NUBIAN KNIGHTS NETWORK: Press Release: Alex Smith, THPAC Executive Chair, Discusses African Dance Influence on Brooklyn Dance Community

QUOTATIONS OF "BLACK"

"Whenever I use BLACK it relates to some history of Africans in that particular place. It’s the idea of the color BLACK as a metaphor, or as a representation of African-Americans. It’s the notion of BLACK- BLACKNESS - and all its other meanings in relation to the history of race..."

- Fred Wilson

"Most of my fortitude to continue doing the work comes from the moral outrage I feel about the injustices that Black people endure disproportionately daily."

- N. Abdul-Wakil

"In the end, what matters is not skin shade but pan-African consciousness. Loving your complexion, your nose, lips, hair length and texture, no matter what the politics or trends decide, and simply be. That's the problem with us (African folks). We're still learning how to love ourselves. So used to glorifying others and putting others first..."

- Dredlocks Tree

Monday, March 1, 2010

Press Release: Alex Smith, THPAC Executive Chair, Discusses African Dance Influence on
Brooklyn Dance Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 23, 2010

ALEX SMITH,
THELMA HILL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER EXECUTIVE CHAIR,
DISCUSSES AFRICAN DANCE INFLUENCE ON
BROOKLYN DANCE COMMUNITY

Smith and Panel of Dance Experts Convene
In Heart of BAM Cultural District

Alex Smith, Executive Chair of Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC), will share his expertise as a panelist of leading members of Brooklyn’s dance community, including legendary African Dance master and founder of Dance Africa, Chuck Davis, for the “African Dance/Brooklyn Style” symposium, presented by the Brooklyn Arts Council. The panel will discuss the influence of African dance styles on Brooklyn dancers and choreographers and give brief demonstrations of African dance techniques as they are remade in Brooklyn. The event takes place in the heart of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Cultural District on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 7:00-10:00 p.m. at A.R.T/New York South Oxford Space, 138 South Oxford Street, in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York.

“I feel great that THPAC is being recognized by inclusion on this panel, says Smith. “THPAC has been influential on the dance scene here in Brooklyn where it was founded, as well as on a citywide and national level,” Smith adds. “Like Brooklyn, THPAC has been a major hub and incubator for cultural creativity for people of color, and participating on this panel marks a turning point for us as we continue to further heighten the organization’s profile and brand.”

As the only non-dancer on the panel, Smith will bring the perspective of the influence of arts organizations to the discussion.

About Alex Smith
Alex Smith was appointed Executive Director by the THPAC board in 1995 and later Executive Chairman. Under his tutelage and passionate commitment over 150 artists have been presented in performance including Ron Brown, Valerie Winborne, George Faison, Louis Johnson, Marlies Yearby, and Fred Benjamin, seven new programming formats have been added, and THPAC’s annual Life Time Achievement Awards, whose recipients include Louis Johnson, George Faison, Ella Thompson Moore, Dianne McIntrye, Fred Benjamin, and Kathy Grant and Dudley Williams, were established. During the coming summer 2010 season Smith will present, A Ramp to Paradise, a commissioned choreographed work by Kyle Abraham designed to pay homage to New York City’s ultimate dance experience, the legendary underground dance club Paradise Garage.

About Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center
THPAC, www.thelmahill.com, an independent non-profit organization, was formed in 1976 to forge and temper creative talent. Over 34 years the organization has attracted both emerging and established artists of color who developed a perpetual evolutionary cycle in which more than 300 alumni have gone on to successful careers as dancers and choreographers in the U.S. and abroad. The mission of THPAC is to build bridges of understanding through the presentation and celebration of choreographic works by artists of color. From fostering grassroots involvement at home to expanding awareness of the arts abroad, THPAC facilitates artistic collaborations, such as performances, workshops, seminars and community projects. Through these efforts, new channels of creative dialogue inspire free-flowing dynamic cultural expressions.