Rita Marley. REUTERS / Suzanne Plunkett, File
AAADT’s Patrick Coker, Courtney Spears, and Yannick Lebrun
2021. Emily Kikta
on taking ownership of the
Jamaican story and retelling
Caribbean L 22 ife, JULY 9-15, 2021
Cedella Marley in her design studio. Associated Press/Rolo De Campo, fi le
relations assistant, Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater in
midtown Manhattan.
During this global broadcast,
Thweatt said Chalvar
presented “Promise” —
“expressing admiration for the
resiliency we see in the courageous
souls on the frontlines.
Featuring six members of
Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater and filmed at St.
Nicholas Park in New York
City, Thweatt said “’Promise’
uses the basketball court as
its stage as a tribute to the
collective identity and civic
pride it has fostered in urban
Afro-Caribbean youth as a
cultural space.”
“Injecting it into basketball
court was super important
to me,” said Monteiro said of
“Promise.” “For most Black
kids, the basketball court is
the first place where we learn
certain skills about how to
have a target, but also being
able to zoom out and see the
full scope of what it is that I
am working toward.”
in Chalvar Monteiro’s Promise for Ailey’s Spring Gala,
Known for his sophistication
and versatility both on
and off the stage, Monteiro
joined Ailey in 2015 “and has
dazzled audiences around the
world,” Thweatt said.
A native of Montclair, NJ,
Monteiro earned a bachelor’s
in fine arts (BFA) in dance
from SUNY Purchase, where
he was a member of SOCA
(Students of Caribbean Ancestry).
“Recognized for his ‘incredibly
supple depiction of
despair’ by The Los Angeles
Times, Chalvar has worked
with companies like Ailey II,
Sidra Bell Dance New York,
Elisa Monte Dance, Keigwin
+ Company, and Abraham in
Motion,” Thweatt said.
Continued from Page 21
it through the journey of the
national heroes from pre-emancipation
to post-independence,
Shay and Kay Productions said.
It said the project aims to
propel a culturally-immersive
Jamaican story onto the world
stage with film, fine art paintings,
music, a new digital presence
and print collateral.
Jamaican born philanthropic
ARTivist and executive producer,
Charles “Mark Phi” Smart,
expressed his enthusiasm for
the endorsement.
“We are honored to have Bob
Marley’s legacy endorse the
work we’re doing and lending
their support for the preservation
of our culture,” he said.
“Our national heroes contributed
to Jamaica’s physical emancipation
and political independence.
“Bob Marley continued the
work emancipating the hearts
and minds of people towards
empowering that independence,”
Smart added. “This
is one of the reasons he will
be featured in the film series
alongside Jamaica’s national
heroes.”
“Queen Nanny served as an
unprecedented inspiration for
Jamaican women everywhere,”
said Cedella Marley, who, in
2014, became the lead benefactor
to reform the Jamaica
women’s football team through
her role as director of the Bob
Marley Foundation.
Smart, who has a collection
of Bob Marley fine art paintings
on permanent exhibit at the
Bob Marley Museum, said: “We
are making great progress and
are currently in pre-production
on the first episode of the film
series about Queen Nanny of
the Maroons.”
JA heroes project
Alvin Ailey
Crown Prince of Reggae
marathon music tributes and
a plethora of global gatherings
celebrate the genre, the
60-minute screening was
staged in keeping with the
requirements of the Disaster
Risk Management Act which
prescribed a capacity limit for
indoor venues, including theatres.
Colleagues and associates
of the singer were privileged
to attend the Little Theater
affair, in order to revisit timehonored
moments shared in
recording studios, onstage
or socializing with the reggae
royal who was reportedly
dubbed Crown Prince in
1984 by his manager Tommy
Cowan.
A similar claim to his coronation
has been attributed to
Robert Nesta Marley, the king
of reggae who cited Brown as
his favorite singer.
Unfortunately, D. Brown
was ravaged by an addiction
to drugs.
Pervasive substance abuse
shortened his life but not
before the lover’s rock singer
composed some of the genre’s
most enduring songs.
Abounding stories of his
early start at age 10 recall
how he was regularly lifted or
propped up in order to maneuver
the microphone and stage.
His first recording at 12
launched a deal with Studio
One Records and a single titled
“No Man Is An Island.”
Brown is reputed to have
recorded more than 75 albums
before his untimely passing.
Among fan favorites —
“Money In My Pocket,” “Have
You Ever Been In Love,” “I
Forgot To Be Your Lover,”
“Love Has Found Its Way,”
“If I Follow My Heart,” “Love
I Can Feel,” “Your Love Got A
Hold On Me,” “Here I Come”
and others.
In tribute to the ‘Prince’
Richie Stephens performed a
medley of D. Brown songs.
L’Acadco dancers also performed
a routine choreographed
to his hit “Revolution.”
L’Antoinette Stines, artistic
director and founder of the
company personally adapted
the music to her presentation.
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