The Nicholas Brothers were a famous African- American team of dancing brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000). With their highly acrobatic technique (flash dance), high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day. Continue reading
Category: Video
O & A NYC: A Conversation with Philadanco Founder Joan Myers Brown and Author Brenda Dixon Gottschild
By Walter Rutledge
In The Art of War author Sun Tzu reveals, “…When people are skillfully led into battle, the momentum is like that of round rocks rolling down a high mountain – this is force.” This statement also applies to Philadelphia’s unstoppable force- Joan Myers Brown. Joan Myers Brown and The Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina, a Biohistory of American Performance by Brenda Dixon Gottschild chronicles the evolution of African American dance and culture in Philadelphia. Continue reading
Gospel Sunday: Calvary – Richard Smallwood and Vision
(In Photo: Roderick Tobin, Walter Rutledge, Samuel Quiller)
Richard Smallwood’s music has been recorded by artists such as Destiny’s Child, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard and many more. His recording career began in 1982 with the album The Richard Smallwood Singers. The album spent 87 weeks on Billboard’s Gospel chart. Continue reading
O & A- A Conversation With Choreographers Thaddeus Davis and Tonya Wideman-Davis : past-carry-forward Debuts April 23, 2014
By Walter Rutledge
Dance Theatre of Harlem will begin their New York season April 23 at the Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center. Choreographers Tanya Wideman-Davis and Thaddeus Davis have created past-carry-forward a work that considers the legacy of the Great Northern Migration of African Americans. Continue reading
Shall We Dance Friday: Dudley Williams- I Wanna Be Ready (1986)
In a long, brilliant career, Dudley Williams worked with such artists as Martha Graham, Talley Beatty, and Donald McKayle. Most significantly, he was a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for more than forty years. Although Williams retired from that company in 2005, some months before his 67th birthday, he still teaches at the Ailey School. He also makes guest appearances as a teacher at the Martha Graham School. “[Dudley Williams is] amazing—an inspiration to everybody, a real poet with movement.” –Alvin Ailey from Revelations: The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey.
8/17/17 (Repost) O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: D’Angelo- Untitled (How Does It Feel)
Untitled (How Does It Feel) created a music video scandal. The music video helped boost D’Angelo’s visibility and the song’s public appeal. Continue reading
(Repost) 4/1/14 O&A NYC DANCE: Martha Graham – Appalachian Spring and Rite of Spring
By Walter Rutledge
The recent all too-short season of the Martha Graham Dance Company at New York City Center was a resounding artistic success. The company performed two programs of Graham classics and stunning new works by Nacho Duato and Andonis Foniadakis. The Saturday March 22 evening program included two Graham classics Appalachian Spring (1944) and Rite of Spring (1984). Both works reinforced the fact that Graham was not only as a master craftsman, but also as an artist with a strong sense of classic form, structure and design. Continue reading
6/7/16 O&A NYC DANCE: Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn- Romeo and Juliet 1966
Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn dance the Balcony scene from The Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, 1966. Continue reading















