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Posts tagged as “Clifton Powell”

Urban Movie Channel Announces 6 New Streaming Premieres in Honor of Black History Month

By goodblacknews on February 7, 2016
The North Star
The North Star (image via Shadow And Act)

article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow and Act
RLJ Entertainment’s Urban Movie Channel (UMC) kicked off Black History Month with the premiere of the Underground Railroad drama, “The North Star,” on February 5, 2016. Based on true events, the film chronicles the perilous journey of two slaves, Benjamin “Big Ben” Jones (played by former Philadelphia Eagles’ Jeremiah Trotter) and Moses Hopkins (Thomas C. Bartley, Jr.), who escaped from a Virginia plantation and made their way to freedom in Buckingham, Pennsylvania in 1849.
A directorial debut by Thomas K. Philips, the feature film also stars Lynn Whitfield, Clifton Powell, and Keith David.
On February 19, UMC will premiere “Becoming Barack: Evolution of a Leader,” a revealing portrait of President Barack Obama‘s formative years in Chicago, and “Bound: Africans VS. African Americans,” a hard hitting documentary that addresses the little known tension between Africans and African Americans, produced by Isaiah Washington and directed by filmmaker Peres Owino.
Later in the month on February 26, UMC will feature untold stories of history with the premieres of “An American Ascent,” a documentary about the first black mountaineer group to climb Denali, the highest peak in North America, and the first two installments from producer/director Tim Reid‘s Legacy Documentary Series, “Legacy of Blacks in Auto Racing” and “Builders of the Alaska Highway.”
Available at urbanmoviechannel.com, UMC is the first urban-focused streaming service in North America showcasing quality and exclusive urban content designed for African American and urban audiences.
To read more, go to: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/urban-movie-channel-announces-6-new-streaming-premieres-in-honor-of-black-history-month-20160205

Debbie Allen Champions Arts Education for Youth, Kicks Off National Tour of "Brothers of the Knight"

Debbie Allen Champions Arts Education for Youth, Kicks Off National Tour of "Brothers of the Knight"

By goodblacknews on June 20, 2014

DEBBIE_ALLEN_HEADSHOT_tOscar, Emmy and Tony Award-winning choreographer and director Debbie Allen premiered her new theatrical production Brothers of the Knight at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills last night, kicking off a five-city summer tour.  Turning out to support Allen and her passion for training today’s youth in the arts were actors Jenifer Lewis, Clifton Powell, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo, Darrin Hewitt Henson, New Kids on the Block singer Joey McIntyre and WNBA All-Star Lisa Leslie, among others. (Click here to see GBN’s Instagram photos from the event.)
Grammy-winning musician James Ingram wrote the music to this modern adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, where twelve brothers steal away to a magical ballroom and dance every night away unbeknownst to their strict preacher father.
Allen, who produced the show with husband and former NBA All-Star Norm Nixon, went on a five-city tour to find the best young talent possible, then trained and worked closely with them to bring the production to life.
“I opened this audition to kids who are not just in dance schools,” Allen said, but “to people who simply love to dance.”
1391112260644Allen is passionate about arts education for youth and mounts productions like this every year to shed light on its importance as more and more public schools drop arts, music and theatre programs.
“It’s a battle right now. Arts education is disappearing without a trace from the public schools. If you don’t have arts as part of the core of your curriculum, you are not going to be well educated,” Allen recently told WGBH in Boston.
Allen has been fighting to keep dance and the arts available for youth for quite some time.  In 2001, Allen opened the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA), a non-profit organization which offers classes in various dance disciplines for youth and teens.
Brothers of the Knight runs until June 22 in Los Angeles, then moves to Boston from June 27-29, Philadelphia July 3-6, Washington DC July 10-13 and Charlotte July 17-20.  To order tickets, go to brothersoftheknight.com.  To sponsor or donate to this show, click here.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)