11/20/15 O&A NYC Dance: A Conversation With Sylvia Waters- Artistic Director Emerita Ailey II

By Walter Rutledge

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Ailey II Artistic Director Emerita Sylvia Waters has shaped the lives and careers of countless young artists. During her 38 year tenure the Alvin Ailey Repertory  Ensemble grew into a world respected Ailey II- a dance company, choreographic laboratory and “dancing boot camp”. In 2012, shortly before her departure, we had an opportunity to talk with her about her career as a dancer, teacher and director.

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11/13/15 O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday: Missy Elliott – WTF (Where They From) ft. Pharrell Williams

Shall We Dance

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Missy Elliott has returned in spectacularly weird style in the vibrant, clever video for “WTF (Where They From),” her new single with Pharrell. The clip opens with a handful of New Yorkers already singing along to “WTF” and goes on to feature the rapper and a rotating cast of dancers working locations around the city. Though the concept is simple, the execution is far from it. Continue reading

Missy Elliott – WTF (Where They From) ft. Pharrell Williams

Shall We Dance

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Missy Elliott has returned in spectacularly weird style in the vibrant, clever video for “WTF (Where They From),” her new single with Pharrell. The clip opens with a handful of New Yorkers already singing along to “WTF” and goes on to feature the rapper and a rotating cast of dancers working locations around the city. Though the concept is simple, the execution is far from it. Continue reading

11/6/15 O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday: Le Jeune Homme et la Mort- Rudolf Nureyev or Mikhail Baryshnikov? You decide

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Le Jeune Homme et la Mort (1946) choreography by Roland Petit, set to Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582, with a one-act libretto by Jean Cocteau. The story of a young man driven to suicide by his faithless lover. Two of the most memorable interrupters of the male role (both stage and film) have been Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.  Continue reading

10/31/15 O&A NYC Song Of The Day: Michael Jackson’s Thriller

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Michael Jackson’s Thriller is a 13-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983. It was directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Jackson. It was MTV’s first world premiere video. Continue reading

10/30/15 O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday (Repost): Clive Thompson- The Early Years (Video)

By Walter Rutledge

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Clive Thompson literally began performing before he worn his first pair of long pants.

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10/27/15 O&A NYC Music: The Staten Island Jazz Festival

By Walter Rutledge

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The 28th Annual Staten Island Jazz Festival presented by the Universal Temple of the Arts (UTA) is becoming one of the city’s “don’t miss” events. The festival took place on Saturday, October 17th in the Music Hall at Snug Harbor. Over the years the festival has built a loyal Staten Island base, but this year it attracted an enthusiastic diverse Tri-State audience of both jazz aficionados and newcomers. Continue reading

10/28/15 O&A NYC With WaleStylez- Song Of The Day: Michael Jackson – Ghosts

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Michael Jackson’s Ghosts is a 1997 short film starring Michael Jackson, co-written by horror novelist Stephen King and directed by film director and special effects guru Stan Winston which could also be classified as a long-form music video. Continue reading

10/27/15 O&A NYC Song Of The Day: Drake- Hotline Bling

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At this point, there’s no denying Drake’s charmingly goofy, yet luxurious and minimalist dance moves in his new “Hotline Bling” music video. The clip dropped only days ago, but at this point, it’s pretty much legendary (or at least Internet-legendary), judging by the sheer volume of new memes we get out of it daily — and not to mention its influence on the fashion world. Continue reading

4/24/15 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Bunny Briggs – Duke’s Dancer

Shall We Dance

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Bunny Briggs says he was born dancing: “When I finally faced the world my legs were kickin’. They let me loose, and I just started dancin’ . Just started right out dancin’. And been dancing ever since.” He was born on Lenox Avenue and 138th Street in Harlem, New York. At the age of three his mother took him to the Lincoln Theatre to see his aunt Gladys, who was a chorus girl. After seeing the dapper Bill Robinson perform at the Lincoln he rushed home to say, “Mamma, I want to be a tap dancer”. 

Bunny Briggs with Benny Carter Orchestra

After appearing at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1960 with the Duke Ellington band, Briggs became known as Duke’s Dancer. Briggs became the chosen soloist in Ellington’s Concert of Sacred Dance, in David Danced Before the Lord, which premiered at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco (September 16, 1965). Dubbed by Ellington as “the most superleviathonic, rhythmaturgically-syncopated tapsthamaticianisamist”.

Bunny Briggs Performs Come Sunday from Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert of Music

Briggs was nominated for a Tony Award in 1989 for his work in the Broadway show Black and Blue, he also appeared in the Gregory Hines film Tap in 1989. In 2002, Briggs received an honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts in American Dance by Oklahoma City University in 2002, honoring him as one of the nine doctorates of Tap Dance.

Dr. Bunny Briggs in Black and Blue