10/25/24 SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Paula Abdul – Straight Up

Straight Up by dancer and choreographer Paula Abdul from her debut studio album, Forever Your Girl (1988). Straight Up became Abdul’s first top-40 hit in the United States, eventually topping the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1989. Continue reading

10/3/24 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: BalletX at the Joyce

By Walter Rutledge

BalletX returned to the Joyce Theater September 25 thru September 29 for a second consecutive New York City season. The Philadelphia based contemporary ballet company offered an aesthetically satisfying concert highlighted by technically proficient performers and focused direction. The company presented a diverse program consisting of three ballets by choreographers Jodie Gates, Loughlan Prior and Takehiro Ueyama. Continue reading

9/27/24 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY:   Cristian Cerezo and Wilson Munoz – Temo at Lisbon Tango Festival 2023


Cristian Cerezo and Wilson Munoz dance “Temo” by Orquesta Típica Victor, sung by Mario Pomar, at the 19th Lisbon Tango Festival 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. Continue reading

  9/6/24 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Alicia Graf/Donald Williams in Robert Garland’s Return

Robert Garland made the leap from principal dancer to emerging choreography with his 1979 company debut Return. Garland described the work as “post-modern urban neoclassicism – an attempt to fuse an urban physical sensibility and a neoclassical one.” Continue reading

9/4/24 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Madame Re-Res Dance Scene- School Daze

The iconic salon dance fight sequence choreographed by Otis Sallid from Spike Lee‘s 1988 musical comedy School Daze. Continue reading

8/28/24 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Suite Otis -Cosby Celebrates Ailey

Cosby Celebrates Ailey was a the 1989 Television Special that showcased the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The show was recorded December 12, 1988 but not broadcast until over a year later. When the show finally aired it was as a tribute to Alvin Ailey who had died December 1, 1989. Continue reading

8/23/24 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Happy Birthday Dudley Williams

By Walter Rutledge

Alvin Ailey dancer emeritus Dudley Williams would have celebrated his 85 birthday on August 18th. And although time is a very fickle and forgetful mistress Dudley remains of one the stars of the “Golden Age” of the Ailey company. His name is synonymous with dancers and choreographers such as Talley Beatty, John Butler, Louis Falco, George Faison, Miguel Godreau, Judith Jamison, Linda Kent, Kelvin Retardier,|Clive Thompson, Sara Yarborough, Estelle Spurlock and Donna Wood to name a few.

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8/16/24 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Unite- The Future Faces of Ballet

By Walter Rutledge

Unite, the Joyce Ballet Festival’s opening night performance was an eye-opening reveal of the face (or faces) of the future of ballet. The six-day, festival offers eight performances from Tuesday August 13 through Sunday August 18. Unite is an enlightening example of the growing and long overdue multicultural diversity and inclusiveness the artform so rightfully deserves. Continue reading

8/9/24 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Calvin Royal III and João Menegussi Perform Touche at Unite- Joyce Ballet Festival

UNITE the Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival, August 13 through August 18, is curated and co-produced by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Calvin Royal III. One of the works to be presented, Touché, is a duet that explores the themes of male love.  Created by Chris Rudd the ballet features Royal III (Adam) and ABT Corps de ballet member João Menegussi (Steve). Continue reading

6/15/24 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: DanceAfrica 47

By Walter Rutledge

Memorial Day weekend maybe the unofficial start of summer, but in the Fort Green section of Brooklyn that weekend was the official start of DanceAfrica 47! The four-day festival celebrates the diverse cultures of Africa and their diasporic descendants. The area surrounding the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music was transformed into the DanceAfrica Bazaar- a global marketplace. The bazaar features over one hundred and fifty vendors from around the world, offering African, Caribbean, and African American food, crafts, and fashion. Continue reading