Greenwood

CNN - Dance Troupe Tells The Story Of Massacre Of 300 Black Americans

CNN - Dance Troupe Tells The Story Of Massacre Of 300 Black Americans

Tulsa's 1921 massacre involved white mobs killing 300 black residents in their uniquely prosperous community. That painful chapter in American history was the focus of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater this season, before it was sprupt interrupted by covid-19 shutdowns. Now with this renewed attention on the Tulsa massacre, the dance group is streaming its Greenwood story starting this week. Artistic Director Robert Battle discusses Donald Byrd’s Greenwood.

FOX5 New York - How Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 'Theater Of Disruption' Teaches About Racism

FOX5 New York - How Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 'Theater Of Disruption' Teaches About Racism

Choreographer Donald Byrd uses what he calls "theater of disruption" in his productions. Creating works of dance or theater that "disrupts the thinking of people around the issue of race," he said. And he is waking people up with his production Greenwood. In observance of Juneteenth, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is streaming the production online through Thursday, June 25. Through dance, Greenwood tells the horrific story of the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Greenwood was a section of Tulsa and one of the most affluent black communities in the country. It was known as Black Wall Street. But white residents, angered by black progress, burned down homes and businesses and killed as many as 300 black residents.

The Washington Informer - Alvin Ailey Returns For New Season Of Choreographic Splendor

The Washington Informer - Alvin Ailey Returns For New Season Of Choreographic Splendor

Hope Boykin, 20-Year Veteran of Dance Theatre, Prepares for Final Bows. The internationally-acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has returned to the District much to the delight of faithful fans and fittingly during Black History Month, with a mixture of classic favorites, new productions and exciting premiered on the Kennedy Center's Opera House stage for seven performances - now through Feb. 9.

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Two Takes On Topic Of Race Hit Two Stages

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Two Takes On Topic Of Race Hit Two Stages

Two major dance companies take very different approaches to the topic of race in productions debuting on Atlanta stages this month.... Meanwhile, during a recent rehearsal at The Ailey Studios in New York, a white woman and a black man stood side by side facing opposite directions in a confined space. She took his hand, pulled away in taut counterbalance, then snapped like a rubber band to his other side, one leg sweeping open as she turned away from him. The duet depicts an imaged encounter that could have sparked the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre - considered one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history. It's the subject of Donald Byrd's "Greenwood," a new contemporary ballet slated for its Atlanta debut during Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Feb. 20-23 run at the Fox Theatre.

WABE - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Highlights The Importance Of History In Dance

WABE - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Highlights The Importance Of History In Dance

When the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre returns to Atlanta each year, it’s a joyous occasion like a family reunion, if your relatives happened to be brilliant dancers. The ensemble will perform at the Fox Theatre from Feb. 20-23. Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle and choreographer Donald Byrd will speak at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event, “Greenwood & Stories From The Soil: Reveal, Remember, Reconcile” is free and open to the public. Battle and Byrd joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to talk about the dance.

WNYC - Donald Byrd's Theory Of Disruption

WNYC - Donald Byrd's Theory Of Disruption

It’s Morning Edition on WNYC. I'm Richard Hake. A new work of dance premiering tonight draws from the story of a racist mob attack in Oklahoma back in 1921. Greenwood will be performed by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. It explores the story of a massacre in the affluent black Greenwood district of Tulsa, known at the time as America's black Wall Street. Donald Byrd is the choreographer who created the piece. And it's our pleasure that he's with us this morning in the studio, Mr. Bird. Good morning.

NBC 4 New York - Positively Black: Donald Byrd

NBC 4 New York - Positively Black: Donald Byrd

Tracie Strahan speaks with Tony-nominated Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater choreographer Donald Byrd about "Greenwood," a new piece that premieres Friday at New York City Center.