8/4/26 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: A Stranger Gifts An Autistic Boy A Piano -He Dazzles The World

Jude Kofi, a prodigiously talented pianist from Aurora, Colorado, was gifted a grand piano by a kind stranger named Bill Magnusson after Magnusson saw Jude’s incredible musical gift highlighted on a local news broadcast. Jude, who is autistic, had taught himself to play a basement keyboard at a “Mozart level” without any formal training. Continue reading

7/26/26 O&A NYC DANCE BY WALTER RUTLEDGE: Danni Gee Talks Ballet Festival Curated by Misty Copeland

By Walter Rutledge

The Joyce Ballet Festival 2026 returns to the Joyce’s Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium for a two-week, fourteen performance season August 4th through August 16th. Former American Ballet Theater Principal Dancer Misty Copeland will curate the festival and will offer an international showcase of world class performers, outstanding classic and contemporary choreography, and rarely seen masterworks. The festival will offer two programs (one each week) with artists from some to the most prestigious companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and other leading companies. Continue reading

1/8/26 O&A NYC SONG OF THE DAY: Jon Batiste – Für Elise – From New Album Beethoven Blues

Für Elise – Batiste is a reimagined version of Ludwig van Beethoven’s classic “Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor” by Grammy and Oscar winning musician Jon Batiste. The track serves as a centerpiece for his solo piano album, Beethoven Blues, which is the first volume in his Batiste Piano Series. Continue reading

12/28/25 O&A NYC SUNDAY AFTERNOON JAZZ: Sketches of Spain: Concierto de Aranjuez

Miles Davis and Gil Evans Sketches of Spain: Concierto de Aranjuez performed live in Chicago by Orbert Davis on trumpet. Continue reading

6/12/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Creole Giselle (DTH On Demand)

When the ballet Giselle was created in 1841, it was not imagined to be performed by men and women of color, Black men and women. In 1984, Dance Theatre of Harlem Co-Founder Arthur Mitchell changed that. The acclaimed DTH production of this classic, Creole Giselle, was re-conceived by Arthur Mitchell and staged by Frederic Franklin, based on the original by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot

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12/6/18 O&A NYC 19 DAYS OF NUTCRACKER: DAYS OF NUTCRACKER: Anna Nikulina- Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ( Bolshoi Ballet 2014)

Bolshoi ballet principal dancer Anna Nikulina performs the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Continue reading

12/5/18 O&A NYC 20 DAYS OF NUTCRACKER: Misty Copeland and Sterling Baca- Nutcracker Pas de Deux (2014)

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American Ballet Theater principal dancer Misty Copeland as the Sugar Plum Fairy with ABT’s Sterling Baca at the New England Dance Ensemble’s production of ‘the Nutcracker’, Windham, NH.  
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12/2/18 O&A NYC 23 DAYS OF NUTCRACKER: Kirov Ballet – The Prince and the Sugarplum Fairy

The Kirov Ballet Theater in Nutcracker (1994) ballet featuring Viktor Baranov (Nutcracker/Prince), Larisa Lezhnina (Masha/Princess) and Piotr Russanov (Drosselmeyer/Russian Dancer).  Continue reading

10/7/18 O&A NYC WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK: October 7 through October 14, 2018

New York City in October is a great time of year (well anytime is a great time in NYC). This week there is outdoor sculpture in Harlem,  Jazz in Brooklyn, Pizza in the Bronx and Dance honors its own at The BessiesHere are a few of the many events happening in the city that never sleeps, guaranteed to keep you Out and About.

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6/5/18 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: The Kanneh-Masons: The Family That Plays Together

The Kanneh-Masons family are rock stars in the classical world: Seven British brothers and sisters, ages 8 to 21, whose musical talents shine from TV competitions to a royal wedding. Lee Cowan interviews the Kanneh-Masons: Isata, Braimah, Sheku, Konya, Jeneba, Aminata, and Mariatu. Continue reading