Celebrate the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, the nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, with a digital day of dance.

Tribute performances will be presented on SummerStage’s Instagram channel starting at 12pm EST:

12:00PM – Tamar-kali  “Resistance” excerpt from “Demon Fruit Blues” featuring ASE Dance Theatre Collective

1:00PM – Isio-Maya Nuwere of Harlem School of the Arts  “Phenomenal Woman”

2:00PM –  Theresa Lavington Youth Group “Dance for the Movement – Black Lives Matter”

3:00PM – Black Iris Project SummerStage 2018

4:00PM – Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company SummerStage 2019

5:00PM – Jason Samuels Smith with Dormeshia and Derick Grant  “Chasin the Bird Remixed”

6:00PM – RudduR Dance “Witness” Excerpt

The day will culminate in a performance on SummerStage’s YouTube channel at 7pm EST, featuring a panel discussion, Reflecting the Times, led by Hope Boykin of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, followed by a tribute performance of “HANGING TREE”, featuring Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Theatre, vocalist Marcelle Davies-Lashley, and poet Carl Hancock Rux.

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Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet (JGCO) Dance Theatre, formerly known as Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, was founded in 2005 by Jamel Gaines. JGCO is considered one of Brooklyn’s premier contemporary dance company, best known for its riveting, thought-provoking and relatable repertory. The dance aesthetic encompasses classical, contemporary and modern style. For nearly 25 years, JGCO has assembled an extensive performance repertoire; with works presented across the United States and select international cities.

Hope Boykin is a three-time recipient of the American Dance Festival’s Young Tuition Scholarship. She attended Howard University and, while in Washington, D.C., performed with Lloyd Whitmore’s New World Dance Company. Ms. Boykin was a student and intern at The Ailey School. She was assistant to the late Talley Beatty and an original member of Complexions. Ms. Boykin was a member of Philadanco and received a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie). She has choreographed three works for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company: Acceptance In Surrender (2005), in collaboration with fellow Ailey company members Abdur-Rahim Jackson and Matthew Rushing; Go in Grace (2008), for the Company’s 50th anniversary season with music by the award-winning singing group Sweet Honey in the Rock; and r-Evolution, Dream. (2016), inspired by the speeches and sermons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with original music by Ali Jackson. Most recently, Ms. Boykin was selected as a 2018–19 Urban Bush Women Choreographic Center Fellowship Candidate. Find Ms. Boykin on Twitter and Instagram at hbdance and Facebook as HopeBoykinDance. Ms. Boykin joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company in 2000.

Founded in 2015 by Guggenheim Fellow Christopher Rudd, RudduR Dance aims to better the world through dance.  Seen on 4 continents in its 4 years, RudduR Dance celebrates its fifth anniversary in June 2020.