2/28/2020
Performances and Artists
When Bill Wade first read the children’s book “What Do You Do With an Idea?” he finished it with tears in his eyes. “I was like, ‘oh my gosh, this is my story,’” remembers Wade, founder of Inlet Dance Theatre, a nationally acclaimed contemporary dance group. “This is me starting my dance company 20 years ago.”
2/26/2020
Performances and Artists
Supremes cofounder Mary Wilson remembers that during her childhood, most African-American youths didn’t dare dream of becoming pop stars. “We had to focus on the jobs we were allowed to have,” Wilson recalls of 1960s America. But fortunately for Wilson, living in Detroit offered a rare resource: the Motown record label.
2/19/2020
Performances and Artists
The first time De Ann Letourneau played a Stradivarius violin, its sheer volume forced her husband to cross the room away from her. “The sound is so huge and comes right at you like a bullet,” says Letourneau, concertmaster for the Las Vegas Philharmonic. “The sound fills the entire room, because it was meant to do that.”
2/18/2020
Performances and Artists
Multi-Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval has experienced broader musical influences than most other trumpet players. “My first job as a musician was in my own village, playing traditional Cuban music,” Sandoval recalls. Add to that an encounter with a jazz legend and his own virtuosic style broke loose.
2/10/2020
Performances and Artists
Without a doubt, growing up in Ireland groomed Paul Byrom for success as an entertainer. Music intertwines with all aspects of life in his native country, Byrom says. This only spurred his rise as a vocal prodigy, recording his first album at 14. “Everything in Ireland is based around music. Every wedding, every funeral, music is everywhere,” says Byrom.
2/10/2020
Performances and Artists
Music and other artforms have remained intertwined with every era of African-American history, says Vegas singer Michelle Johnson. “The arts have often been the catalyst or tool for moving us forward as a people,” Johnson says. “From the blues to the protest songs of the civil rights movement, to gospel to hip-hop."
1/31/2020
Performances and Artists
No doubt, Chris Mann says, the greatest challenge of his acting and singing career was playing the Phantom in more than 700 performances of “The Phantom of the Opera” on the national Broadway tour. The frenzy and excitement of touring cities across the U.S. proved an emotional experience.
1/29/2020
Performances and Artists
From his many years dancing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Matthew Rushing has “an extremely long list” of favorite moments. These include performing in South Africa just after Apartheid ended, and dancing for President Barack Obama. “I’ve traveled the world for years,” says Rushing, now associate artistic director with the company.
1/14/2020
Performances and Artists
Comedy icon Carol Burnett looks back on the 11 seasons of “The Carol Burnett Show” as “the peak” of her career. “It never occurred to me (that I was breaking ground), because it was all I knew,” says Burnett, who became the first woman to star in a comedy variety show.
1/8/2020
Performances and Artists
Founding members Nolfi and Dominic Scaglione Jr. sparked the idea for the Doo Wop Project backstage at Broadway’s August Wilson Theater, where the pair costarred in “Jersey Boys.” Nolfi played Tommy DeVito, with Scaglione Jr. starring as Frank Valli. In between scenes portraying a gifted singing group, they created their own.