1/15/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Martin- A Ballet By John Parks (Act 1)

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Martin: A Ballet by Gordon Parks Act 1 Introduces John Jones as Martin Luther King, Sheila Rohan as Rosa Parks and James E Murphy as the Assassin. Continue reading

1/16/17 O&A NYC CELEBRATING THE KING: Martin Luther King- I Have A Dream

Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream Speech is probably the most famous speech of the 20th century. Delivered on Wednesday, August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.  Continue reading

11/15/16 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Facing Evil With Maya Angelou

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Facing Evil With Maya Angelou, is the second of two programs celebrating the life and work of the late Maya Angelou, Bill Moyers revisits a 1988 documentary in which he and Angelou attended a conference on “Facing Evil,” held in the Hill Country of central Texas. Evil was a topic about which Angelou, the victim of childhood rape and virulent racism, had a lot to say. Continue reading

11/12/16 ITS SATURDAY ANYTHING GOES: The Making of Donald Trump

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The Making of Donald Trump is a 2016 biography of the American businessman, property developer and politician Donald Trump by the American investigative journalist David Cay Johnston.  Continue reading

(REPOST) 1/11/23 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: The Roots – Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody


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The Roots perform Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around from the  2014 soundtrack of the film For A Revolution. In this clip, which juxtaposes black and white footage of 20th-century Civil Rights protests with color footage of the band performing in a recording studio. Continue reading

10/30/16 O&A NYC SUNDAY AFTERNOON JAZZ CONCERT: Cab Calloway And Betty Boop- Minnie the Moocher (1932)

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Cab Calloway And Betty Boop- Minnie the Moocher cartoon begins with actual film footage of Cab Calloway dancing a slow and sensuous dance in front of his orchestra as they perform the Prohibition Blues. This is the oldest known film footage of Cab. 

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The haunting and beautiful instrumental, Prohibition Blues, is an old Missourians piece that was recorded by them in early 1930, right before Cab took over as leader of their band. This cartoon has the only recording of the piece with Cab Calloway. By early 1932, when this cartoon was produced, the group had been renamed Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, but in this film, they are still wearing their old Missourians uniforms. 

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8/11/16 O&A NYC WITH WaleStylez FILM: Paradise Garage- New York City’s Legendary Disco Comes To The Big Screen

By Adewale Adekanbi Jr.

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The Paradise Garage, New York’s iconic disco will be getting its own film highlighting its contribution to the city’s dance music culture and nightlife.  Continue reading

8/4/16 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: We are the World- USA for Africa

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We Are the World is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie (with arrangements by Michael Omartian) and produced by Quincy Jones for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. Continue reading

8/4/16 O&A NYC SONG OF THE DAY: USA for Africa – We are the World

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We Are the World is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie (with arrangements by Michael Omartian) and produced by Quincy Jones for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. Continue reading

8/1/16 O&A NYC DANCE: Gregory Hines’ Tap Dance in America- Excerpt featuring

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Legendary Tap dancers Gregory Hines, Jimmy Slyde, Bunny Briggs, Sandman Simms performs during the 1989 PBS special Gregory Hines’ Tap Dance in America. Shot during rehearsal and performance at what used to be Billy Rose’s Diamond Horseshoe in New York, the special reunites cast members of previous Hines vehicles, including “Sophisticated Ladies” (the musical) and “Tap” (the movie). Continue reading