By Walter Rutledge Porgy and Bess triumphantly returned to Broadway on last night; Thursday, January 12, 2012 at the Richard Rogers Theatre with a new streamlined musical version of the beloved American folk opera. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are…

By Walter Rutledge The holidays may be over but there are enough arts events this weekend to chase away the post holiday blues. Here are a few of the exciting and varied cultural happenings this weekend. As you will see two of the “uptown” events are free to the public. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up…

The month of December “tis the season to see dance”. This weekend is an excellent opportunity to see dance both uptown and downtown. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your…

By Walter Rutledge This weekend the New York City Ballet production of the holiday classic The Nutcracker Live From Lincoln Center appeared on public television. The George Balanchine version was brilliantly danced, and the spectacle was complete with a flying sleigh and colorful sets and costumes. The only color missing from the entire production was…

By Walter Rutledge After an extended weekend of Thanksgiving dinners and robust shopping this week promises to be an eventful prelude to the holiday season. Dance, Opera and Theater abound throughout the city with many outstanding productions taking place in Harlem. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this…

By Walter Rutledge The Bearden Project In honor of the centennial celebration of Romare Bearden‘s birth, the Studio Museum in Harlem is inviting one hundred artists to create new works of art inspired, influenced, or informed by the life, work, and legacy of one of the most important artists of the twentieth Century. Become a…

By Walter Rutledge Lillias White at Aaron Davis Hall Broadway star and Tony Award-winning singer and actress Lillias White will perform in concert, for the first time, at Aaron Davis Hall 7 p.m. Friday, November 4. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form,…

Duke Ellington When his drummer Sonny Greer was invited to join the Wilber Sweatman Orchestra in New York City, Ellington made the fateful decision to leave behind his successful career in Washington, D.C., and move to Harlem, becoming one of the figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant…

The July 7th ArtCrawl Harlem fund raising performance of an excerpt from On The Block was a very special and rewarding evening. The excerpt entitled Intimate Strangers was the first sections choreographed for what would evolve into an eighty-minute one-act production. When Artistic Director Sheila Rohan and I embarked on the production for the Nanette…

By Walter Rutledge The Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theatre will perform an excerpt of its full-length story ballet On The Block, on Thursday July 7, at 7pm in the Oberia Dempsey Center located at 127 West 127 Street in Harlem. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field…

By Walter Rutledge Three Black Kings was the last dance and music collaboration between choreographer Alvin Ailey and composer/musician Duke Ellington. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to…

By Walter Rutledge Creativity is the original magic. At first it was the way to explain the unknown, but soon evolved into a social necessity enriching the mundane and sublunary.Republics have come and gone, dynasties dissolved, but the greatness of these civilizations remains in the art they have left behind. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up…

By Walter Rutledge The curtain rises, the music begins and the lighting illuminates the space directly in front of us. Within seconds movement begins to soothe the rush of anticipation. Be it a group, duet or solo the number of people is not important; there in the dark the human form carves away the negative…