2/10/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Mourner’s Bench- Talley Beatty Choreographer

mourn2

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.”

Continue reading

1/30/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Breakdance (1984)

Breakin’, released as Breakdance: the Movie or Break Street ’84 in some countries, is a  breakdancing-themed comedy-drama film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBevoise based on a story by Parker, DeBevoise, and Gerald Scaife. Continue reading

1/27/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene – Featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun

Shall We Dancemedia.media.07848603-4f42-47e9-92f2-82d645b71c20.normalized

Balcony scene from John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun with music by Sergei Prokofiev. Continue reading

1/19/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Act V (Finale) Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks- Mourning Place

Martin Act V Mourning Place

The final act takes place after the death of Dr. King . John Jones (Dr Martin Luther King) Sheila Rohan (Rosa Parks) and James E. Murphy (Assassin). Continue reading

1/18/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks ( Act IV The Assassin)

Martin Act IV Assassination

The Fourth Act of Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks starring John Jones as Dr. King, Sheila Rohan as Rosa Park and James E. Murphy as the Assassin.

Continue reading

1/16/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Martin: A Ballet by Gordon Parks Act II March On Selma

Martin (Act 2) March On Selma (2)

Act II from Martin:A ballet by Gordon Parks depicts the violent encounter with police during the march on Selma. Continue reading

1/15/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Martin- A Ballet By John Parks (Act 1)

Martin Act 1 SHEILA ROHAN

Martin: A Ballet by Gordon Parks Act 1 Introduces John Jones as Martin Luther King, Sheila Rohan as Rosa Parks and James E Murphy as the Assassin. Continue reading

1/14/18 HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks (Prelude)

Hollywood-Mondayshqdefault

Martin: a ballet by Gordon Parks, an original five-movement ballet chronicling the struggles of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Filmed in 1990 the work stars John Jones as Dr. King and Sheila Rohan as Rosa Parks, featuring choreography by Real Lamb. “Martin” (PBS, 1990),  about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. Parks served as executive producer, director, composer, keyboardist and documentary photographer for this boldly ambitious project. Continue reading

1/7/17 O&A NYC GOING BACK TO AFRICA WITH WaleStylez: Township Got Talent- Dancing Pantsula In Johannesburg, South Africa

Pantsula is a highly energetic dance form that originated in the black townships of South Africa during the Apartheid era. It developed into a form of social commentary for black South Africans and has undergone several transformations with the country’s changing political tides. Continue reading