Ruby Dee, the actress who co-starred in the 1961 film adaption of "A Raisin in the Sun," was one of the many women honored at the 5th Annual "Black Girls Rock!" event, which aired Sunday on BET.
Dee, who is also known for being a political activist, journalist and poet, as well as an award-winning actress, was the receipt of this year's Living Legend Award.
"It's times like these that I come to understand and appreciate profoundly the empowerment and promise, the responsibility in being deemed a legend," Dee said in her acceptance speech, according to the press release.
The award show, which celebrated the power and influence of black women, also honored producer and rap artist Missy Elliot, who was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Teresa Clarke, the founder of Africa.com, who was given the Trailblazer Award.
Sunday's event, hosted by actress Nia Long, also featured musical performances by Keri Hilson, Ciara and Shontelle, but the show stopper was from Kelly Price, Marsha Ambrosius, Jill Scott & Ledisi.
A decommissioned firehouse in the heart of Harlem is now home to a legendary choreographer who is lighting a fire under a new generation of artists. NY1's Cheryl Wills filed the following report.
The building at 6 Hancock Place in Harlem was once home to firefighters at Hook and Ladder Number 40. For the last decade, though, Tony and Emmy Award-winning dancer and choreographer George Faison has transformed the decommissioned fire house into a field of artistic dreams called the Faison Firehouse Theater.
These days, the tricked-out firehouse is a haven for young people who take advantage of Faison's classes and workshops. The dancer says it is his way of giving back to the community.
Faison's 40-year career is legendary in the entertainment world. He has danced with the greats, including Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham and Louis Johnson, and rose to new heights when he choreographed "The Wiz" on Broadway, which became a national sensation in the mid-1970s.
In 2000, Faison and his business partner, Tad Schnugg, purchased the decrepit firehouse on Hancock Place. After years of work, they started staging productions in the 125-seat not-for-profit theater.
"When I first walked in it, it was home to pigeons and rats and crack addicts," says Faison. "It was madness, I had to fight my way into the joint. 'What is this in here? Come out of there hiding.'"
After millions of dollars in renovations, the old firehouse has become a slice of Hollywood in the Heart of Harlem. It boasts a cabaret theater, a dance studio and Faison's fancy living quarters upstairs.
His many celebrity friends regularly stop by to show their support.
"I am so proud of what he’s done. From the very beginning we were like, 'You’re buying what? An almost abandoned firehouse? Are you crazy?" says actress Lynn Whitfield.
"It’s about community and bringing forth that next generation. It’s just the way he is," says actress Phylicia Rashad.
"I’m very impressed. He’s very creative," says comedian," says Paul Mooney.
"It’s wonderful. I think that’s the way God planned it," says singer Roberta Flack.
"He is a great rung on the ladder," says actress and activist Ruby Dee.
Faison says he is proud of the theater's accomplishments and is dancing into the hearts of the next generation.
"Growing up in this country, you know everything is yours. All you have to do is take ownership. Get the keys, find the keys, open the door, go through it," he says.
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, George Faison, Founder and Artistic Director of Harlem’s new Faison Firehouse Theater created and hosted the Special Event celebrating the life and work of author Zora Neale Hurston. The ONE NIGHT ONLY performance was standing room only. The diverse audience included guest from as far away as Boston, MA, Washington, DC and Maryland.
"Those who say 'It can't be done' are usually interrupted by those who are doing IT!” say, Faison, “… we are preparing the next generations of leaders here in Harlem.”
This script allows a revue of the dynamic and controversial life and work of one of the great figures in twentieth-century American literature and Afro-American culture. With the aid of musical variety, choreography, oratorical skill, spoken word performance, and photographic images, the scenes unfold as a ceremony of remembrance, emphasizing Zora Neale Hurston’s genius as novelist, folklorist, anthropologist, cultural interpreter and relevant analyst of contemporary public discourse. .
The script approximates a New Orleans funeral (a celebratory event). The Opening Scene (Scene I) “The Church and the Porch,” presents the earliest sounds and language that the young Zora heard; they would build her famous style and vernacular sound as a foremost literary artist. Scene II “Isie at the Gatepost,” presents the joyful, inventive, “smart-kid” that Zora Neale Hurston was and remained in her grown-up, womanly spirit. Scene III “Harlem,” presents important aspects of her life and work. Scene IV “Talkin’ bout Zora,” is a eulogy; it segues to Scene V “When the Saints Go Marchin In.”
The show headlined by Award Winning Actress Lynn Whitfield played Zora. Honored guest who shared the evening at the Firehouse were: Playwright/Poet, Dr. Maya Angelou; Award Winning Actress, Ruby Dee; and the writer of this powerful stage production Chair, English Department Howard University, Dr. Eleanor Traylor along with the wonderful cast.
Bottom L-R: Dr. Eleanor Traylor, George Faison, Ruby Dee, Ebony Jo-Ann, Lynn Whitfield, Brain Whitted, Thyais Walsh, Gabrielle Lee, Wambui Bahari, Dolly Henry, Sinclair Mitchell, Charles E. Wallace, Jerome Preston Bates
About the Faison Firehouse The Faison Firehouse Theater is home to the American Performing Arts Collaborative (APAC), a not-for-profit (501c3) organization co-founded by Tony Award Winner, George Faison in 1997. For more than thirty five years, George Faison has been a driving force in the theater as well as film, video, television, concert dance, concert staging, television commercials and trade shows. George is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world's most important directors, choreographers and writers is known for his uncompromising pursuit of artistic excellence and the production and nourishment of socially relevant art and artist. He has a keen eye for recognizing emerging talent such as S. Epatha Merkerson, Debbie Allen, Stephanie Mills, Phylicia Rashad, Eartha Robinson, Gary DeLoatch, Shedrack Anderson, Jackee and Hinton Battle among others. www.faisonfirehouse.org
