Recently in Dance Category

Abdur-Rahim Jackson, an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performer said he was singled out at the Isreali airport because of his Muslim name. I don't really know why this is news, because, in this day and age who could not see this incident as a possibility of occurrence? So, the security put in a request for the running man dance...j/k...lol. They asked him to perform any dance move. He did and eventually was granted entry into the country.

Jackson is not a Muslim, but his father was a convert and gave him that name. According to news reports, Jackson does consider himself religious and is engaged to a female dancer in the troupe who is Jewish and has family in Israel. That's interesting, because it is often assumed that the majority of male professional dancers are gay.

Photo Credit:
AlvinAiley.org

Umoja- The Spirit Of Together Part 1

Umoja is a South African dance musical that tours internationally. Some of the women are topless in some of the performances. This looks like a phenomenal show. Check out their site for more information: Umoja Africa: The Spirit of Togetherness

Last year, I posted on the story about the white Canadian dancer, MoMo who won the 2007 Jamaican Dancehall Queen contest. When she went to take her victory skip-to-mah-loo dance down the runway, bottles were thrown at her, and everyone ran for cover, but there was no posted video footage back then. MoMo is still dancing, so I guess that incident didn't stop her determination. I meant to post this early, but forgot about it. Without further adieu, here is the video clip. WATCH VIDEO Here is the story: White Canadian wins Miss Dancehall Queen 2K7…guess what happens?

Photo Credit:

Jamaica Observer

Randy Jackson stole my idea...LOL, seriously, I have always had this concept in mind, but never the financial backing as he does to put on a national show. I enjoy watching dancing, pretty much any form, and I always thought of it as a productive outlet and good exercise for kids. So naturally, I gravitated towards watching this programs.

The finalists were Boston's "Status Quo" representing the east coast and "JabbaWockeez" representing the west coast. JabbaWockeez, the mostly Asian crew won, and wholeheartedly deserved it, but both teams were PHENOMENAL. Like Lil Mama said, the title should have been "Best Dance Crews." Here is a clip of both teams steppin' on the final show. We need more competitive urban dance programs coupled with tutoring after school.

The boy has moves...

“African Footprint is to South Africa what Riverdance is to the Irish and Stomp is to the Brits!" Entertainment iafrica.com, South Africa

"Enjoyed by over 250 million viewers around the world, South Africa ’s longest-running show is finally coming to America." www.AfricanFootPrint.com

Follow the jump for tour dates or visit the website.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs at City Center in Manhattan until December 31st. They will be performing their routine “The Groove to Nobody’s Business”, which celebrates New York subway riders. While watching them, I am also reminded of the Garth Fagan Dancers. Public schools need to incorporate more arts into the curriculums. Here is a video of Alvin Ailey’s Wade in the Water from "Revelations." It is just mesmerizing and here is a link to an interview with the late Ailey and Judith Jamison. An Evening With Alvin Ailey Interview

For more information on this and future performances visit them at www.alvinailey.org

These guys are really talented hip-hop break dancers. My back hurts just watching them perform. WATCH VIDEO