2/9/26 O&A NYC DANCE BY WALTER RUTLEDGE: Meet Deven Crawford – Unity Through Community

Meet Deven Crawford a 19-year-old Las Vegas Nevada native who is living his dream.  The former dance major at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts happened to meet Jamel Gaines at the 2024 IABD (International Association of Black in Dance) conference. Today Crawford is a sophomore studying dance at Marymount College in Manhattan and one of the newest members of the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Company (JGCO). Continue reading

2/8/26 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: Yolanda Adams & Le’Andria Johnson -The Battle Is The Lord’s’ (Super Bowl Gospel 2020)

Le’Andria Johnson joins gospel superstar Yolanda Adams for a powerful performance of The Battle Is The Lord’s at the 2020 Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. Continue reading

2/8/26 O&A NY SUPERBOWL LIX: Nipplegate-Janet Jackson And Justin Timberlake – Superbowl Scandal

Janet Jackson set off a 2004 Super Bowl firestorm when her right breast was bared during her nationally televised  halftime show.  The incident became known as Nipplegate and had a severe effect on Jackson while her partner Justin Timberlake tried to distance himself from the “wardrobe malfunction” .  Continue reading

2/4/26 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Big Ben – Lady Sings The Blues

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Lady Sings The Blues is the story of jazz singer Billie Holiday and is loosely based on her 1956 autobiography. The name of the film was taken from one of Holiday’s most popular songs.

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2/1/26 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: 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

1/30/26 O&A NYC DANCE BY WALTER RUTLEDGE: Unity Through Community – Jamel Gaines and MAAFA: The Capture

By Walter Rutledge

Dance Theatre of. Harlem founder Arthur Mitchell told me, “It’s easy to choreograph on professionals try choreographing on regular people”. He was implying that the dance maker must rely more on creativity than on established steps and patterns. Jamel Gaines has accepted this challenge. Instead of using members of the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Theater, he has constructed a large intergenerational cast of church constituents.

On Sunday February 1st the Creative Outlet founder/artistic director will present his staging and choreography in MAAFA: The Capture. The Brainchild of Bishop, Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, the 9am free performance at Mt. Piscah Baptist Church, located at 167-10 137th Ave in Jamaica, Queens, will herald in Black History Month. MAAFA: The Capture is a twenty-minute dance theatre vignette depicting the African American experience.

O&A NYC Magazine Editor-in-Chief Walter Rutledge attended recent rehearsals and watched Gaines put his neophyte cast through the paces. These rehearsals were equal parts inspiration and perspiration. A true old school director Gaines rehearsals are both exacting and exhausting. And Gaines high energy and cajoling demeanor effortlessly brings out the movement shapes and dramatic artistry. Don’t take my word here’s a sneak peek into the rehearsal process.

MAAFA: The Capture rehearsal

 The black church has always been the source of not only inspiration but the hallmark for information and education. MAAFA: The Capture captures African American history in an entertaining and enlightening dance theater group endeavor. Unity through community.

 

 

 

1/29/26 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: The Roots – Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody


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The Roots perform Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around from the  2014 soundtrack of the film For A Revolution. In this clip, which juxtaposes black and white footage of 20th-century Civil Rights protests with color footage of the band performing in a recording studio. Continue reading

1/28/26 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Good Times – Black Jesus -The Evans Family’s Lucky Charm

J.J. (Jimmie Walker) has painted a portrait of Black Jesus and it turns out it brings a lot of good luck to the family (Esther Rolle, John Amos, BernNadette Stanis and Ralph Carter). However, Florida is not a big fan of him. Continue reading

1/27/26 O&A NYC HAIL TO THE KING: Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks ( Act IV The Assassin)

Martin Act IV Assassination

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.

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1/27/26 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Martin Luther King Jr. – No Human Is Illegal

This short speech reframes immigration as America’s greatest source of strength — not a threat. Inspired by the moral cadence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it challenges the fear, division, and political noise surrounding immigration today. It’s clear the voices of oppression have not been silenced. The chorus of hate, fear, greed and politics remain synonyms for discrimination and bigotry. Whether you’re living the immigrant journey or witnessing it in your community, this message is for every outsider who refused to stay outside. Continue reading