPAC has made it a mission to seek out the new and cutting edge. The organization has helped introduce many of today dance notables including Complexions, Ronald K. Brown Evidence, Kyle Abraham, Camille A. Brown and Sidra Bell. This year promises to be more than a retrospective; it remains a referendum on dance programming for artists of color.
The 2016 40th Anniversary Season:
Sunday June 19
Danse4Nia
Darrel Grand Moultrie George Faison
Germaul Barnes
Gierre Godley
Johnnie Mercer
Philadanco
Rodger C. Jeffery
Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Monday June 20
Alpha Omega
Andre’ Zachery
Bloodline Dance Theater
Creative Outlet
DaVon Doane
Harambee
Judah International Dance Theatre
Patricia Carby
Rod Rodgers Dance Company
Sidra Bell
Tuesday June 21
AREA
Charles Moore Dance Theater
Earl Mosley
Francesca Harper
Nehemiah Spencer
Nijawwon Matthews
Special Ops
Takeshi Ohashi
William Isaac
Wednesday June 22
Abdiel Jacobsen
Bones The Machine
HSA Dance Ensemble
Jamal Story
Jean Emile
Orlando Hunter
Ronald K. Alexander
Walter Rutledge
Tuesday June 28
Marshall Swiney with Beauty For Ashes Contemporary School of Dance
Tickets are on sale for the 2016 Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center 40th Anniversary season. The tickets are $20/$15 (students and seniors) due to the exciting roster and limited seating advanced ticket sales is advised. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.thelmahill.com. or in the lobby 30 minutes prior to the performance.
The Thelma Hill Performing Art Center (THPAC) will dedicate their 40th Anniversary season to dancer icon and longtime THPAC supporter Loretta Abbott. The 4 day season, which runs from June 19 through June 22 at the Actor Fund Center 160 Schermerhorn Strret in downtown Brooklyn, will showcase 40 choreographers, and dance companies during the milestone 40th season. The artists presented range from early THPAC contributors including such dance luminaries as Emmy and Tony Award winner George Faison, Philadanco, Charles Moore Dance Theatre, and Rod Rodgers Dance Company. Mid-career choreographers Marshall Swiney, Ronald K Alexander, Germaul Barnes and Rodger C. Jeffery; and emerging artists Nijawwon Matthews, DaVon Doane, and Sidra Bell. Continue reading
Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn dance the Balcony scene from The Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, 1966. Continue reading
By Adewale Adekanbi Jr.
Wicked, a song by rapper Future was released on April 13, 2016 as the first single from his thirteenth mixtape Purple Reign (2016).
Dance With My Father is an award-winning drama that centers on Kareem Watson, a mentally and terminally ill Vet, who tries to rebuild his relationship with his estranged daughter, Simone, so he can walk her down the aisle before it’s too late. It stars: Robert Walker Jr, Ericka Smith, Vyktorya, Ka Zarr Coleman, Kecia A. Campbell, and Nikki Smallwood. Continue reading
A Thought Pile Of Junk By Tremaine Emory and Cactus Plant Flea MarketA Thought Pile Of Junk By Tremaine Emory and Cactus Plant Flea Market
The Dance of the Village Elders are back ! This time we exercise, dance and just have fun through the zoom platform or in-person at R.A.I.N. Nereid 
The Dance of the Village Elders are back ! This time we exercise, dance and just have fun through the zoom platform or in-person at R.A.I.N. Nereid 