Tag: choreography

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3/21/22 O&A NYC DANCE: Francesca Harper Sets New Direction For Ailey II

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By Walter Rutledge

The Ailey II season begins March 23 and run thru April 3 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater 405 west 55th Street at the corner of Ninth Avenue This is not only the company’s return to the theater since the pandemic, but also the debut season for the company’s new Artistic Director Francesca Harper. During the two-week season the company will offer 10 performances and present works by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) Artistic Director Robert Battle, internationally renowned choreographer William Forsythe, AAADT principal dancer Yannick Lebrun, Andrea Miller, and Harper. Continue reading

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3/8/22 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Flutter- AXIS Dance Company 

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Robert Dekkers’ Flutter was originally created for Post:ballet in 2010. The complex musicality, spatial shifts, and physicality in this dance for camera showcases the AXIS dancers’ strengths as individuals and as a collective.
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1/9/22 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Michael Jackson – You Rock My World

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The short film to You Rock My World, the Top 10 hit single from Michael Jackson‘s Invincible, features guest appearances from Chris Tucker, Michael Madsen and Marlon Brando, in one of his final film appearances.
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1/17/21 O&A NYC DANCE THEATRE: Only In The Darkness- Dance Of The Village Elders- Dance Of The Village Elders

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By Walter Rutledge

The senior performing ensemble Dance Of The Village Elders performs Only In The Darkness You Can See The Stars. Based on their experiences during the turbulent Civil Rights Era. 

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1/13/21 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: Michael Jackson’s Earth Song

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Earth Song is the third single from Michael Jackson’s album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The ballad incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious material such as We Are the World, Man in the Mirror and Heal the World. However, Earth Song was the first that overtly dealt with the environment and animal welfare.   Continue reading

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1/7/21 O&A NYC DIVA ALERT: Janet Jackson’s Love Will Never Do (Without You)

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Janet Jackson’s Love Will Never Do (Without You) was more than a video, here Janet came into her own.  Continue reading

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12/29/21 O&A NYC WITH WaleStylez DANCE PARTY: Storyboard P- Chalk Walk

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By Adewale Adekanbi Jr.


Bessie Award winning performer and choreographer Storyboard P performs Chalk Walk; his interpretation of a cocaine binge. Continue reading

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12/24/21 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Ailey’s 2021 Opening Night Gala

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As special holiday gift from the Ailey company to you, watch the Opening Night Gala now through Dec 28. The performance honors you, our audience, our inspiration. Happy Holidays! Featuring: Robert Battle’s ‘Ella’(performed to live music by Jazzmeia Horne) and the finale of Love Stories,’ plus Bird’ Lives!, an excerpt from Alvin Ailey’s For Bird’ – With Love featuring Company member Clifton Brown with students from The Ailey School, and Mr. Ailey’s beloved Revelations. Continue reading

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12/21/21 O&A NYC MILESTONES: Happy Birthday George Faison

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By Walter Rutledge

There is only one George Faison! Dancer, choreographer, teacher, director, playwright, social activist, entrepreneur and friend. George has been one of my inspirations and artistic standard bearers for most of my career. In 2017 the Ailey American Dance Theater presented an excerpt of Suite Otis, his iconic tribute to Otis Redding. Faison sat down to talk about this masterwork,  experiences in the Ailey Company and his arts aesthetic. Happy Birthday George.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will present an excerpt of George Faison’s masterwork Suite Otis at their New York City Center season opening night gala, Wednesday, November 29 2017. Choreographed in 1971 for the George Faison Universal Dance Experience the work joined the Ailey repertoire in 1977. 40 years after it’s Ailey debut Suite Otis continues to excite and entertain audiences with verve, aplomb, fleet footed technique and imaginative Euclidean storytelling.

The company will perform the finale section set to Otis Redding’s Tenderness. The full cast section reintroduces the dancers creating a visually exciting yet compelling epilog. Throughout the work Faison (the imperial storyteller) does what every choreographer should do- invites us into his vision and delivers with clarity, focus and impeccable choreographic timing.

Balletomanes still long for the return of old fashion honest storytelling- the hallmark of Ailey’s original company. In Suite Otis Faison’s articulate use of the dance narrative genre captures the majesty and universal humanity of both Otis Redding’s music and the black dance experience. This gave him a voice in an era when Black American dance and culture had started to becoming a global  force.

Suite Otis- George Faison

What Faison did (and continues to do) is to keep the dance/theatre aesthetic in the forefront of the arts conversation. Tenderness will be performed for one performance only on Wednesday, November 29 for tickets and a complete schedule of the five-week New York City season visit ailey.org.

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11/30/21 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Harlem On Parade (1944)| Louis Armstrong and Dorothy Dandridge

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Harlem On Parade is a musical number from the 1944 American musical romance film Atlantic City. The supporting cast features Louis Armstrong, Buck & Bubbles and Dorothy Dandridge who recreated Vaudeville acts. The film was reissued in 1950 under the title Atlantic City Honeymoon. Continue reading