1/1/26 O&A NYC DIVA ALERT: Diana Ross – 2025 Times Square ball drop (I’m Coming Out)

Diana Ross headlined the 2026 Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve celebration in Times Square on December 31, 2025. At 81 years old, the Motown legend led the countdown to the new year and performed a career-spanning medley of hits. Continue reading

12/30/25 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Carmen DeLavallade- The Creation


Dancer, actor and choreographer Carmen DeLavallade performs The Creation featuring choreography by her husband Geoffrey Holder. Holder also designed the costume and music. 
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12/29/25 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Miracle In Harlem (1948)

Miracle in Harlem (1948) is a independent American film known as a race film, featuring an all-African American cast. is a murder mystery melodrama with musical elements, considered one of the better films of its genre from that era. The cast in the all black cast included  Sheila Guyse as Julie Weston, Hilda Offley as Aunt Hattie, William Greaves as Bert Hallam (Julie’s boyfriend), Stepin Fetchit as Swifty, the handyman, Laurence Criner as Albert Marshall, and  vocalists Savannah Churchill, Juanita Hall, and the Lynn Proctor Trio. Continue reading

12/26/25 O&A NYC DANCE BY WALTER RUTLEDGE: Cry – Deborah Manning

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In 1971, Alvin Ailey created Cry, one of his signature dance works, as a birthday present for his mother Lula Elizabeth Ailey. Ailey dedicated the ballet to “all black women everywhere — especially our mothers.” The three-part ballet, set to contemporary music by Alice Coltrane, Laura Nyro and Chuck Griffin, depicts a woman’s journey through toil to an ecstatic state of grace. Cry premiered at New York City Center on May 4, 1971. Continue reading

12/24/25 O&A NYC BLACK FACTS: Judith Jamison – Sunday Morning CBS – AAADT at 60 (2019)

In this CBS Sunday Morning report that originally aired August 11, 2019, on the occasion of the dance group’s 60th anniversary, correspondent Rita Braver talked with dance icon and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Judith Jamison and her succeeding artistic director Robert Battle.
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12/17/25 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ SPORTS REVIEW: San Antonio Spurs at NewYork Knicks – Emirates NBA Cup Championship

The NewYork Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 124–113 to become the third Emirates NBA Cup champions, pulling away in a second half that featured constant momentum swings and decisive New York runs. Jalen Brunson averages 33.2 ppg, 5.8 apg across 6 NBA Cup games on his way to NBA Cup MVP. Continue reading

12/14/25 O&A NYC THE WORD: Revelations – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Revelations was the tenth ballet by 29 year old emerging choreographer Alvin Ailey. The  work premiered in New York City on January 31, 1960, at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA. Revelations immediately captivated audiences with its powerful universal message of faith and resilience.  

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12/12/25 O&A NYC HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIONNE WARWICK: Dionne Warwick Walk On By Really Live In 1964

Dionne Warwick sings Walk On By at age 24 live in an intimate restaurant bar, the ‘27 Club‘ in Knokke, Belgium, on New Year’s Eve 1964.Happy Birthday to an R&B icon. Continue reading

11/11/25 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: If You Believe – The Wiz Broadway 50th Anniversary (Film by Samira Fuller-Farquhar)

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of The Wiz on Broadway, “If You Believe” features original cast members Dee Dee Bridgewater (Glinda) and Joni Palmer (Munchkin/Dancer). Continue reading

11/7/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY SPECIAL: Honoring Fela Kuti Through Music, Movement & Style – Lagos Fashion Week 2025

Tribute to Fela is a celebration of the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the pioneer of Afrobeat whose music, activism and sense of identity reshaped African sound and culture forever.
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