1/6/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Origins of the Moonwalk


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Michael Jackson is credited with introducing the Moonwalk at the Motown 25 television special. Here is a brief history of the origins of the 80’s dance craze.  Continue reading

12/25/16 O&A NYC 12 DAY OF NUTCRACKER: Mariinsky Theatre

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Nutcracker filmed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, December 2012. Valery Gergiev conductor, Vasily Vainonen choreography with Alina Somova, Vladimir Shklyarov and Alexandra Korshunova.   Continue reading

11/28/17 O&A NYC DANCE- ITS TIME FOR THE NUTCRACKER: Waltz of the Snowflakes- Bolshoi Ballet

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From Act One “The Waltz of the Snowflakes” recorded at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1989. Natalya Arkhipova as Clara, Irek Mukhamedov as Nutcracker Prince and Yuri Vetrov as Drosselmeyer. Members of Ballet and Orchestra of Bolshoi Theatre. Aleksandr Kopilov, Conductor. Continue reading

12/16/16 12 DAYS OF NUTCRACKER: Gran Pas De Deux- Rudolf Nureyev and Merle Park- (1963)

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Rudolf Nureyev and Merle Park performs Gran Pas De Deux in the Royal Ballet’s 1963 Nutcracker production.   Continue reading

11/25/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Revelations Excerpts- Hollywood Palace (1968)

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The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performed two excerpts from his masterwork Revelations on the weekly television variety show The Hollywood Palace (1968). The episode hosted by Diahann Carroll helped give the then fledgling dance company national attention. The cast included Judith Jamison, George Faison, Kelvin Rotardier, and Dudley Williams.  Continue reading

11/4/16 O&A NYC DANCE: Alex Smith Jr. Honored At Bessies

By Walter Rutledge

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In life there are no detours, it is always the course appointed. Despite all of our plans and dreams we can count on the universe to add some unexpected twists and turns. Thelma Hill Preforming Arts Center’s Executive Chairman Alex Smith Jr. knows this all to well. In 1995 Smith become the guiding force of the organization by proxy, now twenty-one years later he was honored with a Service to the Field Award at the 29th New York Dance and Performance Awards- The Bessies. Continue reading

10/26/16 O&A NYC DANCE ENCORE PERFORMANCE: Banda (excerpt) Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade (Repost From 10/3/14)

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Geoffrey Holder’s Banda dance debuted in the 1954 Truman Capote/Harold Arlen musical House Of Flowers. Holder the Baron of The Cemetery (based on the Haitian Loa of Death Baron Samedi) and received both a performer and choreographer credit in the program. The Broadway musical takes place somewhere in the West Indies during Mardi Gras weekend. Continue reading

10/25/16 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Sylvie Guillem- Mademoiselle Non (1993)

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Sylvie Guillem joined the corps de ballet of the Paris Opera at age fifteen. A dance superstar whose breathtaking technique ranks her beside the likes of Nureyev and Baryshnikov the program centers on film of Guillem rehearsing and performing a range of pieces, both contemporary and classical, which display her astonishing virtuosity. Continue reading

8/12/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Natalia Makarova- Dying Swan

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“Her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her as the finest ballerina of her generation in the West”- The History of Dance. Continue reading

3/28/20 (REPOST) O&A NYC SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Agon – With Additional Footage Featuring Diana Adams and Arthur Mitchell

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Agon (1957) is a ballet for twelve dancers, with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by George Balanchine. The cast includes:First Pas de Trios Peter Boal, Zippora Karz, Kathleen Tracey Second de TriosAlbert Evans, Arch Higgins, Wendy Whelan Pas de DuetDarcey Bussell, Lindsay Fischer.                                                                                            

And an excerpt from the Pas de Duet featuring Diana Adams and Arthur Mitchell

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