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

By Walter Rutledge

This weekend we honor the men in our lives. Father’s day can be more than a necktie with a variety of arts event taking place throughout our community and region. There is dance in Brooklyn, Fine art in Newark and Jazz uptown in Harlem. These are just a few of the many events happening around town.

 The Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center will present their annual choreographers showcase entitled Souls of Our Feet, People Of Color Dance Festival at the Kumble Theater Souls of Our Feet, People Of Color Dance Festival  located on the downtown Brooklyn campus of Long Island University. The three-day event will take on Sunday June 17 at 7pm, Tuesday June 19 and Wednesday June 20 at 7:30pm. The showcase will highlight the work of eight new, emerging and established choreographers and dance companies.

The artists/companies to be presented are: June 17: Danse4Nia, Sidra Bell Dance, George Faison. June 19 Sons of Brooklyn: Germaul Barnes/Viewsic Expressions Dance, Jamal Jackson, and Malcolm Low. June 20: DANCE IQUAIL, Francesca Harper Project, George Faison

Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for students and seniors there is a special advanced ticket price of only $10 when purchased by June 17. Ticket can be purchased at the Kumble Theater box office, located on Flatbush Avenue between DeKalb Avenue and Willoughby Street, (718) 488-1624 or at www.kumbletheater.org. There will be a special Father’s Day Discount of $10 for all men attending the Sunday June 17 performance.

On June 17 The Studio Museum in Harlem will celebrate the Eleventh Annual Juneteenth Celebration! Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, honors African-American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865. There will be face painting, art workshops, free giveaways and a musical journey. The celebration will take place from 12:00 PM – 4:00pm.

In celebration of freedom and Black culture, the Studio Museum will also offer a tour of the new exhibition, which is an interactive and informative tour entitled Caribbean: Crossroads of the World led by a knowledgeable Museum educator. The family friendly tour will take place on Sunday at 1pm. The exhibition is the culmination of nearly a decade of collaborative research and scholarship organized by El Museo del Barrio in conjunction with the Queens Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Caribbean: Crossroads offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore the diverse and impactful cultural history of the Caribbean basin and its diaspora. Both events are part of the Target Free Sunday series and are free to the public.

The New York Public Library Harlem Branch, located at 9 West 124 at 5^th Avenue, presents Visual Arts and Jazz Day on Friday June 15 from 11am to 4pm. This free event is open to all ages. The day will include interactive art, music, and open microphone performances. Snacks will be provided. Special guests include author Timothy D. Bellavia and jazz pianist Emmie Kemp. For more information   call 212 348 5620 or email blackgwendolyn@hotmail.com.

The Newark Musuem will present Romare Bearden: Southern Recollections now through August 19. The exhibition features approximately 80 works of art that span the career of this internationally renowned artist. The exhibition underscores not only Bearden’s artistic mastery, particularly in the technique of collage, but also his development of narrative and thematic explorations of his native South. Collages, paintings, and works on paper will be assembled from acclaimed public and private collections. Organized to celebrate the centennial of Bearden’s birth, the exhibition will examine how the South served as a source of inspiration throughout his career.

The Newark Museum is located at 49 Washington Street Newark, New Jersey the hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm. Admission is adults: $10, children, seniors and students with Valid I.D.: $6 members are free. For more information call 973.596.6550.

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

In Photo: 1) Iquail Shaheed 2) Francesca Harper Project 3) Juneteenth Celebration, 2010 4) Le General Toussaint Enfumé (General Toussaint Wreathed in Smoke), 2003 5) Gospel Morning, 1987

Photo and Image Credit: 1) Rachel Neville 2) Bob Gore 3) courtesy Studio Museum 4) Edouard Duval-Carrié 5) Romare Bearden