6/7/20 O&A NYC LOCKDOWN CONCERT: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Chroma, Grace, Takademe, Revelations (2015)

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs a full live evening of dance. In this 2015 Lincoln Center at Home rebroadcast. the works presented include:  Chroma by Wayne McGregor ‘Grace,’ Artistic Director Robert Battle’s ‘Takademe’ and the company’s signature work Revelations choreographed by company founder Alvin Ailey.

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6/4/20 O&A NYC EXTRA!: Reverend Al Sharpton Eulogizes George Floyd During Minneapolis Memorial

The Rev. Al Sharpton was among those who eulogized Floyd, acknowledging the meaning of Floyd’s life and death for his family and community. Continue reading

11/7/21 O&A NYC MORE GOSPEL SUNDAY: Mourner’s Bench- Talley Beatty Choreographer


mourn2Talley Beatty choreographed and performed Mourner’s Bench in 1947. It represents the anguish and loss for former slaves, now free men, killed during the Reconstruction Era at the beginning of the rise of the Klu Klux Klan. Beatty explained to me, “People were murdered by the Klan and at daybreak their relatives would find their bodies in the fields still covered in the morning dew.”

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2/3/19 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MOTH: Morehouse College – We Shall Overcome


The Morehouse College Glee Club performs We Shall Overcome, arranged by Wendell P. Whalum at the 2009 Candle on the Bluff Awards. Continue reading

10/7/18 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY (MOTHER RUTLEDGE PICKS): The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi – Leaning On The Everlasting Arms


The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi was a post-war gospel quartet. With lead singer Archie Brownlee,  their single “Our Father” reached number ten on the Billboard R&B charts in early 1951. It was one of the first gospel records to do so. Continue reading

8/12/18 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: Jennifer Phillips- Shackles (Arena Audition X Factor Global (UK)

Jennifer Phillips performs Mary Mary’s Shackles on  X Factor Global (UK) Continue reading

4/24/18 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Dr. Maya Angelou- Be a Rainbow in Someone Else’s Cloud

After hearing a 19th-century African-American song, Dr. Maya Angelou has never forgotten one important lyric: God put a rainbow in the clouds. Watch as Dr. Angelou shares how she honors those who employed kindness to help her, and find out how, she says, we can all “be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud,” no matter who they are. Continue reading

9/5/17 O&A NYC DANCE AND MUSIC: FOLI (there is no movement without rhythm) original version by Thomas Roebers and Floris Leeuwenberg

 FOLI, the word for rhythm used by the Malinke tribes of Baro, Guinee Afrika, encompasses so much more than drumming, dancing or sound. It’s found in every part of daily life. Continue reading

10/1/17 (REPOST) O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: My World Needs You- Featuring Tamela Mann, Tasha Cobbs, and Sarah Reeves

Kirk Franklin returns with a lyric video for My World Needs You, a song that features rousing vocals from Sarah Reeves, Tasha Cobbs and Tamela Mann. Continue reading