3/24/23 O&A NYC MORE HARKNESS STORIES: Patricia Williams- Creating Beauty Is Not An Accident.

Foreward by Walter Rutledge

Patricia Williams is the founder and executive chef of 10 Chairs NYC, the Hell’s Kitchen boutique dining concept developed and presented by Chef Williams. But did you know this culinary diva actually received  her first  New York reviews as a ballet dancer? Starting at the Harkness School for Ballet Arts, Williams performed with the Harkness Ballet of New York, Ruth Page’s Chicago Ballet, and culminated her performance career with the New York City Opera. From her years of training she learned one universal truth, “Creating beauty does not take form as an accident. It comes by design and hard work.”  

She applied this truth as she began her career in the world of food. As executive chef, she gained two stars from the New York Times. Along the way, Chef Williams has frequently appeared on nearly all National morning talk shows demonstrating her brilliance in combining fresh seasonal unique multicultural flavors at affordable prices.

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3/22/23 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Our Gang /The Little Rascals- Mush n Milk “Don’t drink the milk…Why…. Its spoiled!”

wildin out wednesday nLTFV.St.4Mush n Milk is one of the series’ classics. Set in a boarding home for children it is most remembered for the breakfast scenes line, “Don’t drink the milk… Why? Its spoiled”.

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3/19/23 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: Whitney Houston- I Love The Lord- Acapella Version From The Preacher’s Wife

Like The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale before it, The Preacher’s Wife is a soundtrack that also functions as a Whitney Houston album, but that’s where the similarity ends.
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3/6/23 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY- WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: Pam Grier Is Sheba, Baby


Fresh off her career defining roles in “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown,Pam Grier returned in cult filmmaker William Girdler’s (“The Manitou”) “Sheba, Baby.”  Continue reading

2/27/23 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: 400 Years – A Case for the Deliberate Destruction of the Black Community (2020)

400 Years – A Case for the Deliberate Destruction of the Black Community (2020) is the story of black people in America, from the 1400s all the way to 2020. This is a heavy history, full of pain, but it must be understood. Enjoy and wake up. A film by Kenjah King.
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HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Sidney Poitier- To Sir with Love (Happy Birthday Mr. Poitier)


A novice teacher faces a class of rowdy, undisciplined working-class punks in this classic film that reflected some of the problems and fears of teens in the 60s. Sidney Poitier gives one of his finest performances as Mark Thackeray, an out-of-work engineer who turns to teaching in London’s tough East End. Continue reading

2/13/23 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Brown Sugar: The History of the Black Female Entertainer (1985/1990)

Brown Sugar: The History of the Black Female Entertainer (1985/1990) is a 1985 documentary based on film historian Donald Bogles’ book Brown SugarOne of the best docu-film about black female entertainers hosted by actor Billy Dee Williams. Continue reading

2/7/23 O&A NYC MORE HARKNESS STORIES: Keith Lee- First Black Soloist at ABT (American Ballet Theater)

Keith Lee describes his early Harkness experiences as a story book tale. While a student at the High School for the Performing Arts (aka Fame High) this dance phenom received a full scholarship to the Harkness House for Ballet Arts. This experience had a lasting impact and helped shape his own unique artistry as a dance, director, teacher and choreographer. In 1970 Lee made history when he became the first American of African descent to earn soloist status at American Ballet Theater. 

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2/2/23 O&A NYC MORE HARKNESS STORIES: William Starrett Visiting Mrs. Harkness’s Nassau Home With David Howard and Gelsey Kirkland

An American Ballet Story, a documentary about the the all too short life of the Harkness Ballet, will have it’s New York live screening premiere on April 20th at the New York Public Library Performing Arts – Bruno Walter Auditorium. O&A NYC Magazine. Editor in Chief Walter Rutledge will moderate the post screening Q and A. An American Ballet Story takes us into the stages and studios of the Harkness Ballet through the stories of the dancers who were there. The screening is free but you must reserve seating in advance. 

If you have a stories you would like to share about your Harkness experience please send your articles (250- 500 words recommended) and  photos to walt.harkness@gmail.com. Continue reading

2/1/23 O&A NYC MORE HARKNESS STORIES: Julie Caprio- Forever a Harkness Dancer

On April 20th 2023 a live screening of An American Ballet Story, a documentary about the the all too short life of the Harkness Ballet, will take place at the New York Public Library Performing Arts – Bruno Walter Auditorium. O&A NYC Magazine Editor in Chief Walter Rutledge will moderate the post screening Q and A. An American Ballet Story takes us into the stages and studios of the Harkness Ballet through the stories of the dancers who were there. The screening is free but you must reserve seating in advance. 

If you have a stories you would like to share about your Harkness experience please send your articles (250- 500 words recommended) and  photos to walt.harkness@gmail.com. Continue reading