Fame: The Connective Corridor In Motion Series (Music meets Dance)
Photographer Kay Lavonier teamed up with the Brothers McGriff, Centro, and the Syracuse City Ballet on Friday for the Connective Corridor’s latest In Motion installment. The event, which included portraiture and live music by the McGriffs, captivated bystanders at SU’s College Station. Catching a city bus should always be this much fun.
Behind the Scenes
Cash Mob/Cuse Mob
Judging from the lines at the register, today was a good day for Craft Chemistry.
Here are some photographs from today’s Cash Mob (aka Cuse Mob) event that was held at the store, which is located on North Salina Street. The location for this shop in the city meet up was announced by Syracuse First before the weekend began.
Craft Chemistry, Open for Business
Craft was standing room only 10 minutes after the event began. Folks from all parts of the city came to check out the scene.
The excitement even spilled out into the streets, where musicians Andrew Greacen and Max McKee serenaded the crowd with their silky songs (see video below).
Toronto’s Chrissie Cunningham: Was it something I said?
Anna Phillips (pictured below) produced a comedy show at Jazz Central last night that featured homegirl Jessimae Peluso, Amy Carlson (New Rochelle) and Chrissie Cunningham (Toronto).
Anna Phillips said she thinks she is smarter than Lil’ Wayne, but she’s not sure.
Jessimae Peluso, who now lives in NYC, danced on stage, then reminisced about CNY and summers at Green Lakes making the human chain.
The laughs were punctated by stories about Hip Hop, relationships, parties and pet dogs.
Amy Carlson, who lives in New Rochelle, wrote a poem about Syracuse. Want to hear it, here it goes…
Cunningham, who happens to be hearing-impaired, was making her U.S. and Syracuse premiere.
Chrissie Cunningham from Syracuse in Focus on Vimeo.
Rae Sunshine, gave us a conversation between Mr. Do Nothing and Ms. Say Something on Friday.
During an intermission at a comedy show last night at Jazz Central, Rae Sunshine performed one her poems , which was an imaginary conversation between Mr. Do Nothing and Ms. Say Something.
Her group Underground Poetry Spot will be performing a full show later this month at Art Rage Gallery.
Anthony McGriff, 2012 T.A.P. Festival
Twins Eric and Anthony McGriff demonstrated their clever musicianship playing from classics scores to tunes by Michael Jackson (Smooth Criminal and Beat It) at the T.A.P. Festival Program at Bethany Baptist Church today.
Eric McGriff, 2012 T.A.P. Festival
Activist Geneva Hayden was recognized as the 2012 Harriet Tubman Spirit Award during the program as well. The award was presented by Michelle Jones-Galvin, the great-grandneice of Harriet Tubman.
Geneva Hayden, Michelle Jones-Galvin and Deborah Crouch
T.A.P. Festival Coordinator Tanya Passmore, Rev. Phil Turner and playwright Aaron Wright,
Bravo to the Bethany Baptist Church’s T.A.P. Festival for bringing Aaron Wright and his play A Teenage Love for a Syracuse debut on Friday.
Artensa Johnson sings Dear Love before intermission
The play, which is part-drama, part-comedy, part-musical, features high school student (actors) and deals with social issues not often seen on the stage for a youth audience.
Harron Thomas and Domonique Aviles during a scene of Teenage Love
Wright and the students live in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Shanaya Day-Merkerson and Carlos Oyola on stage for A Teenage Love
Hon. Dave Bing, Mayor of Detroit, gives the keynote address at Syracuse University’s 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.
The theme for this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at Syracuse University was “A Living Legacy: The Fierce Urgency of Now.” The event featured performances by Dance Theater of Syracuse, BCCE, and a keynote address by the Hon. Dave Bing, the Mayor of Detroit, who graduated from SU 2 years before Dr. King’s assassination.
Dance Theater of Syracuse
Last lady standing: Jessiemae Peluso performs at Justin’s Grill
Along with homeboys Dan Frigolette (Baldwinsville High grad) and Moody McCarthy (Corcoran High grad), Jessimae Peluso (Henniger High grad) turned the Friday before Christmas at Justin’s Grill into a laugh factory.
I saw Frigolette and McCarthy when the visited for a show last year and again they delivered laughs from the moment they hit the stages. This was the first time I’d seen Peluso, as well as the MC Yannis Pappas however, and they were comical. I particularly enjoyed when they each hurled hilarious verbal assaults at a lone (female) heckler to the delight of the packed crowd.
Some of humorous anecdotes also included Peluso calling Match.com her new meal plan and McCarthy’s revelation on the availability of real fruit cobbler(s).
Today I heard a wonderful story on NPR’s Tell Me More about an exhibit for the work of Charles “Teenie” Harris, a great visual story-teller. Thanks to some help from the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Tey Stiteler, I got to check out a photo of Albert Mills, who was the first African-American detective in Pittsburgh. Mills later retired to the Syracuse-area and I knew him from my previous job.
Here is a photo Stiteler found.
George Kilpatrick and Sherri Kilpatrick Duchenne at the Opening of “Child of the Universe” at CFAC
I got a chance to check out the inaugural show for mixed media artist and activist, George Kilpatrick, Sr. on Saturday. The show,held at the Community Folk Art Center (CFAC), was attended by community members, artists, as well as the Kilpatrick family.
Media personality George Kilpatrick, Jr. opened the show by reading a poem his dad wrote called “The Artist.” George’s sister Sherri Kilpatrick Duchenne also told a story about how her dad taught the family to harness the power of the pen.
George Kilpatrick, III, a student studying at Howard Unviersity, representing third generation of the family, sang a soulful rendition of “Yesterday,” which reminded me a lot of the Donny Hathaway version.
Unplugged: George Kilpatrick, III, sings “Yesterday” by the Beatles
The show is on display for the rest of this week.
Griot Vanessa Johnson presents George Kilpatrick, Jr. with a quilt