(REPOST) 6/11/15 O&A THROWBACK THURSDAY: Missing You- Diana Ross (For Chadwick Boseman)

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Missing You, written, composed, and produced by Lionel Richie as a tribute to Marvin Gaye, who had died earlier that year. The video includes, as well as still photographs and tribute clips of Gaye himself, tribute clips of former Supremes singer Florence Ballard and of Paul Williams of The Temptations, both Motown artists who had died in the 1970s. Continue reading

6/2/15 O&A NYC Magazine: Dance Legend Dudley Williams Has Passed

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The dance world mourns the loss of its Lyric Prince; Dudley Williams has passed. The details are still unfolding; but more important than the circumstances surrounding his death, is how he inspired everyone who ever met him through his giving, humble spirit. Over the last twelve years Dudley became a colleague, friend, and confidante. We shared an appreciation for many things, two that were always paramount: dance that could reach beyond the footlights and touched your soul, and a very dry martini. Continue reading

3/6/15 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Promethean Fire- Paul Taylor Dance Company

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Promethean Fire (2002) is danced to the music of three of Leopold Stokowski’s famous Bach transcriptions (Opus 116). The ensemble work is one of Paul Taylor’s six ballets set to the music of the baroque master. This excerpt is the first movement choreographed to the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D minor.   Continue reading

(Repost) 11/16/20 O&A HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Cotton Comes To Harlem- Iris, Officer Jerema and the Paper Bag

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Cotton Comes to Harlem was the beginning of short period in American film that featured black actors in leading roles and the themes dealt with issues from the African-American microcosm. With a screenplay by Arnold Perl and Ossie Davis, and directed by Davis this action drama represents the black prospective. Much of the film’s humor is urban black comedy, which was groundbreaking in 1970.

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10/11/24 O&A SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: The Fountain of Bakhchisarai Starring Galina Ulanova and Maya Plisetskaya

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The Fountain of Bakhchisarai (Russian: Бахчисарайский фонтан) is a Russian ballet inspired by the 1823 poem by Alexander Pushkin of the same title. With music by Boris Asafyev and choreography by Rostislav Zakharov, the ballet premiered in Saint Petersburg, (then Leningrad) in 1934 at the Kirov Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (now the Mariinsky Theatre). Continue reading

1/23/15 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Maya Plisetskaya Dances Bolero (Choreography by Maurice Béjart) And The Dying Swan

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Maya Plisetskaya, Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Bolshoi Ballet, danced Maurice Bejart’s Bolero set to the famous Ravel score in 1975. Plisetskaya created a stunning theatrical experience. What makes the piece so compelling is that although Plisetskaya may be accompanied by dozens of other dancers mirroring her movement, the first and only focus is on the prima ballerina herself.  Continue reading

12/17/17 O&A Gospel Sunday Holiday Series: CeCe Winans

Gospel Sundaybebeandcece-743-croppedCeCe Winans continues to bring in the holiday spirit with three Christmas songs  Because a Child is Born, Jesus Your Beautiful, and Oh, Holy Night (Live).
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10/3/14 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Banda (excerpt)- Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade

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Geoffrey Holder’s Banda dance debuted in the 1954 Truman Capote/Harold Arlen musical House Of Flowers. Holder the Baron of The Cemetery (based on the Haitian Loa of Death Baron Samedi) and received both a performer and choreographer credit in the program. The Broadway musical takes place somewhere in the West Indies during Mardi Gras weekend. Continue reading

10/10/24 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: Whitney Houston’s 1983 TV Debut with Mother Cissy

Whitney Houston sings two duets with her mother Cissy Houston on the Merv Griffin Show in 1983 marking Whitney’s television debut The mother/daughter duet sang a medley of Ain’t No Way and You Send Me. Continue reading

(Repost) 10/9/20 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Sammy Davis Jr.- The Original Triple Threat

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Samuel George “Sammy” Davis, Jr. was born on December 8, 1925. He was an African- American entertainer who broke many barriers and paved the way for entertainers in all  disciplines. Davis was primarily a dancer and singer, but he also received acclaim as an actor of stage and screen, musician, and impressionist. Davis died at age 64 in 1990, after spending 61 years in the profession he loved.  Continue reading