11/20/23 O&A NYC THEATRE- REVIEW: Hadestown- Sometimes True Love Can Be Hell.

By Walter Rutledge

Recently I had the extreme pleasure to see the Broadway smash hit Hadestown at the Walter Kerr Theater. The 2019 eight-time Tony Award winning musical is still wowing audiences with Anais Mitchell’s incredible lyric music score and touching book featuring dual love stories. Before we talk about Hadestown lets first have a Greek mythology tutorial. Continue reading

11/6/23 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Vespers- Paul Taylor Dance Company

By Walter Rutledge

The Paul Taylor Dance Company began its sixty-ninth season on Tuesday October 31 at the New York State Theater. The two-week fifteen performance season will offer a total of fourteen works by five choreographers. The season will present a world premieres by Larry Keigwin and Lauren Lovette, the return of a work by Amy Hall Garner, company premiere by and Ulysses Dove and nine Taylor classics.

Continue reading

10/6/23 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Alvin Ailey’s “Mary Lou’s Mass” and “Hidden Rites” Excerpts

Mary Lou’s Mass (1971) with John Parks, Dudley Williams and Clive Thompson and Hidden Rites (1973) with John Parks and Judith Jamison Continue reading

10/3/23 O&A INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Reframing the Narrative: Blacks in Ballet | A Kennedy Center Digital Stage Original

Eleven black dancers from historically white ballet companies were commissioned by The Kennedy Center to create and perform a brand new ballet in just two weeks. This is their story…

Continue reading

10/1/23 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Ballet X At The Joyce

By Walter Rutledge

Philadelphia based Ballet X returned to New York City’s Joyce Theater for a five-day six performance season. The expectations were high for this ethnically diverse contemporary ballet company and the talented dancers rose to the occasion. It was unfortunate that the choreography and the programming were not able to support the performers despite their valiant efforts. Continue reading

9/30/23 O&A NYC SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Roberto Bolle and Misty Copeland – Romeo and Juliet


Misty Copeland (Juliet) and Roberto Bolle (Romeo) are joined by a stellar cast of dancers from the Teatro alla Scala in the 2016 production.
Continue reading

9/28/23 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Debbie Allen Part Two- On Choreography and Directing

By Walter Rutledge

The second installment from the Out and About NYC Magazine 2015 interview with entertainment icon Debbie Allen. In this section we discussed her views on choreography and directing.  Continue reading

9/25/23 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: The life of Alvin Ailey


Alvin Ailey revolutionized the world of dance by honoring the African American experience, but his journey was not without its struggles. Continue reading

9/17/23 O&A NYC REVIEW: Is Heart of Brick A Black Queer Sex In The City?

By Walter Rutledge

The Joyce Theater’s fall 2023 season began September 15 with the interdisciplinary gay romance saga Heart of Brick. The theatrical production combined live vocal music, spoken narrations, voiceovers, dance, lighting and a clean, simple set design to recreate an evening at Langstons, New York City’s oldest Black gay bar. This is the first presentation in Director of Programming Danni Gee augural season, and in the truest downtown dance style she left the audience with something to talk about.   Continue reading

9/8/23 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Empathy (Part One)- A Conversation with Debbie Allen

By Walter Rutledge


In 2015 O&A NYC Editor-in-Chief Walter Rutledge interviewed Debbie Allen at the Faison Firehouse Theater for Dance Noir Magazine (DNM). The print article would discuss her relationship with Katherine Dunham. The video was produced as visual notes for the upcoming Dunham article. When the magazine suspended publication, out of respect for DNM Founder/Editor-in-Chief Carol Lloyd, we held the material with hopes of eventually printing the article for DNM. After eight years Ms. Allen’s words remain relevant, inspiring and informative and should be shared. We call this first installment Empathy. Continue reading