FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 17, 2019 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 77
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Cultural programs & cleanups scheduled for MLK Day weekend
Dance Theatre of Harlem performs at Queens College MLK event
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Flushing’s Queens College will host
its fi ft h-annual Martin Luther King Jr.
Day commemoration this Sunday with a
headlining performance from the Dance
Th eatre of Harlem and recognition of its
artistic director, who continues to provide
opportunities to exceptional artists
of color.
Virginia Johnson, founding member
and artistic director of Dance Th eatre
of Harlem, will be recognized for her
commitment to artistry, inclusion, and
mentorship throughout her distinguished
career as a prima ballerina on Jan. 20 at
4 p.m. in the Colden Auditorium of the
Kupferberg Center for the Arts located at
65-30 Kissena Blvd in Flushing.
Tickets are $35 and are available online
and in person from the Kuperberg box
offi ce.
“Th is year, in recognition of the
impact Dr. King had on Dance Th eatre
of Harlem’s co-founder Arthur Mitchell,
the program reveals the richness that
becomes possible when access is provided
where none had existed before,” said
Johnson.
Johnson has provided dancers of
color with groundbreaking performance
opportunities in collaboration with the
late Arthur Mitchell, founder of Dance
Th eatre of Harlem, a globally-acclaimed
ballet dance institution comprised of a
professional touring company, a school,
and a broad range of arts education and
community programs.
“Virginia Johnson’s dedication to
continuing DTH Co-founder Arthur
Mitchell’s vision to provide opportunities
to artists of color that did not exist prior to
the creation of Dance Th eatre of Harlem
exemplifi es the spirit of Dr. King’s mission,”
said Felix Matos Rodriguez, president
of Queens College. “By selecting her
as our honoree, we off er our students and
the community the chance to refl ect on
the scope of this country’s historical inequities,
extending into the arts, progress
made thus far and the work that remains
to be done.”
Johnson began her career with Dance
Th eatre of Harlem in 1969 following her
graduation from the Academy of the
Washington School of Ballet. During
Johnson’s 28 years with Dance Th eatre of
Harlem, she performed most of the repertoire
in the principal role.
Aft er retiring from the stage she founded
Pointe magazine, for which she also
served as editor-in-chief, before returning
to the company as artistic director
in 2010. Under Johnson’s leadership, the
organization developed a new cast and
repertoire, embarked on national and
international tours, and secured committed
fi nancial supporters.
“Th e ballets to be presented range from
Darrell Grand Moultries’ jazz-infl uenced
Harlem on My Mind, the very classical
Corsaire Pas de Deux, Chaconne, a masterful
solo by the revered Mexican choreographer,
José Limón and ends with
fan favorite, Robert Garland’s Return,
set to the music of the late, great Aretha
Franklin and James Brown,” said Johnson.
Kupferberg Center for the Arts has
made complementary tickets available
to several youth and community service
organizations, including the Queens
Community House aft er school program
and the Pomonok Center, to enable
members of the community to participate
in this year’s presentation.
Queens College has a longstanding history
of involvement in the struggle for
equality and social justice.
In 1964, Queens College student
Andrew Goodman was slain, along with
fellow civil rights workers James Chaney
and Michael Schwerner, during a voter
registration project in Mississippi. Th e
following spring, as the inaugural speaker
in the college’s John F. Kennedy Memorial
Lecture Series, Dr. King emphasized the
power of peaceful resistance.
In 2015, at its 91st commencement ceremony
— and more than 50 years aft er
Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech —
the college awarded Goodman a posthumous
honorary doctoral degree.
File photo
Photo courtesy of Queens Tourism Council
BY ZACHARY GEWELB
zgewelb@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e legacy of the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., a beacon
of the civil rights movement in the
1960s, will be celebrated throughout
Queens from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21.
Borough President Melinda
Katz is sponsoring the Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
at Queens Central Library on
Saturday, Jan. 19, at 12 p.m.
All are invited to attend the
event at 89-11 Merrick Blvd. in
Jamaica to hear Joy Kelly, who
will tell a memorable story about
Martin Luther King Jr.
Th e following day, the Dance
Theatre Of Harlem returns
to headline Queens College’s
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Commemoration.
Dance Th eatre of Harlem founding
member and artistic director
Virginia Johnson will be the honoree
and keynote speaker.
“Virginia Johnson’s dedication
to continuing DTH Co-founder
Arthur Mitchell’s vision to provide
opportunities to artists of
color that did not exist prior to
the creation of Dance Th eatre
of Harlem exemplifi es the spirit
of Dr. King’s mission,” Queens
College President Félix V. Matos
Rodríguez said. “By selecting her
as our honoree, we off er our students
and the community the
chance to refl ect on the scope of
this country’s historical inequities,
extending into the arts, progress
made thus far and the work that
remains to be done.
Johnson is being recognized for
her commitment to artistry, inclusion,
and mentorship throughout
her distinguished career as a prima
ballerina and for providing dancers
of color with groundbreaking
performance opportunities.
Complementary tickets are
available to youth and community
service organizations, including
the Queens Community House
aft er-school program and the
Pomonok Center, to enable members
of the community to participate
in this year’s presentation,
which will be held Sunday, Jan. 20,
at 4 p.m, in Colden Auditorium
of the Kupferberg Center for the
Arts, located at 65-30 Kissena
Blvd. in Flushing.
Th e NYC Parks Stewardship will
celebrate the legacy of Dr. King.
across the borough on Martin
Luther King Jr. Day, Monday,
Jan. 21, when Queens residents
are invited to Meadow Lake in
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
to volunteer and help to make
parks greener, cleaner, and healthier
environments for everyone to
enjoy.
Volunteers are asked to arrive
at 9 a.m. dressed in clothes that
can get dirty, warm layers, durable
boots or sneakers. Volunteers
under the age of 18 must be
accompanied by a chaperone.
Similar events will be held at
Crawford Avenue and Palmer
Avenue in Seton Falls Park in the
Bronx and at Bayview Avenue and
W 33rd Street in Brooklyn’s Kaiser
Park.
Brooklyn Boulders
Queensbridge is hosting an MLK
Adventure Day on Monday, Jan.
21, in Long Island City, where a
team of educators will introduce
children to climbing and goal-setting
“with the aim of building the
next generation of leaders ready to
take on the world.”
Th e event will be held at 23-10
41st Ave. from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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