6/6/20 O&A NYC TRIBUTE: Loretta Abbott March 1, 19( I ain’t tellin)- May 6, 2016

By Walter Rutledge

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Loretta Abbott, dancer, actress, singer and choreographer passed away on Sunday June 5, 2016. A natural performer Abbott had two passions: her love for dance that spanned over 70 years, and her allegiance to the Harlem community where she lived her entire life. Continue reading

(Repost) 8/30/24 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

(Repost) 1/7/21 O&A NYC LIFESTYLE: In My Father’s Footsteps

By Walter Rutledge

Walter and Barry in Snow

Every time we have a real snowstorm it brings back one the most lasting and endearing early memories I have of my father. I was six years old; we lived in a quiet residential Northeast Bronx neighborhood. (Yes there are quiet neighborhoods in New York City.) Back then we didn’t have a formal sidewalk the grassy front lawn meandered into a roughly paved street that seemed to be more dirt than asphalt. Continue reading

(Repost) 2/26/21 O&A NYC DANCE EXTRA: A Conversation with George Faison- The Creative Process

By Walter Rutledge

“George Faison is one of my favorite people. Choreographer, director, performer, teacher, activist and cultural icon Faison’s story is larger than life. Throughout his five decades of artistic exploration he has maintained a keen eye, a childlike curiosity and a frolicsome sense of humor; which is reflected through his art and life. This interview was originally posted on May 6, 2016 and was filmed at the Faison Firehouse.”- W. Rutledge

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Tony and Emmy Award winning choreographer George Faison will present a new work entitled Kingdom Come at the McDonald’s Gospelfest – Live at Prudential Center (25 Lafayette Street, Newark, NJ) on Saturday May 7th. The ensemble work is an inspiring, and uplifting ballet set to a haunting score of ‎Jerome Olds. Throughout Faison’s career the humanistic quality of his work, and his ability to reach beyond the footlights and touch an audience has become his signature.    Continue reading

12/3/15 O&A NYC DANCE: Linda Celeste Sims- Pure Light

By Walter Rutledge

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Outstanding performers have always been the hallmark of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Dancers that consistently test the technical and artistic boundaries of modern dance remain a fundamental part of founder Alvin Ailey’s continuing legacy. Artists Carmen DeLavalallade, Dudley Williams, Judith Jamison, Miguel Godreau, Linda Kent, Sara Yarborough, Sarita Allen, Gary deLoatch, Desmond Richardson, and Renee Robinson all possessed an innate ability beyond technique, a God given gift that unfortunately cannot be taught. When the stage lights hit these special individuals it is refracted into dazing, flawless, pure light that pulls you in… moth to flame. Celeste Linda Sims is pure light. Continue reading

12/31/21 O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday (Repost): Banda (excerpt)- Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade

Shall We Dance

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Geoffrey Holder’s Banda dance debuted in the 1954 Truman Capote/Harold Arlen musical House Of Flowers. Holder the Baron of The Cemetery (based on the Haitian Loa of Death Baron Samedi) and received both a performer and choreographer credit in the program. The Broadway musical takes place somewhere in the West Indies during Mardi Gras weekend. Continue reading

10/3/14 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Banda (excerpt)- Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade

Shall We Dance

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Geoffrey Holder’s Banda dance debuted in the 1954 Truman Capote/Harold Arlen musical House Of Flowers. Holder the Baron of The Cemetery (based on the Haitian Loa of Death Baron Samedi) and received both a performer and choreographer credit in the program. The Broadway musical takes place somewhere in the West Indies during Mardi Gras weekend. Continue reading