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

2/3/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Cry Me a River- Choreography By Andrew Winghart


Cry Me a River: A man writes off his ex lover by manifesting a ‘river’ of female dancers to act as an extension his indifference toward her. Featuring the music of Justin Timberlake, directed and choreographed by Andrew Winghart. 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

1/20/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Flying Steps mit Red Bull Flying Bach HD [Flying Bach]

Red Bull Flying Bach turns the international classical music world upside down. World champion b-boy crew Flying Steps visualises and revives Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier in a creative performance that combines classical music and urban culture. Continue reading

4/22/21 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: The Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge- Chattanooga Choo Choo (1941)

The Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge dance in Chattanooga Choo Choo from the 1941 Sun Valley Serenade. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996. Continue reading

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


michael-jacksons-origins-of-the-moonwalk

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

12/30/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Love N’ Dance- Flamenco

Shall We Dance
soundtrack-love-and-dance-233526-1

Love N’ Dancing (2009) is a film about a couple who take part in a competition in the world of swing dancing. The film was directed by Robert Iscove, and stars Amy Smart, Tom Malloy, and Billy Zane. Emmy Award-winning Jeff Bihlman, and scot Little Bihlman contributed 7 original songs to complete the ‘Love N’ Dancing’ soundtrack.  Continue reading

(REPOST) 12/16/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Judith Jamison, Kevin Rotardier, and George Faison perform Revelations at the Hollywood Palace (1968)

Shall We Dance2009-02-27-judithjamisoninalvinaileysrevelationsphotobyaileyarchives

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 and Kelvin Rotardier.  Continue reading

12/9/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: The Nutcracker Ballet- Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland (1977)

Shall We Dance

nutcracker-baryshnikov

During the 1977 Christmas season, CBS brought Mikhail Baryshnikov’s highly acclaimed American Ballet Theatre production of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet The Nutcracker to television. The production has remains the most popular and most often shown television production of the work in the U.S.  Mikhail Baryshnikov performed the title role, with Gelsey Kirkland as Clara.
Continue reading

12/2/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: A Conversation With Solomon Dumas

Shall We Dance
aaadt_solomon-dumas

Solomon Dumas is living his dream. As one of the newest members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT), Dumas is making his New York City Center debut during the 2016 Ailey season November 30 through December 31. Dumas was bitten by the dance bug at age 12 after attending AileyCamp Chicago. Continue reading