3/2/25 O&A NYC SUNDAY MORNING FUNNIES: Jenifer Lewis – Black Don’t Crack fea. Marc Shaiman (Live at the Rosie O’Donnell Show 1996)

What better way to begin Women’s History Month with the one and only Jennifer Lewis! Our Sunday Morning Funnies comes from a 1996 live performance on Rosie O’Donnell where Lewis accompanied by pianist Marc Shaiman performed Black Don’t Crack

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2/27/25 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: Bobby McFerrin & The Kuumba Singers – Hold on

The Kuumba Singers of Harvard College & Bobby McFerrin perform Hold On in Leipzig, Germany. This gospel song was written by Rev. Cleophus Robinson Jr., and first recorded on his 1980 album Consolation.

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2/26/24 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: White Priviledge – Queens of the Rachet

White Privilege – a Cinderella parody sung by ‪@ZingaImani‬ and @CHELSEA REGINA Written and Directed by ‪@joshuagilyard‬. Continue reading

2/18/24 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet – Remembering

By Walter Rutledge

Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet (JGCO) presented their New York City season February 13 thru 15 at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Bam Fisher Fishman Space. The seventy minute audience friendly one act was more than a celebration of Black History Month; it is also a fitting tribute to the dance theatre genre. The season offered a blend of spoken word, live drumming, recorded music and voiceovers, theater, ritual, art, photography, video projections and of course the primary medium dance. Continue reading

2/14/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: I Wanna Be Ready – Amos Machanic Jr.

Amos Machanic, Jr. joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1996. During his 15 years with the company, Amos had the pleasure of traveling and performing across the globe and in 2010, he performed at the White House tribute to Judith Jamison. Continue reading

2/11/25 O&A NYC DANCE: Kevin Iega Jeff Creates to Communicate With Homage

By Walter Rutledge 

Keeping in the spirit of his credo, “create to communicate”, Kevin Iega Jeff has choreographed Homage for the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet. Homage will be presented during Remembering, the company’s 30th anniversary season celebration February 13, 14, 15 at BAM Fisher Fishman Space in downtown Brooklyn. The intergenerational ensemble work highlights the artistry of three accomplished female performers Shirley Black Brown Coward, Bahiyah Sayyed and Thera Ward. Continue reading

2/7/25 O&A NYC BLACK FACTS: Emmett Till- His Death, Mother, Grave, & Facts

Emmett Louis Till was a 14-year-old African American who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, after being accused of offending a white woman in her family’s grocery store. Join us as we discuss historical moments leading up to the death of Emmett Till, and how his death, helped fuel the Civil Rights movement. Continue reading

2/7/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Jamel Gaines Frontline Mentor

By Walter Rutledge

The applause has subsided, curtain fallen and the house lights are at half during a brief pause between dances. Instinctively we peruse the program to find the bio of that one standout performer. In many cases that dancer’s initial training and nurturing did not happen in one of metropolis’ elite dance academies. Instead, that first fire was probably kindled in a storefront, church basement, or school gymnasium. Continue reading

2/2/25 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: Dottie Peoples & The Peoples Choice Chorale – He’s An On Time God and more


Dottie Peoples has been a star in the gospel music industry for more than 30 years, since she was nine years old. Called The Songbird Of The South by Atlanta WAOK radio announcer Brother Esmond Patterson, Peoples won the top four honors at the 1995 Stellar Awards with her album, On Time God. Continue reading

1/31/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Educates Through Dance

By Walter Rutledge

Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet will commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary with a three-day New York City season Friday, February 13 through Sunday, February 15 at BAM Fisher Fishman Space. The season will offer Remembering, a program that reflects Gaines continued commitment to educate and enlighten the next generation through the dance theatre genre. Continue reading