2/22/16 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Misty Copeland- The Power Of Ballet

mistycopeland

Misty Copeland makes history as the first African-American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. Copeland, who came from meager beginnings, became interested in dance at age 13 (usually considered too late for ballet). A true prodigy her talent propelled her to dance en pointe after three months of training and performing within her first year. She shares  her optimism and reflects on her path to stardom.   Continue reading

2/22/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Lady Sings The Blues (1972)- Excerpts

BLACK MONTHHollywood MondaysLady-Sings-the-Blues-02

Lady Sings The Blues– excerpts from the 1972 film starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor. 1) The Man I Love 2) Them There Eyes 3) Good Morning Heartache 4) My Man 5) God Bless the Child. Continue reading

2/18/16 O&A NYC: Old Landmark featuring James Brown with Chaka Chan from the Blues Brothers Movie

BluesBrothers_048Pyxurz

This explosive scene from The Blues Brothers features James Brown as Reverend Cleophus James, The Reverend James Cleveland Choir, Chaka Khan and the Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd as Elwood, John Belushi as Jake).

Continue reading

2/15/16 0&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Killer Diller (1948)

Hollywood-Mondays Killer_Diller_FilmPoster

Killer Diller starring The Clark Brothers (tap dancers), Nat King Cole, Moms Mabley, Dusty Fletcher, Butterfly McQueen, the Andy Kirk Orchestra, dancers from the Katherine Dunham School and the Four Congaroos (dancing Lindy Hop) was filmed in 1948 during the height of post war race films explosion. This all-black cast film, geared toward minority audiences, featured a cavalcade of African-American talent.  Continue reading

2/7/16 SUNDAY AFTERNOON JAZZ CONCERT: Joséphine Baker: The First Black Superstar

JAZZ josephine-baker

Josephine Baker, a pioneer in every sense of the word. Baker had an initial impact on the Jazz era, and eventually culture and history of the 20th century. This film looks at the life of this extraordinary African-American entertainer.  Continue reading

2/6/16 O&A NYC SPORTS: Nigel Sylvester- GO! ( New York City 2015)

DSC04691-1000x667

Pro BMX rider Nigel Sylvester Presents the first installment of his new series, GO! BMX has always been about expressing your point of view. For the first time, Nigel gives us a true, up close and personal experience of what riding his bike is really like. He launches the premiere episode with a few familiar faces and where it all began, New York City.   Continue reading

2/1/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Lena Horne – Stormy Weather featuring “Katherine Dunham with her dance troupe.” (1943)

Hollywood-Mondays lena-horne-dead-diesjpg-86ebaef0757640bb_large

Stormy Weather, the title song and dance sequence for the 1943 film of the same name, starred Lena Horne and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Katherine Dunham with her “dance troupe”. Other notable performers in the movie were Cab Calloway and Fats Waller (both appearing as themselves), the Nicholas Brothers dancing duo, comedian F. E. Miller, and singer Ada Brown. Despite a running time of only 77 minutes, the film features some 20 musical numbers. This was Robinson’s final film (he died in 1949); Waller died only a few months after its release. Continue reading