Geoffrey Holder- a true renaissance man. Includes rare footage and interviews with wife Carmen de Lavallade and son Leo Holder. Continue reading
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Tag Archives: Dance History
2/16/17 O&A NYC DANCE- BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Bad Blood by Ulysses Dove
Bad Blood received its World Premiere, in 1984 on Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. Featuring music by Laurie Anderson (Gravity’s Angel and Walking and Falling) and Peter Gabriel (Excellent Birds) the work in an erotic tour de force battle of the sexes. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre premiered the work in 1986. It is one of seven Dove ballets in the Ailey Company repertoire. Continue reading
2/14/17 O&A NYC DANCE- VALENTINE’S DAY: A Song For You- Dudley Williams/ Choreography Alvin Ailey
In 1972, Alvin Ailey created the elegiac solo Love Songs for dancer Dudley Williams. The sixteen minute solo, composed in three sections includes A Song for You by Donny Hathaway; Poppies by Nina Simone; and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother by Donny Hathaway. Many thought of the work as the male equivalent of the female solo Cry (1971). Continue reading
2/10/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Mourner’s Bench- Talley Beatty Choreographer
Talley Beatty choreographed and performed Mourner’s Bench in 1947. It represents the anguish and loss for former slaves, now free men, killed during the Reconstruction Era at the beginning of the rise of the Klu Klux Klan. Beatty explained to me, “People were murdered by the Klan and at daybreak their relatives would find their bodies in the fields still covered in the morning dew.”
1/30/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Breakdance (1984)
Breakin’, released as Breakdance: the Movie or Break Street ’84 in some countries, is a breakdancing-themed comedy-drama film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBevoise based on a story by Parker, DeBevoise, and Gerald Scaife. Continue reading
1/27/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene – Featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun
Balcony scene from John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun with music by Sergei Prokofiev. Continue reading
1/25/17 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Jimmy Slyde Taps With George Benson On Guitar
Jimmy Slyde taps with George Benson on guitar and drummer Jo Jones. Continue reading
1/19/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Act V (Finale) Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks- Mourning Place
The final act takes place after the death of Dr. King . John Jones (Dr Martin Luther King) Sheila Rohan (Rosa Parks) and James E. Murphy (Assassin). Continue reading
1/18/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks ( Act IV The Assassin)
The Fourth Act of Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks starring John Jones as Dr. King, Sheila Rohan as Rosa Park and James E. Murphy as the Assassin.
1/16/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Martin: A Ballet by Gordon Parks Act II March On Selma
Act II from Martin:A ballet by Gordon Parks depicts the violent encounter with police during the march on Selma. Continue reading
