Black History Month, MLK dates from Cap One City Parks Summer Stage

Curated by Screenmancer Staff

Jan. 7 (NEW YORK, NY): The Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Anywhere digital series is excited to announce a continuation of weekly digital performances in 2021on SummerStageAnwhere.org. The series will debut on January 15th with a performance commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

Marching On: Celebrating The Life & Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in association with Winter Jazzfest and Voices of a People’s History of the United States celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and commitment to equity, freedom & peace for Black Americans and all people of this country and the world. With that clarion call as resonant today as it ever was, artists across disciplines will breathe their own passion and the power of our present time into Dr. King’s vision. Featured artists include alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin; poet and organizer Mahogany Browne; vocalist and educator C. Anthony Bryant; actress and poet Linda Labeija; NAACP and OBIE-Award winning actor Ty Jones; R&B/soul singer Deva Mahal; R&B singer-songwriter Tarriona “Tank” Ball; and harpist Brandee Younger who was recently awarded Rising Star Harpist in Downbeat Magazine’s 2020 Critics Poll. The performance will be narrated by curator and multidisciplinary artist Niama Safia Sandy and will premiere on Friday, January 15th at 7:00pm ET on SummerStageAnywhere.org.

Starting February 1st, SummerStage Anywhere will present weekly digital episodes featuring music and dance performances, conversations with artists and more. Each month SummerStage Anywhere will debut one new segment while also airing encore performances that will include never-before-seen footage, Q&As, and interviews with artists. SummerStage Anywhere will continue throughout 2021 as the festival prepares to produce in-person performances safely in parks later this year, pending state and city approvals.

Throughout February, SummerStage Anywhere will celebrate Black History Month and will feature a special performance — Michael Mwenso: Hope, Resist & Heal — on February 25th. Musician, artist, social commentator and SummerStage alumni, Mwenso’s performance of this piece, and commentary with arts journalist Shannon Effinger, will offer his unique and ancestral perspective on Black music and its power to heal us. He will be joined by his group, Mwenso and the Shakes, a multicultural New York jazz group.

The first performances for SummerStage Anywhere 2021 can be found below. Additional performances will be announced. For the most up-to-date scheduling and lineup information, please visit SummerStageAnywhere.org:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

● January 15: Marching On: Celebrating The Life & Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in association with Winter Jazzfest and Voices of a People’s History of the United States (debut on SummerStageAnywhere.org) at 7:00PM ET. Marching On celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and commitment to equity, freedom & peace for Black Americans and all people of this country and the world. With that clarion call as resonant today as it ever was, artists across disciplines will breathe their own passion and the power of our present time into Dr. King’s vision. Featured artists include alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin (recorded at her studio); poet and organizer Mahogany Browne; vocalist and educator C. Anthony Bryant (recorded at Brooklyn’s Sultan Room); actress and poet Linda Labeija; NAACP and OBIE-Award winning actor Ty Jones; R&B/soul singer Deva Mahal (recorded at her home); R&B singer-songwriter Tarriona “Tank” Ball and harpist Brandee Younger who was recently awarded Rising Star Harpist in Downbeat Magazine’s 2020 Critics Poll (recorded at Brooklyn’s Sultan Room). The performance will be narrated by curator and multidisciplinary artist Niama Safia Sandy.

Black History Month Celebrations

● February 4: “Lift Every Voice” (encore on SummerStageAnywhere.org) at 7:00PM ET. Originally premiered during the 2020 season, this dance and music performance film featuring Khalia Campbell of Alvin Ailey, Desmond Richardson of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Angie Swan of David Byrne’s American Utopia, with creative direction by Danni Gee, SummerStage dance curator, will feature newly added content.

● February 11: “Rodney King” Film Conversation with Roger Guenveur Smith and Dr. Stephanie Leigh Batiste (debut on SummerStageAnywhere.org) at 7:00PM ET. This conversation will focus on the 2017 film “Rodney King” directed by Spike Lee, featuring the Bessie-Award winning solo performance shot at SummerStage in Manhattan’s East River Park, and will feature the writer and star of the film Roger Guenvuer Smith and academic, author, and performance artist Dr. Stephanie Leigh Batiste. They will dive into the performance’s early improvisational roots, international theatrical runs, and its screen adaptation, focusing on the continued resonance of Rodney King in a new decade that has been tragically fraught with unresolved issues of state-sanctioned violence. The film gives voice to the man at the center of the brutal police beating that helped fuel the 1992 Los Angeles uprising. The film is currently streaming on Netflix and in advance of the conversation, will be made available to watch for free by special arrangement (details on how to access the film will be shared at SummerStageAnywhere.org).

● February 18: The Rewind: A Black History Month Celebration featuring

highlights from the 2020 SummerStage Anywhere Season with an introduction by Greg Tate (encore on SummerStageAnywhere.org) at 7:00PM ET. This roundup will feature a highlight reel of Black music and dance artists including Angelique Kidjo and Rennie Harris Puremovement, from our first-ever all-digital SummerStage season with a special introduction by Harlem-based journalist and Black Rock Coalition co-founder, Greg Tate.

● February 25: Michael Mwenso: Hope, Resist & Heal, performance and conversation with Shannon Effinger, in association with New York Music Month Extended Play, an initiative of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Entertainment (debut on SummerStageAnywhere.org) at 7:00PM ET. Musician, artist and social commentator Michael Mwenso offers his unique and ancestral perspective on Black music and its power to heal us. As an African-born queer man growing up in London and New York, Mwenso will dive into a wide range of his own discoveries while shedding light on the Black experience through interludes of his own music. This live studio recording with Mwenso and the Shakes and commentary with arts journalist Shannon Effinger (New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR Music, Pitchfork) will take us on a ride through the continuum and power of Black roots music. He will be joined by his group, Mwenso and the Shakes, a multicultural New York jazz group.

Following in March will be a celebration of Women’s History Month with RISING TIDES, The International Women’s Day Celebration on March 8th. The presentation, co-produced by four four presents, will feature music and dance with artists from Canada and the USA celebrating the strength, beauty and power of women working together. In April, a commemorative performance is planned to celebrate Poetry Month.

All performances will be streamed on SummerStageAnywhere.org and all SummerStage social channels (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch).

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is a proud member of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).

Twitter: @SummerStage

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Instagram: @SummerStage

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Official Hashtags: #SummerStage #SummerStageAnywhere 

As an independent, not-for-profit organization, we rely on our donors to help us make SummerStage possible. Support from donors will help secure the future of SummerStage as New York’s largest free outdoor performing arts festival. We believe the arts are for everyone and encourage those who can donate to visit cityparksfoundation.org/give for more information.

Capital One is the title sponsor of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Anywhere. Supporting Sponsors Bloomberg Philanthropies, Nestle Water (Perrier).

Generous private support is provided by The Thompson Family Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, and The Shubert Organization. SummerStage is also supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYS Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson including Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Council Member Mark Levine, Council Member Bill Perkins, Council Member Carlina Rivera, Council Member Helen Rosenthal, and Council Member Rafael Salamanca. Additional support is generously provided by our dedicated SummerStage Members.

In all of its programming and activities, City Parks Foundation partners with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to activate neighborhood parks.

 All things City Parks Foundation – At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs — located in more than 400 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City — reach 300,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

Who is SummerStage?

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is New York’s largest free outdoor performing arts festival. SummerStage annually presents approximately 100 performances in 15-18 parks throughout the five boroughs. With performances ranging from American pop, Latin, world music, dance and theater, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City’s summer arts festival landscape. Since its inception 35 years ago, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage. In 2020, Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Anywhere was launched in response to the global pandemic, presenting 80 free digital performances, spanning all genres, available to all around the world. Capital One is the Title Sponsor of SummerStage. For more information, visit www.SummerStage.org. 

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Recap

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Anywhere Announces

2021 Digital Series

Weekly Digital Performances Throughout the Year, Debuting with an All-Star Tribute Celebrating the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 15

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