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New York Times
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘The Holy Blues' Review: Finding the Spiritual in the Secular at BAM
Whispers, rattles, drums — that's what we hear at the start of 'The Holy Blues,' Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's new work for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Then the curtain rises on what looks like a tree trunk with a door that opens to disgorge dancers, one by one. They run and stumble as if they've been ejected, spat out. As this happens, we hear another sound, among the most sweetly soulful ever: the voice of Sam Cooke. This is Cooke back when he was the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers, a gospel group, and before he helped created secular soul music. This is Cooke when he lent his heavenly voice to spiritual songs like the one we hear, 'One More River.' But the later Cooke of 'Having a Party' and 'A Change Is Gonna Come' was no less spiritual. And that continuity — between church on Sunday and twistin' the night away — is the subject of 'The Holy Blues.' The work — conceived and directed by Zollar in collaboration with Samantha Figgins and Chalvar Monteiro, both company members — reaches back even further. The door (scenic design by Joseph Anthony Gaito) represents the Door of No Return, the symbolic aperture through which enslaved Africans were forced from their home. 'The Holy Blues,' which premiered during the company's run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this week, is a story of Africans in America. The running, stumbling dancers are strangers in a strange land. They cling to one another and drift. Collapsing and rising, they find solace and strength in Christianity, but it is a Christianity they make their own, remembering African circle dances in the 'ring shout,' circumambulating a tree with bottles on its branches. This is danced religion. The dancers shake and swoon, slain in the spirit. They catch those who fall or dip them backward, as in baptism. They also dance the blues. To the Delta blues turned Chicago electric of Howlin' Wolf, they behave as if in a juke joint, doing the slow drag in couples and clumps. The return of the ring shout in this context makes the point about continuity, the joy-from-anguish in Cooke's voice. Then the dancers strip down to their underwear as if exposing their souls, dip one another some more to a gospel choir singing 'Peace Be Still,' a gospel hymn recorded in response to the Birmingham church bombing of 1963, and lift one of their members to walk on the air and into the light. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Boston Globe
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Boston's brightest: 33 valedictorians celebrated at annual luncheon
Advertisement After countless hours in the classroom and the dance studio, Pires is headed to New York to attend Fordham University while dancing at the renowned Alvin Ailey school. She will pursue a pre law track with the hopes of becoming a criminal justice lawyer. Pires was celebrated among 32 other Dozens of family members watched their graduates receive a certificate and shake hands with Mayor Michelle Wu, Superintendent Mary Skipper, and School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. Christina Yang, from the Josiah Quincy Upper School, poses for a photograph with, from left, Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston School Committee chair Jeri Robinson, and Superintendent Mary Skipper during the annual valedictorians luncheon. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff 'You could have taken an easier route. You could have decided just to put off homework or do something that would give you a little bit more time to maybe relax or hang out with friends,' Wu said to the valedictorians. 'You made a hard choice – time after time after time – to invest in yourselves.' Advertisement Wu, a valedictorian herself, congratulated the students on their achievements while urging them to consider staying in Boston or returning to the city if they go away for college. 'This is your home. It always will be, and I wouldn't be doing my job as mayor if I weren't making a pitch that we need your leadership here in this community,' she said. Related : Christina Yang, the valedictorian of the Josiah Quincy Upper School, is staying in the city to attend Boston University. Yang wants to become an educator, maybe a teacher or counselor. She said her experience as a student has inspired her to pursue a career in education. 'I see myself working in a school setting with children and helping to seek advocacy for the younger generation,' Yang said. 'I have a very compassionate heart for younger people, and I love working with little kids.' After struggling her freshman year, Yang said she learned how to advocate for herself and seek support when needed. A daughter of Chinese immigrants, she will be the first generation in her family to attend college. 'From South America and Italy to Vietnam and Dorchester, our valedictorians truly come from all over the world,' said Robinson, the school board chair. 'Your journeys are a testament to the rich tapestry of our community and the strength that lies in our diversity.' Skipper said 60 percent of the valedictorians are the first in their families to go to college, while 40 percent are from other countries. Advertisement 'In a time when we question in narratives — federally — the value of our immigrants, this room is an example of the value of our immigrants,' Skipper said. Many valedictorians worked jobs while in high school, while others were caretakers for young siblings, Skipper added. 'You have the opportunity and obligation to take all that talent that each of you possesses and go to a next level with it,' she told the graduates. The room gave a silent applause for Ahmed Sharif (not shown), from the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Among the colleges the students will attend include Harvard, Northwestern, UMass Amherst, Smith College, and Bowdoin College. Kaylee Nguyen, valedictorian of TechBoston Academy, will attend Northeastern University on a full scholarship, majoring in accounting. As part of the class of 2025, she transitioned from middle to high school during the pandemic and struggled with the social adjustment. 'I was really scared of what people thought of me. But once you surround yourself around people who are like you, then you're free to do whatever,' she said. Pires, who delivered a keynote address to the attendees, told the crowd the valedictorian title is bigger than grades, awards, or a speech. It comes with responsibility. In New York, Pires hopes to dance professionally for the Alvin Ailey company and to inspire younger people to follow their dreams, regardless of the obstacles. 'This is what the next generation is looking for. They're looking at me as an example,' Pires said. 'I really worked for this, but now I have a bigger responsibility of going out there and doing amazing work so that the next generation can follow through.' Advertisement After the program, the students and presenters posed for a group photo at Fenway Park. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Marcela Rodrigues can be reached at
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Trump's Kennedy Center Comes Into Focus With Theater and Dance Plans
As the Kennedy Center reinvents itself for the Donald J. Trump era, it announced on Monday that its next season would feature some big names in theater and dance, but also some conspicuous absences. And, in a break with the past, the center said it would present several touring Broadway shows with nonunion casts. Artists have been divided about whether to perform at the center since President Trump became its chairman after purging its previously bipartisan board of members appointed by Democrats. The upcoming theater season will feature 'The Outsiders,' which won last year's Tony Award for best musical, but not 'Hamilton,' which canceled a planned run there, citing dismay over Mr. Trump's takeover. And its dance season will include performances by American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet but not by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, an annual fixture at the center in recent years, which said in a statement that it would pursue another opportunity next season. Mr. Trump, who continues to play a big role in trying to reshape the center, was expected to meet Monday evening with Kennedy Center board members and executives for dinner at the White House. He attended a board meeting at the center in March, recently requested $257 million from Congress to help with capital repairs and plans to attend a gala fund-raiser performance of 'Les Misérables' in June. The upcoming theater season underscores some of the changes unfolding at the center. In addition to 'The Outsiders' it will include tours of 'Back to the Future,' 'Moulin Rouge!' and 'Spamalot,' all of which feature unionized casts, as has been standard at the center in recent years. But two of the tours coming to the Kennedy Center next season will feature nonunion casts, which tend to be paid less and cost less to present: 'Chicago' and 'Mrs. Doubtfire.' The Kennedy Center had indicated in March that it anticipated turning to nonunion Broadway productions, and on Monday it touted the shift as a plus. Richard Grenell, the Trump loyalist who now serves as the center's president, told The Daily Caller, a conservative media outlet: 'The Kennedy Center is the premier institution for the arts in America, so we don't want to limit the shows available to our audiences. The restrictive and expensive nature of union-only shows isn't good for a diverse community. We want more options, not fewer.' Actors' Equity Association, the union representing actors and stage managers, declined to comment. Mr. Trump criticized the Kennedy Center on social media earlier this year for having 'featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth.' But that concern did not prevent the center from booking 'Chicago,' which features a character, Mary Sunshine, who is usually played by a man in drag, or 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which is about a man who dresses as a woman. 'Moulin Rouge!' also features a character, Baby Doll, who is a drag queen. The dance season includes an eclectic mix of artists, including several prominent ballet companies as well as acclaimed contemporary troupes founded by Martha Graham, Trisha Brown and Kyle Abraham. But the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which has been an annual fixture at the center, said it would not perform there next season. The company said in a statement that it had decided to 'pursue an opportunity with a partner that has a global reach,' which it did not name, and that it hopes to return in the future. The center's board met on Monday for the third time since Mr. Trump's takeover. The board discussed the center's finances, programming, its building and grounds and other matters, according to a copy of the agenda obtained by The Times.
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Melissa Toogood Named New Director of Juilliard's Dance Division
The Juilliard School has named Melissa Toogood as dean and director of its dance division, the school announced on Tuesday. Toogood, a Bessie Award-winning dancer who was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in its final years, succeeds Alicia Graf Mack, who is to become the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Toogood, who is Australian and lives in Sydney, will begin on July 1. 'I've had many types of experiences and worked with many kinds of dancers and companies, Toogood, 43, said in a phone interview. 'I've always been reaching for new knowledge.' Damian Woetzel, president of the Juilliard School, called her 'one of the extraordinary artists of our time' and said: 'I've watched her stage, I've watched her teach, I've watched her develop dancers at all levels, but really focusing on the younger dancers. And I have seen her develop her own leadership in that way that is inspiring.' Toogood, who started teaching at the Cunningham school at the choreographer's request, continued to dance in New York after Cunningham's company performed for the last time in 2011. 'I had a really intense freelance career, which is challenging and uncertain, and I hope to prepare young people for all of those outcomes,' she said. 'Because I can speak to it personally.'
Boston Globe
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Free things to do this week: An Alvin Ailey dance class, game and trivia nights, folk music, and more
Advertisement INDIE TRIVIA Boston's local trivia scene is active, with many bars devoting nights to contests. At Aeronaut Brewery's Indie Trivia Night on Tuesdays, the twist is that anyone can assume the role of host. As host, you supply your own set of questions — whether themed or spanning multiple genres — and watch as the competition unfolds in the brewing room. Join Aeronaut's March 18, 8-11 p.m. 14 Tyler St., Somerville. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up BINGO, YAHTZEE, UNO! LiteWork Events hosts old-school monthly game nights at Piano Craft Gallery for community members, providing card and board games, ping pong, and more multi-player activities to encourage connection through friendly competition. 'Through its events and special programs, LiteWork highlights the power of social interaction within the young, urban demographic,' as the group's website explains it. March 19, 6-10:30 p.m. 793 Tremont St. SHARE THE LOVE Romance novels have come into their own, and the chance to attend book signings and Q&As are plentiful throughout Boston — no tickets required. All She Wrote, a Somerville-based book shop, is teaming up with Emerson College to host a talk and book signing with author March 20, 6 p.m. Emerson Bill Bordy Theater, 216 Tremont St. Advertisement Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Teaching Artists Nasha Thomas and Cheryl Rowley-Gaskins lead a crowd in dancing selections from Alvin Ailey's 'Revelations." Robert Torres REVELATIONS The March 22 and 23, class times vary. Register at KIDS GATHER 'ROUND This Saturday, March 22, 10:30 a.m. 44 Brattle St., Cambridge. The Reclaiming Folk event will celebrate POC folk artists Naomi Westwater, Kim Moberg, Grace Givertz. Reclaiming Folk CREATING NEW TRADITIONS March 22, 1-3 p.m. Boston Public Library, Rabb Hall, 700 Boylston St. Advertisement Marianna Orozco can be reached at
