For those in-the-know,
Memorial Day weekend is definitely not a time to flee the city,
because that’s when the Brooklyn Academy of Music brings dance,
film, live music and merchandise from the African diaspora to
Fort Greene.
The 27th annual Dance Africa festival brings performances by
Ghana’s Nii Tettey Tetteh and the Kusun Ensemble; the New York
City-based Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble and the Ezibu Muntu
African Dance Company from Virginia. For a complete list of performance
dates and times, which begin May 28, and ticket prices, visit
BAM’s Web site at www.bam.org.
The festival also includes dance master classes with Nii Tettey
Tetteh and The Kusun Ensemble at the Mark Morris Dance Center
(3 Lafayette Ave.) on May 23 ($8, $5 children under 16); a Dance
Africa Bazaar in the parking lots adjacent to BAM May 29-31;
and a film program at the BAM Rose Cinemas beginning May 27.
A highlight of the film festival will be two free, sneak-preview
screenings on May 31 of Jim McKay’s movie "Everyday People"
set in Fort Greene. McKay and executive producer Nelson George
will give a Q&A following the 6:45 pm screening. The film’s
composer and Chocolate Genius front man Marc Anthony Thompson
(pictured), will give a live performance in the BAMcafe.
Now that’s not something you’ll see "everyday" in Brooklyn.