10/27/19 O&A NYC GOING BACK TO AFRICA WITH WALESTYLEZ: Tekno – Skeletun

Augustine Miles Kelechi popularly known by his stage name Tekno, is an Afrobeat artist, producer and dancer.He started his journey at a tender age. Today, Tekno is one of the highly rated Nigerian musicians with several musical productions. Continue reading

10/27/19 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ FASHION: Air Jordan 4 Winter Unboxing

By Adewale Adekanbi Jr

Prepared for the colder months ahead, Jordan Brand is bringing winterized upgrades to the uppers of the Air Jordan 4. Pairing classics schemes with enduring modifications almost indistinguishable, the imprint has ostensibly crafted what will be an everyday kick when it hits below freezing.
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10/27/19 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: A.I.M (Abraham In Motion) At The Joyce

By Walter Rutledge 

A.I.M. (Abraham In Motion) presented their New York City season at the Joyce Theater Tuesday, October 15 through Sunday, October 20, 2019. The six- day, seven performance season offered five works, including three world premieres and one company premieres, by three choreographers. The concise, focused and extremely audience friendly program was a successful blend of both visceral and cerebral movement and imagery.

In Big Rings (2019 World Premiere) choreographer and company member Keerati Jinakunwiphat presented a cleanly crafted ensemble work for six dancers.  Jinakunwiphat clearly understands the craft of choreography, approaching this work with strong compositional form and design. Extremely fluent in “Abraham”; she proficiently worked in Abraham’s vernacular and canon. The use of music from different genres and the well employed choreographic device of theme and development kept the work fast past and well defined. This was especially evident in the second movement of the work where she brought freshness to Camille Saint-Saens “chestnut” The Swan.

Show Pony (2018) presented performer Marcella Lewis and choreographer Abraham in a very favorable light. In true Abraham style the choreographer established a finite movement vocabulary; which he manipulated, variated and developed throughout. Shifting between pure and gesture driven movement (with a pleasant dash of personality) Abraham created a work that was dynamic, original and fun.   

Clad in a metallic gold unitard Lewis danced with unmitigated aplomb; commanding the stage and at times relegated the audience to unwitting voyeurism.  If the arms are the language of the dance, Abraham allowed her to speak in a clear choreographic voice. She gave new meaning to the phrase “the hostess with the mostest”; when retreating to a pool of clear light she smiled while offering salutations and greetings to the audience. 

Trisha Brown’s Solo Olos (1976 company premiere) epitomizes the phase God mic. The work for five dancers and initially performed in silence took an unexpected twist when dancer Donovan Reed jumped off the stage and sat on the first row with a wireless microphone. The almost Deis Machine devise became an omnipresent dictate guiding the dancers through the movement, which consisted of reversing many of the movement passages. This thinking man’s (excuse me- thinking person’s) abstract ballet lived up to it’s title. 

Cocoon (2019 World Premiere), a solo choreographed and performed by Kyle Abraham, opened with a chorus of singers placed in the audience in front of the stage. Performing music by Bjork (arranged by lead singer Nicholas Ryan Gant) the nine- member chorus accompanied Abraham; who began in a crouched position on the floor in a circle of Azurite blue light. As if on a slow- moving carousel Abraham unfolded his body shifting position as Dan Scully’s light design expanded to eventually encompass the entire stage.

The choreography shifted between explosive passages to exploring the plastique of movement through sustained stillness. Abraham removed the sash that sequestered his shirt, and an offstage gust of wind surrounded him. Symbolically his motionless form was being propelled to a new metaphysical plain- a metamorphosis.  

The evening concluded with Studies On A Farewell (2019 world premiere) an episodic ensemble work for eight dancers and choreographed by Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M. Set to Four Studies by Nico Muhly and performed live by Katherine Liccardo and Chelsea Starbuck Smith in tandem with a recorded track. The work depicted a series of encounters and partings tinged with a collective personal, almost autobiographic feeling. Jinakunwiphat slowly walking backward alone retreating upstage into the darkness culminating theballet and the evening.

Abraham continues to share his unique gift of abstract storytelling. The sophisticated and aesthetically satisfying A.I.M. New York season combined solid choreography with high production value.

In Photo:  2) Tamisha Guy, Marcella Lewis, Javon Jones, and Catherine Ellis Kirk  3) Marcella Lewis  4) Catherine Ellis Kirk 5) Kyle Abraham  6) Tamisha Guy and Javon Jones

Photo by: 1) Tatiana Wills 2) Sharen Bradford 3) Christopher Duggan 4, 5 & 6) Stephen Schreiber 

10/25/19 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ MOVIE TRAILER: The King – Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson | Final Trailer | Netflix Film

By Adewale Adekanbi Jr

Netflix has shared a new full-length trailer for its forthcoming historical epic The King starring Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson.The Netflix Original film centers on the rise of King Henry V, portrayed by 23 year-old Academy Award-nominated Chalamet in the titular role.Directed by David Michôd, The King premieres November 1 on Netflix. Continue reading

10/25/19 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ FASHION: Concepts Builds A Pyramid For Nike Kyrie 5 “Orion’s Belt”

By Adewale Adekanbi Jr

Concepts has curated something special for their upcoming Nike Kyrie 5 Orion’s Belt collaboration. Just days away from the launch, Concepts has transformed their New York retail location into a midnight Egyptian destination; once indoors, customers immediately get transported to the city of Giza as a pyramid installation ornamented with co-branded symbols from both parties lies firmly in the center of the floor space. Continue reading

10/24/19 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ AUTOMOBILE: Inside Ferrari’s New York City Supercar Customization Center

By Adewale Adekanbi Jr

Italian supercar maker Ferrari has just opened its first Tailor Made Center in the United States. Based in NewYork, its showroom  large enough to display five of the brand’s sports cars while holding a private owners lounge for the top enthusiasts of the Prancing Horse. Continue reading

10/22/19 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Jemele Hill And The Story Of How One Tweet Changed Her Life (Day Ones)

After her controversial tweets about President Donald Trump, Jemele Hill’s life was turned upside down in an instant. Continue reading

10/21/19 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ FASHION: Zoo York x Founders: 002

By Adewale Adekanbi Jr

Zoo York founders Rodney Smith, Eli Morgan Gesner and Adam Schatz as creative directors to help reinvigorate the brand and with that they’ve launched the aptly-named Founders Collection. The second installment of this line pays tribute to the late great Harold Hunter an original member of the Zoo York skate team. Continue reading

10/21/19 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: A Zoot Suit (with a A Reet Pleat) [1942] | Dorothy Dandridge & Paul White

A Zoot Suit (for My Sunday Gal) performed by Paul White and Dorothy Dandridge  from the 30 minute short film A Zoot Suit (with a A Reet Pleat) (1942) written by Ray Gilbert and Robert O’Brien (as Bob O’Brien). Continue reading

10/20/19 O&A NYC SUNDAY AFTERNOON JAZZ: Miles Davis & Quincy Jones & The Gil Evans Orchestra (1991)

 

Miles & Quincy: Live at Montreux is a collaborative live album by  Jazz musician Miles Davis and conductor Quincy Jones. It was recorded at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival and released by and released by Warner Bros. Records in 1993. Continue reading