Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH, clinical hypnotherapist, naturopath and resilience expert, interviews dance legend Carole Johnson. Carole Johnson is a legend in the Australian Contemporary Dance history. The African-American Juilliard graduate is the founding director of the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Council (NAISDA) Dance College and founder of the world-famous Bangarra Dance Theatre. In this interview with Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH, Carole Johnson, a choreographer, dancer and dance administrator, takes us on a journey from her beginnings in the 1950s where black dancers were not allowed to attend white ballet schools, through to her groundbreaking work in black dance history. Carole was inducted into the Australian Dance Awards Hall of Fame in 1999 and in 2003 was awarded the Australian Government Centenary medal in recognition of the contribution she has made to the Australian Indigenous community. |
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Carmen deLavallade Baryshnikov Arts Center February 19-25 This intimate portrait of dance icon and actress Carmen de Lavallade spans an unparalleled six-decade career working with luminaries Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Josephine Baker, Alvin Ailey, and many others. In the N.Y. Premiere of Ms. de Lavallade’s solo performance, poignant movement, film, and storytelling weave an unforgettable memoir about her venerable life on stage. See my interview with Carmen de Lavallade for BAC Stories and AmNews Panel: “U.S.-Cuba Policy: The Artist Perspective” New York City Center February 18 Arts professionals will discuss how evolving relations between the United States and Cuba will affect the arts and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The panel includes Eduardo Vilaro, artistic director of Ballet Hispanico; Rachel Weingeist, an independent curator who has engaged with the visual arts community in Cuba; and Pedro Ruiz, the recently appointed associate artistic direction of Endedans – The Contemporary Ballet of Camagūey. The conversation will be moderated by Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas, a leader in Cuban arts advocacy and a program director at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Find out more here New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) New York Live Arts February 18-21 As part of the series Legends & Visionaries 2015, NYTB will premiere works by Nicolo Fonte, Pam Tanowitz, a revival of Merce Cunningham's trio Cross Currents, staged by Jennifer Goggans, and Keith Michael's The Alice-In-Wonderland Follies. Find out more here A BAILAR: DANCE AT THE CENTER New York City Center February 18-22 City Center's A Bailar: Dance at the Center Festival - A Three-Week Festival of Latin Dance will feature Cuban dance company Ballet Rakatan in its U.S. debut with Havana Rakatan. A series of events including the panel discussion (see February 18), lessons in Mambo, Salsa and other dance styles plus Cuban Drumming will be offered. Find out more here HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN? Roulette February 19 For one-night-only, Wendell Cooper and a selection of artist will present HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN?: Good Stock on the Dimension Floor: An Opera Screening & Performance "A multipart film that reimagines the traditional opera to pose a central question: “What happens to the black body when it is haunted by a ‘blackness’ outside of it?”. Find out more here Will Rawls with Kaitlyn Gilliland Danspace Project February 19-21 Curated by Claudia LaRocco as part of Danspace Project's Platform 2015: Dancers, Buildings and People in the Streets, Gilliland (formerly of New York City Ballet) and Rawls will present material based on LaRocco's prompt to have an exchange. Find out more here FJK Dance The Graduate Center at CUNY February 20 In an attempt to foster understanding and positive relationships though dance, the Consulate General of Lebanon in New York and the Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center will present FJK Dance in A Fusion of Culture and Dance. ADMISSION FREE. Find out more here Adam Barruch 92nd Street Y February 20-22 Barruch kicks off the 92nd Street Y’s Harkness Dance Festival with the New York City premiere of Belladonna, "...his haunting re-interpretation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” with longtime collaborator Chelsea Bonosky (Sleep No More)." Find out more here Symposium: Dance/NYC Gibney Dance Center February 22 Dance/NYC will host its sixth annual 2015 Symposium where they will "…rise together…and dive deep into questions of cultural equity, resilience, technology and private sector practices.” Find out more here Panel: Open Spectrum Critical Dialogues New York Live Arts February 22 NYLA’s newest conversational series that “…engages participants in active listening, constructive discourse and action planning,” begins now and will continue for three months. All sessions will be moderated by Piper Anderson. Find out more here Steps Beyond Foundation and REVERBDANCE Steps Studio Theater February 22 Steps Beyond Foundation and REVERBdance will join forces to present a new program on its Performance Lab Series “…continuing its mission to encourage and provide performance opportunities to both emerging and established choreographers.” Find out more here Digital Dance Festival New York Live Arts February 23-28 NYLA’s Digital Dance Festival will feature niv Acosta; the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Elena Demyanenko and Dai Jian. Performances are viewed online and tickets are pay what you wish. Find out more here Robert Mark Burke Named “Dance on the Lawn’s (DOTL) 2015 Emerging Commissioned New Jersey Choreographer" DOTL's first recipient, Robert Mark Burke will create a New Work for final presentation at "Dance on the Lawn (DOTL) 2015" Robert will present a “work-in-progress” on Saturday, May 9, 2015 @ St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s Assembly Hall, and the final work during “Dance on the Lawn” 2015, Saturday, September 12, 2015 @ on the lawn of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. See more here DOTL Panelists: Randy James (10 Hairy Legs) Paul McRae (New Jersey Ballet) Donna Scro (Freespace Dance) Marlies Yearby (Director/choreographer) MAKE THIS SUMMER YOUR
BEST SUMMER EVER! Make your summer matter. The Yard's 2015 Internship program is the best way to make your summer an active, purposeful and successful time of your life. This is the perfect opportunity for current undergrads or recent graduates. Learn new skills that relate to your specific interests, and diversify your talents by being a part of The Yard's creative team! We are accepting applications for Development, Community Programs & Education, Media & Communications, Artist Services and Technical Production. Application deadline is Sunday, February 15th at 11:59PM! Internships run May 18th - September 26th. Apply Now >>> NJPAC celebrates dance in a big way by presenting special programs close to home. Join us for enlightening conversations, master classes and other events to inspire your inner Nijinsky!
A Celebration of the Year of the Sheep with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Thursday, February 19 at 4:30pm City Hall - 920 Broad Street, Newark, NJ Admission is Free Click HERE to RSVP! Celebrating the Choreography of Lula Washington Tuesday, February 24 at 6pm Umoja Dance Studio - 2120 Springfield Avenue, Vauxhall, NJ Lula Washington Dance Theatre presents a workshop on the company’s style and technique in advance of its performance at NJPAC February 26 Admission is free. In collaboration with the Rutgers-Newark Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience Click HERE to RSVP! Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company Master Classes Sunday, March 8 Drew University, Simon Forum & Athletic Center - 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ Consecutive classes for dancers precede the March 13 appearance of the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company/Jersey Moves! Festival of Dance at NJPAC. Admission is free. Intermediate • 10am - 11:30am, ages 13-16 Advanced • 11:30am - 1pm, ages 15-18 To register, email: communityengagement@njpac.org. Hosted by the NJ Dance Theatre Ensemble at Drew University Click HERE to RSVP! Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Master Class Saturday, April 18 from 10am – 12pm NJPAC - One Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102 The Rev. Eyesha Marable, Founding Director of the National Liturgical Dance Network, along with a representative from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and other special guests, will present the following dance workshops: Ailey Advanced Class Adult Modern Class Children’s West African Class Young Children: Movement That Matters Seniors with Billows and Flags Limited Movement for Adults Male Class Parents with Pageantry Admission is free. Click HERE to RSVP! Uptown Dance Academy kicks off its 20th Anniversary with its History of Black Dance Presentation Honoring the Associate Director Emeritus Hanan Hameen, MSEDL Featuring current & alumni dancing her greatest works Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 and Saturday, Feb. 28th : Weds., 10:00 am and 11:45 am Special 1 hour performances Sat., 7:00pm - 2 hour evening performance Buy Your Tickets Today! We are back! and better than ever... Greetings Cultural Community at Large: Our New Issue Vol.26 No.2 is out on the website! Order it NOW! Help us to continue... Become avid readers... Subscribe or purchase single issues... Add your voice and insights... Lest One Forgets: Our Circle is Unbroken... Always remember our recent and previous deaths... They are all new ancestors In Memoriam… Yacub Addy, Joan Benesh, Beverly Blossom, Oscar De La Renta, Valerie Gladstone, Mary Hinkson, Geoffrey Lamont Holder, Kevin Hunt, Margaret O'Sullivan, Teena Potter, Carlos Revollar, Joe Sample, Myrna White and all other unsung and under appreciated.... (help us to know them... share their names and input) Bernadine Jennings; Editor in Chief JOIN US FOR THE THE WASSAIC WINTER BENEFIT Thursday, February 12, 6 - 9pm The Invisible Dog 51 Bergen St, Brooklyn NY Come party with us in Brooklyn at the Invisible Dog and support our 2015 programming! CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS! The event will include: - A Tombola Raffle with over 100 prizes including art, luxury items, and cultural experiences. Where every ticket is a winner! - Performance by Paul Outlaw and Jen Catron - Mesmerizing decorations by Wassaic artist Carmen Osterlye - Artist-made Photobooth by Gabrielle Roth - Food cater by Ben Gilberg and beer from Brooklyn Brewery RSVP on Facebook! Dancers can, and in some cases, take all the attention from a work because of their raw talent. For NDT2 at the Joyce Theater (February 3-8), this was the case. Johan Inger's I New Then (2012) opened the evening with a bang. Layered with characters and dancer-specific movements, tiny steps to get around the stage or mirrored partnering making two look like one, for example, time after time, each dancer entered exuding ownership. In a far corner, cordoned off by floor to ceiling poles in a semi-circle, Benjamin Behrends and Imre van Opstal invite us voyeurs into their sensual strip-tease that goes no further than their underwear. Later everyone returns, forms a circle, and again we get to see each dancer at their best, with solos that come and go, in and out of the circle balanced by equal amounts of energy. For Paul Lightfoot (artistic director) and Sol León’s (artistic advisor/house choreographer) Shutters Shut danced beautifully by van Opstal and Spencer Dickhaus, the curtain opens just half way from bottom to top for an intimate view. Against Gertrude Stein’s recitation of her poem “If I told him,” slowly van Opstal and Dickhaus cross along the front of stage curiously morphing from one quirky gesture to another. Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s androgynous Sara brought a different look to the evening, but didn't capitalize on the dancer's ability to craft movement, nor did the flashy León and Lightfoot work, Subject To Change. The individual dancing was what carried the evening. |
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AuthorI am a performer, historian, consultant and dance writer. I am a Empire State College's online program Center for Distance Learning. I am also a former faculty member at The Ailey School and the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University dance major program, Hunter College, Sarah Lawrence College (Guest), Kean University and The Joffrey Ballet School's Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program. I write on dance for The Amsterdam News, Dance Magazine and various publications. Click below to read more about me at my home page - "About Me." |