Music, art, film and dance
slates free treat at BAM
Omicron ‘seriously impacted’ Blue & Bougie gala
Two of the #Bluedelicious ladies who partied the night away at the recent Blue & Bougie
upscale event at the Elegant Loft in Mt Vernon, NY. Blue & Bougie
Caribbean Life, January 7-13, 2022 31
By Vinette K. Pryce
Funk-rock, pop music icon
Nona Hendryx, Sing Harlem
Choir, Stanley Nelson’s
documentary “Attica,” Reggie
Wilson’s dance premiere
of “Power” and a visual art
exhibition titled “Salvation:
A State of Being” will be presented
free of cost to celebrants
of MLK holiday on Jan.
17 at the Brooklyn Academy
of Music.
Following the annual tribute
from dignitaries inside
the BAM Howard Gilman
Opera House at 30 Lafayette
St., a free entertainment
offering promise a potpourri
of all-day salute to the Civil
Rights leader who was assassinated
at age 36 at the Lorraine
Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
Fans of the former LaBelle
funk-rock singer will be particularly
enthralled by the
repertoire Hendryx probably
will incorporate into a set in
tribute to the group she featured
with Patti Labelle and
the late Sarah Dash.
The trio won accolades for
their stylistic, singing delivery,
fashion savvy and futuristic
stage presence.
Much acclaimed as a solo
artist, Hendryx will delight
Brooklyn audiences on the
special date. Composer/
trombonist Craig Harris &
Tailgaters Tales will provide
accompaniment.
Vy Higginsen’s Sing Harlem
Choir are also billed and
will cross the river to the borough
to rock the rafters delivering
a spirited gospel serving
in homage to the Nobel Prize
winning martyr.
The annual tribute will
also include a recorded performance
of King, a powerful
solo piece by acclaimed dancer
and choreographer Kyle
Marshall to the oratory of
Dr. King’s final speech, “I’ve
Been to the Mountaintop.”
BAM is expanding its
annual tribute with a wide
variety of free events for community
members of all ages
and interests.
BAM Rose Cinemas will
present a free screening
of Attica by Emmy-winning
documentarian Stanley Nelson
and co-director Traci
Curry.
The film spotlights the
1971 prison uprising and the
urgent need for change. In
the Harvey Theater at BAM
Strong, Brooklyn-based
choreographer Reggie Wilson
offers a community performance
of “POWER,” a propulsive
new dance piece as
part of its New York City premiere
run.
And a digital billboardbased
group exhibition titled
“Salvation: A State of Being,”
by seven Black visual artists
draws inspiration from the
late trailblazing Black feminist,
social critic, and author
Bell Hooks will fill the bill fit
for a King.
For more info. check www.
BAM.org.
By Nelson A. King
Like most in-door celebrations
over the holidays in New
York, Blue & Bougie Executive
Jerry McDonald says the Omicron
variant “seriously affected”
patrons’ attendance at his
annual gala New Year’s celebration
on Jan. 2 at the Elegant
Loft in Mt Vernon.
“When we announced Blue
& Bougie in mid-November, the
number of people infected daily
by COVID-19 in New York was
significantly down,” McDonald
told Caribbean Life on Tuesday.
“Restaurants were fully opened,
and the City was almost back to
normal. Everyone was ready to
get out and have a grand time.
Our phones were ringing off
the hook.
“We were optimistic that we
would pull a bumper crowd as
we had quickly pre-sold 300
regular and VIP tickets,” he
added. “But once the first person
infected in New York with
Omicron was announced in the
news, and it became apparent
that this new strain was more
contagious, we took a big hit.”
McDonald said several
patrons who had bought presold
tickets asked for a refund.
“Some of our core supporters
started expressing hesitation
about attending,” he said.
“The news only got worse. At
that point, we knew it would
be an uphill task. To be honest,
we actually thought seriously
about canceling the event. But
since we had put state safety
protocols in place, we decided to
move forward.”
McDonald said that while
some party promoters in the
Tri-State continue to hype fullservice
parties, his team adopted
a more conservative approach.
“Safety of our Blue and
Bougie patrons is our first priority,
always,” he said. “This is
why we have not hosted a Blue
& Bougie event since November
2019.
“Once we decided to move
forward with an event, from
the outset, we started encouraging
only vaccinated patrons
or those with a negative COVID-
19 test to attend,” McDonald
added.
Nevertheless, he said patrons
who attended the New Year’s
event at the Elegant Loft had “a
grand time.”
“Everybody had a blast,”
McDonald said. “The music by
the DJs was excellent, and the
vibe was magical.
“I must applaud the beautiful
ladies who spared no expense in
coming out in their finest blue
outfits,” he added. “The men
were not to be outdone, and
they, too were, looking spiffy
in blue.”
McDonald said that plans are
now in place for Blue & Bougie
Impact Awardee, actor Nick
Creegan, to be presented with
his award at a small gathering
in Mt Vernon next week.
Creegan, whose mother is
from St Mary, Jamaica, is a
major recurring character on
Law and Order: Organized
Crime, opposite Dylan McDermott.
He will also be presented
with a Mayoral Proclamation
from the Mayor of Mt Vernon,
Shawyn Patterson-Howard,
McDonald said.
Two of the #Bluedelicious ladies who partied the night away at the recent Blue & Bougie
upscale event at the Elegant Loft in Mt Vernon, NY. Blue & Bougie
/www.BAM.org
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/BAM.org
