Act II from Martin: A ballet by Gordon Parks depicts the violent encounter with police during the march on Selma. Continue reading
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Category: History
12/26/25 O&A NYC DANCE BY WALTER RUTLEDGE: Cry – Deborah Manning
In 1971, Alvin Ailey created Cry, one of his signature dance works, as a birthday present for his mother Lula Elizabeth Ailey. Ailey dedicated the ballet to “all black women everywhere — especially our mothers.” The three-part ballet, set to contemporary music by Alice Coltrane, Laura Nyro and Chuck Griffin, depicts a woman’s journey through toil to an ecstatic state of grace. Cry premiered at New York City Center on May 4, 1971. Continue reading
10/21/25 O&A NYC SONG OF THE DAY: Michael Jackson – Thriller
Thriller, Michael Jackson’s 1984 music video directed by John Landis and written by Landis and Jackson. Continue reading
10/5/25 O&A NYC SUNDAY SCHOOL: Enoch – The Man Who Walked With God
What if one man’s walk with God was so deep… that Heaven could not wait any longer for him? The story of Enoch is one of the most mysterious and shocking accounts in the Bible. A man who never saw death… a prophet whose very life was a prophecy… and a father whose legacy shaped Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah—the very bloodline that carried humanity through the flood. Continue reading
10/4/25 O&A NYC SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Kanye West, Jamie Foxx – Gold Digger / Touch The Sky (Live at 48th Grammy Awards)
Watch Kanye West and Jamie Foxx in a battle of the bands HBCU style perform Gold Digger / Touch The Sky live at 48th Grammy Awards (2006).
9/1/25 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project – Unbound: Shattered Frames, Endless Visions.
By Walter Rutledge
It seems our narratives, our cultural and historic legacy, is being erased or altered to fit a new national fiction. It is becoming extremely important to tell our own stories and to share and protect our narratives. This was the mission of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project production Unbound: Shattered Frames, Endless Visions. The impressive and stylish sold-out presentation took place on Saturday, August 23 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.
7/21/25 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Woody Strode – Sergeant Rutledge
Lt. Cantrell (Jeffrey Hunter) defends Sergeant Rutledge (Woody Strode) as witnesses give testimony (relived in flashbacks) revealing the Sergeant’s gallantry – and the shocking truth behind the alleged crimes. Director John Ford, who attacked racism in The Searchers, explores similar territory in this landmark Western, the power of which still rings out with uncommon force decades later.
3/21/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: They Called Her Moses
They Called Her Moses is Donald McKayle‘s story of freedom fighter Harriet Tubman. The cast includes Jacqueline Walcott, Robert Powell, Sylvia Waters, Arthur Mitchell, Kathleen Stanford, Donald McKayle and Carmen DeLavallade. Continue reading
2/7/25 O&A NYC BLACK FACTS: Emmett Till- His Death, Mother, Grave, & Facts
Emmett Louis Till was a 14-year-old African American who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, after being accused of offending a white woman in her family’s grocery store. Join us as we discuss historical moments leading up to the death of Emmett Till, and how his death, helped fuel the Civil Rights movement. Continue reading
1/31/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Educates Through Dance
By Walter Rutledge
Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet will commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary with a three-day New York City season Friday, February 13 through Sunday, February 15 at BAM Fisher Fishman Space. The season will offer Remembering, a program that reflects Gaines continued commitment to educate and enlighten the next generation through the dance theatre genre. Continue reading
