“This movie is a big part of why I’m where I am today. THE WIZ! Sometimes I have to go back and remind myself to believe in what I feel in my heart in my mind and in my soul. I have to listen to God’s voice and not let the troubles of the world drown it out. ‘We’ve come this far by faith” Keep believing in yourself y’all and keep moving toward you dreams and being the best you can be.”- Phillip Boykin
Lena Horne- Believe In Yourself- From The Wiz
By Walter Rutledge
Louis Johnson’s passing marks the end of an era in Black dance. Johnson was the last of the of his generation of 20th century American choreographers of African descent and International renowned. His contemporaries, Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Geoffrey Holder, Donald McKayle, and Arthur Mitchell, all forged through the restrictive Jim Crow era of hatred and segregation; that unfortunately included the arts- and dance. Continue reading
Diana Ross- Standing Room Only Live At Ceasar’s Palace, the HBO special, first aired in early 1980 as part of the network’s Standing Room Only series. Continue reading
The Wiz, the 1978 urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and a big screen version of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical The Wiz produced in collaboration between Motown Productions and Universal Pictures. Continue reading
Diana Ross- Standing Room Only Live At Ceasar’s Palace, the HBO special, first aired in early 1980 as part of the network’s Standing Room Only series. Continue reading
If You Believe performed by Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch of the South in Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz, the film version of the popular Broadway musical. The film retells the events of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz through the eyes of a young African-American kindergarten teacher who’s never been below 125th Street. Continue reading
The HBO special, first aired in early 1980 as part of the network’s Standing Room Only series. It was taped in 1979 at Caesar’s Palace as Ross promoted her then-current album, The Boss. The album, featuring writers/producers Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, featured songs that showed off a range and power that many had forgotten Diana Ross possessed. This was a peak time in the diva’s career; Ross dazzled audience around the world with her demanding, Tony Award-winning An Evening With Diana Ross stage show, and starred with protege Michael Jackson in the 1978 film The Wiz. Continue reading
Stephanie Mills rose to stardom as Dorothy in the original Broadway run of the Tony Award winning musical The Wiz. The song Home, written by Charlie Smalls, from the show later became a No.1 U.S. R&B hit for Mills and her signature song. Continue reading
By Adewale Adekanbi Jr
The long await live broadcast of the 1975 Tony Award winning musical The Wiz airs tonight. The special will star performers Queen Latifah in the role of the Wiz, Mary J. Blige as Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, Uzo Aduba as Glinda the Good Witch, David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion, Ne-Yo as the Tin Man, Elijah Kelley as the Scarecrow, Common as the Bouncer/Gatekeeper of the Emerald City and Stephanie Mills (who originated the role of Dorothy in The Wiz) as Aunt Em, among a number of other performers. It will also be the professional debut for actress Shanice Williams in the role of Dorothy Gale. Continue reading
By Walter Rutledge
What do you do when you need to replace a Tony Award winning actor? You replace her with anyone Tony Award winning actor! And that’s just what George Faison did with The Wiz: A Celebration In Dance And Music, the concert version of the 1975 Tony Award winning musical presented in the City Parks Foundation SummerStage series August 12 through August 14.
Dee Dee Bridgewater, who won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Glinda, the Good Witch of The South in The Wiz, opened the concert on Wednesday, August 12 at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Due to prior commitments Bridgewater could only perform opening night. On Thursday, August 13 the production moved uptown to Marcus Garvey Park for two final performances and in true “The show must go on” style Tony Award winner Lillias White took over the role.
Again for a second night the audience began to arrive in the afternoon for the free performance and by show time the overflowed crowd spilled out of the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater. White did not disappoint she stepped into the role of Glinda and with an entourage of tuxedo clad men brought Dorothy and the musical home!
There is one final performance tonight. The evening begins at 6:45 with a master class by Darrin Henson. This is a free performance and seating is first come first served so you better arrive early!
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Ghanaian artist Paa Joe has brought some of New York City’s most iconic motifs to life. As part of Superhouse NYC’s inaugural “Celestial City” exhibition, the multidisciplinary artist served up a handful of lifesize sculptures of the city’s signature signage, including pizza boxes, taxi cabs, bagels and of course, rats. 120 Walker Street, 6R
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 