8/19/17 O7A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: Mourner’s Bench- Talley Beatty Choreographer

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Talley 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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7/14/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Legendary Tap Dancers Honor Sammy Davis, Jr. at Kennedy Center Honors (1987)

Legendary tap dancer Sammy Davis, Jr. received a special performance at Kennedy Center Honors (1987) by his legendary tap dance peers The Nicholas Brothers (Harold & Fayard),  Chuck Green, Jimmy Slyde, and ‘Sandman’ Sims.

LEGENDARY TAP DANCERS HONOR SAMMY DAVIS, JR. AT KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

7/4/17 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Stars And Stripes- George Balanchine (New York City Ballet)

George Balanchine created Stars And Stripes  in 1958 to the marching band music of John Philip Sousa. The ballet evokes Fourth of July parades and it’s is one of several of Balanchine salutes to his adoptive country. Continue reading

(REPOST) 1/20/23 O&A NYC FROM THE VAULT: Ronald K. Brown and Evidence 30 Years In The Making (2017)

By Walter Rutledge

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Ronald K. Brown and Evidence, A Dance Company will celebrate the 30 anniversary of the company February 24 through March 1, 2015 at the Joyce Theater. Brown realized his gift as a choreographer and his desire to express him by making dances at the  beginning of his dance career. At age 19, when most dance artists are concentrating on performing, Brown formed Evidence. Continue reading

5/29/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: She’s A Maniac- Flashdance

Maniac, from the 1983 film Flashdance appears during an early scene in Flashdance and is used as the backing track of a montage sequence showing Alex (Jennifer Beals) training strenuously in her converted warehouse. Continue reading

5/23/17 O&A NYC DANCE: Rudolph Nureyev and Denise Jackson- Spectre de la Rose

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Le Spectre de la rose (English: The Spirit of the Rose) about a young girl who dreams of dancing with the spirit of a souvenir rose from her first ball.  Continue reading

5/22/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Fame (1980)- Irene Cara

Fame (1980) follows a group of students from their auditions to their freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years at New York City’s High School of Performing Arts. The movie directed by Alan Parker and written by Christopher Gore addresses many social taboos including teen pregnancy, abortion, homosexuality and illiteracy.  Continue reading

4/29/17 O&A NYC GOING BACK TO AFRICA WITH WaleStyle: Dance Hall-The A-Z Of African Dance


The Dance Hall, an urban dance center in Senegal, put together a definitive a-z list of African dance moves. It includes everything from Azonto to Zoropoto.
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4/2/17 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: Excerpts from Alvin Ailey’s Revelations

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Revelations tells the story of African-American faith and tenacity from slavery to freedom. This enduring classic is a tribute to that tradition, born out of the choreographer Alvin Ailey’s “blood memories” of his childhood in rural Texas and the Baptist Church. Continue reading

3/24/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY (CORRECTED): A Conversation With Michael Trusnovec- Paul Taylor American Modern Dance

Michael Trusnovec embodies the Paul Taylor male esthetic. O&A NYC sat down with Trusnovec to discuss his 22 year association with the Taylor Company.    Continue reading