Walter’s World: Weekend Picks Dance, Art, Jazz, and Film

By Walter Rutledge

There is a wide array of activities and cultural events taking place throughout the city this weekend. You can see free dance concerts on parks in Brooklyn and Harlem. Take a short trip to Newark to experience jazz and fine art. Or see a cutting end indie film uptown at a converted firehouse. Here are some of the many events happening in our community and across the city.

Dance Theatre of Harlem continues it’s free studio showing of dance works in progress entitled Thursdays@DTH; Thursday, June 7 at 6:30pm. Choreographer John Alleyne and his collaborators, playwright, poet, actor, Daniel Beaty and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain return to Dance Theatre of Harlem to expand and develop the soon to be premiered ballet Far But Close. The evening consists of a glimpse into the rehearsal/ creative process, a performance of the work followed by a moderated question and answer session with the choreographer and dancers. A meet the artist reception follows the showing. Dance Theatre of Harlem is located at 466 West 152^nd Street reservations are suggested by calling 212 690 2800 seating is first come first served.

If you miss the Thursday studio showing you can see the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble on Friday June 8 at 6pm. The company will be performing at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park located at 124 Street and Fifth Avenue.  This performance is free to the public.

The Newark Museum presents A Jazz Tribute To Romare Bearden with pianist Geri Allen on Thursday June 7 from 7 to 8pm. 
The evening will consist of a solo piano journey of classic, original and improvised music inspired by the life and work of Romare Bearden. There will be a reception and gallery tour immediately following the concert, which will include exhibition viewing of Romare Bearden: Southern Recollections.

Tickets are $15 for Newark Musuem members and $25 for Non-members. To purchase tickets by telephone call 973 596 6613, or you call order online at www.newarkmusuem.org. The Newark Museum is located at 49 Washington Street in downtown Newark.

The Skinny begins an open-ended New York City run on Friday, June 8th at the Faison Firehouse Theater, as the featured film of the Firehouse’s First Annual Pride Cultural Series. The Skinny tells the story of four young, black, gay men (Magnus, Sebastian, Kyle, Joey) and their lesbian best friend (Langston). The friends meet up in New York City one year after their graduation from Brown University. Their plans for a weekend of fun start off well, but old tensions quickly resurface.

Filmmaker Polk addresses issues in The Skinny that face the LGBT community such as date rape, infidelity, and HIV/AIDS awareness. The film stars a talent young cast of performers including former child actor Jussie Smollett  (Mighty Ducks and North), Blake Young-Fountain, Anthony Burrell, Shanika Warren-Markland and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman. The supporting cast includes alumnus of Polk’s past features such as Darryl Stephens (“Noah’s Arc”), Jennia Fredrique (“Noah’s Arc”), Wilson Cruz (“Noah’s Arc”) and Seth Gilliam (“Punks”, “The Wire”, “Oz”, “Teen Wolf”). The cast also includes newcomers Dustin Ross and internet sensation B. Scott. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at  Skinnythemovie.com or Smarttix.com

Whitney Hunter[medium] will make its New York City premiere on Friday June 8 at 8pm at Herbert Von King Park, Brooklyn, N.Y. The company will present an original work for 6 men entitled, SITE. SITE is a work of action and process, and an investigation into the ritualistic bonding of 6 men, set to a entrancing score of collected sounds from field recordings, Orisha music, contemporary blues and hip hop, and original text from photographer / visual artist Myron Christian Macauley’s book, Modern Man in Search of Soul. SITE is a free event presented by City Parks Foundation/ SummerStage.

Germaul Barnes/ Viewsic Expressions Dance (GB/VED) will perform at City Parks Foundation/Summer Stage in Herbert Von King Park, in Brooklyn on Saturday June 9th at 7pm. In addition to works from the companies repertory GB/VED will present the New York preview performance of Black Buddha-chapter 1. The work, choreographed by company artistic director and Bessie Award winner Germaul Barnes, is a story about a young African American males journey in search for enlightenment. The company consists of seven dancers: Erin Jennings, Leslie Ann Kilpatrick, Juliana Luna, Renee Settle, Brandon Washington, Patrick Boursiquot and Germaul Barnes. The performance is free to the public.

The Gotham Dance Festival concludes this weekend at The Joyce Theater, located at 175 Eighth Avenue. The two-week festival will present five programs that feature the work of more than ten choreographers. The festival runs thru Sunday June 10. Tickets are $10-$39 and are available at 212-242-0800 or joyce.org.

The remaining festival schedule is: Thursday June 7 at 8^pm Bodytraffic brings to The Joyce a trio of works by distinctive global choreographers.  Barak Marshall, who tracks between Israel and the West Coast, provides a world premiere, as does The Bakery’s Richard Siegal, right out of Paris and London. Belgian choreographer Stijn Celis’s eerie outing, Fragile Dwellings, inspired by homelessness and delivered within artist Erwin Redl’s incandescent light installation, rounds out the evening.

Friday June 8 at 8pm, Saturday June 9 at 8pm Sunday June 10at 2pm Gallim Dance is a high-voltage, New York-based company of rising choreographer Andrea Miller, is returning to The Joyce after its sold-out run in August 2010.  Miller, an alumnus of Ohad Naharin’s Ensemble Batsheva, has been creating an award-winning body of exuberant and captivating work since founding Gallim Dance in 2007. Miller now presents her newest creation, a world premiere that explores the boundaries between art and the artist.

As always thank you for letting me share my world with you.

In Photo and images: 1)  Stephanie Williams and Jehbreal Jackson 2) DaVon Doane and company 3) Geri Allen  4) Romare Bearden, Mecklenburg Autumn: October (1983) 5)  Shanika Warren-Markland,Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Jussie Smollett, Anthony Burrell, Blake Young-Fountain 6)Whitney Hunter 7) Germaul Barnes 8) Hai Cohen and Lillian Barbeito

Photo Credit: 1) Judy Tyrus 2) Rachel Neville 6) ©Whitney Hunter[medium]  8) Grant Barbeito