6/16/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Dudley Williams last Performance- Dance Of The Village Elders

By Walter Rutledge

Dudley Williams was a performing artist, and teacher and a friend. I often referred to him as the “Lyric Prince of Modern Dance” a moniker that he enjoyed. In reality Dudley was a fighter. And the bantamweight dancer was in a battle with time, he simply refused to let it stop him from dancing. Continue reading

(Repost) 8/20/21 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY- TRIBUTE: Three Black Kings- An Ailey Classic

By Walter Rutledge

3-blk-kngsThree Black Kings was the last dance and music collaboration between choreographer Alvin Ailey and composer/musician Duke Ellington.  Continue reading

6/3/15 O&A: A Conversation With Dudley Williams- Three Black Kings and more (2011)

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Three Black Kings was the last dance and music collaboration between choreographer Alvin Ailey and composer/musician Duke Ellington. The work premiered during the 1976 Ailey season with a cast that included Elbert Watson as King Balthazar, Clive Thompson as King Solomon and Dudley Williams as Martin Luther King Jr. King was a close friend of Ellington and his widow Coretta Scott King attended the première. In this 2011 interview Dudley discusses his role and Ailey’s choreographic process. Continue reading

(REPOST) O&A NYC DANCE: Three Black Kings- An Ailey Classic

By Walter Rutledge

3-blk-kngs

Three Black Kings was the last dance and music collaboration between choreographer Alvin Ailey and composer/musician Duke Ellington.  Continue reading