O&A NYC9/28/26 O&A NYC THE ARTS WITH ALEX SMITH JR.: Summations and Beginnings – THPAC Executive Director’s Address

By Alex Smith Jr.

Good evening, everyone.

As we gather to celebrate more than fifty years of the Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center, I want to take a moment to return to the beginning — to the spark that created all of this.

There was once a remarkable Clark Center teacher, Ms. Thelma Hill, whose artistry and guidance inspired her student, Larry Phillips. From Phillips’ love of the performing arts came the founding of Our Children’s Dance Center. After Hill’s tragic passing, he renamed his young organization in her honor, and it became the Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center.

In 1987, Larry Phillips passed away, and his assistant, Melvin C. Davis, stepped forward as Executive Director. A year later, Melvin contracted me — Alex Smith, Jr. — to help rebrand THPAC. When Melvin died in 1995, Marshall Swiney and I resurrected THPAC and continued its legacy.

That is the condensed history of THPAC’s early years.

My Chapter Begins

When Melvin passed, Marshall and I took on THPAC together. I became Executive Director; Marshall became Artistic Director. When Marshall left in 2005, I found myself alone at the helm.

I followed Melvin’s strategy of using curators to shape the seasons — most notably Andrea E. Woods, whose vision helped define an era. Then in 2010, during the first production of A Ramp to Paradise, I met Walter Rutledge. We formed a powerful professional partnership, and Walter ultimately became THPAC’s Artistic Director. Together, we are a dynamic duo.

But even then, I was still searching for someone to take on the organization fully — someone to step into my shoes.

The Epiphany

In 2015, while sorting through THPAC’s archives — photos, administrative files, posters, decades of history — I had an epiphany.

I realized that Melvin had been holding THPAC for me until I was ready.

The truth was simple and profound: I was who I had been looking for. It had taken me years to see it.

From that moment, my path became clear. Ten years later, I am still walking it with gratitude.

A year later, that epiphany was confirmed. In June 2016, my former co‑worker Judy Perez called from the West Coast. She told me she had dreamed of me wearing a tuxedo at an event, receiving a standing ovation. I found it interesting, but I didn’t know what it meant.

In late July, I learned I was nominated for a Bessie Award. Weeks later, I was informed I would receive the Bessie Award for Outstanding Service in the Field of Dance. I remembered Judy’s dream. She insisted I wear a tuxedo, just as she had seen. I agreed — though I doubted the standing ovation part.

The ceremony was October 18 at BAM — the same BAM where I met Larry Phillips for one brief moment on May 5, 1985. My life had come full circle.

When Joan Myers Brown called my name, I stood — and so did the entire audience. I was astonished. And I remembered Melvin’s words: “Alex, in life you never know what you are rehearsing for.”

Stewardship and Mission

THPAC is not my organization. It belongs to you — the community. I am simply its steward.

The mission of THPAC is clear and unwavering: To present and preserve the artistic creations of African American dance artists and other dance artists of color.

If you ever lose your way in the work of your organization, return to your mission. It will always guide you forward.

Looking Beyond 50

As we step into the next fifty years, I am laying the foundation through three core initiatives:

1. Securing a permanent home for the music archives
2. Building a rock‑solid development program
3. Establishing a thoughtful succession plan

A Personal Closing

In 2015, I finally stopped grieving Melvin. I had been grieving him by keeping THPAC alive — that was the subtext. I knew it internally, but I never admitted it outwardly. Over time, his voice faded, not because I forgot him, but because I had internalized everything he taught me. I no longer needed to hear it. I was finding my own path.

We are all on a hero’s journey.

I leave you with the quote that perfectly captures my relationship with THPAC — a quote by Joseph Campbell:

“You must give up the life you had planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.”

Thank you. Good night. See you in June.