SummerStage 2011 in Von King Park

City Parks Foundation recently announced the 2011 season of SummerStage, New York’s largest free performing arts festival. The festival runs from June 7 to July 13 in Brooklyn and will present free performances, ranging from R&B/hip-hop, Latin and world music, to dance and theater. 

Musical highlights for this season at Von King Park in Bed-Stuy include hip-hop pioneers NICE AND SMOOTH and THE AWESOME 2; contemporary R&B stars JON B and OLIVIA; hip hop dancers BED-STUY VETERANS; Indie rockers collective, BLACK GIRLS ROCK; and  gospel great TYE TRIBETT among other top notch artists.

“Every year SummerStage consistently hosts a selection of high quality arts programming in various parks throughout Brooklyn,” said David Rivel, City Parks Foundation Executive Director. “New Yorkers and visitors alike can now visit Brooklyn to discover talent at SummerStage that is as artistically and culturally diverse as the neighborhoods themselves.”

The Summerstage lineup for Von King Park, located on Lafayette Avenue, between Marcy and Tompkins in Bed-Stuy is as follows:

PASSION OF TAP

Hip-Hop Master Class with Shaun T

Friday, June 10

Von King Park, Brooklyn

7:00 pm – Hip-Hop Master Class by Shaun T

8:00 pm – Performance

Omar Edwards, artistic director of Passion of Tap draws from years of training with tap masters like Henry Letang, Jimmy Slyde, and Marie Brooks. Earning national acclaim for his grand prize win on the famed TV show, “Star Search,” Edwards has embarked on a career that spans the worlds of music, dance, television, theater and film. As an originator of the idea of “Foot Music,” music created by the sound of a dancer’s tap shoes as the lead instrument, Edwards recorded a tap dance album entitled, Tap Dancin is Music, making him the first of his generation to release an album where the dancer is the leader of the band as well as the lead instrument. This unique take on music sparked a numerous collaborations with music heavyweights including Alicia Keys and Common. Passion of Tap is Edwards foray into a further exploration of the sounds, energy and force of tap.

Passion of Tap starts like a jazz concert with soloist Omar Edwards, and grows to an epic, melodramatic and full-cast dance drama, finishing with an exhilirating free style jam session that will leave audiences screaming for more.

Master Class:

Shaun T is a nationally recognized dance and fitness instructor famous for creating numerous fitness programs including Hip Hop Abs®, and INSANITY. Join him as he teaches an all-ages, hip-hop master class that will have everyone dancing.

SHLANK SQUAD, ELITE FORCE and LADIES OF HIP-HOP with MAWU

Hip-Hop Master Class with Members of Shlank Squad, Elite Force, Ladies of Hip Hop

Saturday, June 11

Von King Park, Brooklyn

7:00 pm – Dance Master Class by: Members of Shlank Squad, Elite Force, Ladies of Hip Hop

8:00 pm – Performance

Hip-hop dance pioneers Shlank Squad, Elite Force, Ladies of Hip-Hop and special guests will awe audiences with their breakneck speed and tight, hard-hitting moves. Featuring a mix of choreographed as well as freestyle dance including jumps, breaks, and rotations, these dancers exemplify the charisma of hip-hop dance. Showcasing a wide range of styles including breaking, locking, popping, house & freestyle, these unique companies will unite to celebrate life through dance.

Founded in 2007, MAWU is an all-female urban dance company whose mission is to embody strong, positive images of women in the urban dance community, and to create fierce and creative works that will both educate and inspire new audiences.  Born out of New York’s underground house community, MAWU’s strength lies in the diversity of its members, all of whom represent different backgrounds, ethnicities and performance genres ranging from house to hip hop, modern to Jazz and classical ballet to traditional African.  Sharing a passion for house and the art of freestyle, the ladies of MAWU are taking over the urban dance scene one dance floor at a time.

Master Class Description:

Learn hip-hop moves from the members of Shlank Squad, Elite Force and Ladies of Hip Hop.

TYE TRIBETT

Presented in Association with Globe Star Media and WLIB

Tuesday, June 14

Von King Park, Brooklyn

7:00 pm

Although Tye Tribbett has toured and performed with some of the biggest artists in the secular world, including Justin Timberlake, Whitney Houston, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Elton John and Jill Scott, this Grammy nominated artist’s musical talents lie in the realm of Gospel music.  Tribbett passionately spreads the goodness of God through his music.   His musical ministry’s songs use the “buildups of rock power ballads, the slow strut of P-Funk and churchy, organ-driven call-and-response” to touch the hearts of many, according to The New York Times. With his solo debut at #1 on the Billboard Gospel chart, his album Fresh positions Tribbett to step forth boldly with a new message of renewal.  According to the Washington Post, this “wondrous album” highlights Tribbett’s songwriting skills as he wrote or co-wrote each song, showcasing a variety of powerful music, including the first single “Fresh.”  Tribbett’s previous chart-topping albums, Victory Live! and Stand Out! featured his former musical ensemble and gospel choir, Greater Anointing.

NICE AND SMOOTH and THE AWESOME 2

Wednesday, June 15

Von King Park, Brooklyn

7:00 pm

East coast hip-hop duo Greg Nice & Smooth B are famed for writing smart, tongue-in-cheek rhymes that ride bangin’ hooks.  Released in the late 1980’s and early to mid 90’s, Nice & Smooth’s albums, including Nice and Smooth and Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed, are acknowledged hip-hop essentials.  Their biggest hit, “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow…,” is fondly remembered for its moderately somber rhyme with introspective lines about poverty, AIDS and drugs that was set to the guitar loop of Tracy Chapman’s hit single, “Fast Car.”  Known for their humorous rhymes and catchy hooks, they often appeared as guest emcees on albums by the Beatnuts, Gang Starr, and Tony Touch among many others.

Teddy Tedd and Special K, better known as the legendary DJ duo, The Awesome 2 are regarded as power players in hip-hop’s radio and DJ scene with shows on such famed stations such as 105.9 in NYC and on Sirius and AOL. Regulars on the international party scene for over twenty years, they have played all over the world, establishing themselves as hip-hop tastemakers.

JON B / OLIVIA

Presented in Association with Globe Star Media and WBLS

Thursday, June 16

Von King Park, Brooklyn

7:00 pm        
Jon B is an accomplished musician, noted songwriter and producer who combined 1970s soul with hip-hop influences in his debut album, Bonafide.  A soulful album that highlighted his dulcet tenor, it earned him both critical and commercial success, especially with the Grammy-nominated song “Someone to Love” featuring Babyface. Jon B’s success continued with his platinum album Cool Relax, fueled by the success of “They Don’t Know,” which topped the R&B charts. In the album Stronger Everyday, Jon experimented with sounds and textures to accompany his vocals that gave his music a deeper, mature vibe.  Hopeless Romantic, showcased his songwriting skills, featuring the single “Ooh So Sexy” with Paul Wall. In 2011, Jon B will release Comfortable Swagg, which celebrates Jon’s journey as a family man.

Olivia is not only a singer but also a composer, producer and arranger that was brought on by super-producer Dr. Dre and rap icon 50 Cent as the First Lady of G-Unit. Hits with G-Unit like “Candy Shop” and “Best Friend” brought her sultry voice to radio stations around the world. Since then Olivia has pursued numerous projects including finishing her newest album, Show The World which showcases her harmonious vocal and writing talents include collaborations with Missy Elliott, Neyo and many more.

INDOMITABLE: JAMES BROWN

Featuring BURNT SUGAR, THE ARKESTRA CHAMBER and BRANDON VICTOR DIXON

Directed by Patrica McGregor

SummerStage Theater Presented By Time Warner

Friday, June 17 – Saturday, June 18

Von King Park, Brooklyn

8:00 pm 

Indomitable: James Brown is a testament to the musical, political and entrepreneurial impact of James Brown’s indomitable spirit, creativity and business wiles on American culture from the 1950s to the present.  The format of the show, moving from hard hitting and precise musical homage to direct testimony to innovative remixes of his biggest hits, provides for a spectacular experience that is dramatically riveting, visually stunning, highly danceable and searing. 

Burnt Sugar’s full complement of male and female vocalists, instrumentalists and dancers allows the show to deftly portray those aspects of Brown’s life and lifestyle that provoked his variations on the battle of the sexes.

Featuring Brandon Victor Dixon as James Brown, Dixon’s stellar possession of Brown as a performer and complex human being, will leave audiences in awe.

Director Patricia McGregor’s brilliant shaping of dramatic elements including music, dance, and video projection set against a back drop of critical historical moments creates a vibrant, fast-paced, deeply moving, and unforgettable concert event.

Burnt Sugar Freaks the James Brown Songbook (An Opera in Progress) was originally presented as part of the Apollo Theater Salon Series. The original music was commissioned as part of a national series of works from Meet the Composer/National Commissioning Network program.

SummerStage Kids’ Teen Family Day Featuring

BED STUY VETERANS / PHONY PPL / BLACK GIRLS ROCK! / URBAN WORD NYC

Sunday, June 19

Von King Park, Brooklyn

3:00 pm

SummerStage Kids presented by Disney, launches with a special Teen Family Day celebration. This multi-disciplinary program will feature music, dance and spoken word; curated by teens, for teens.

The Bed Stuy Veterans are a dance group that is reviving a distinctive Afro-Caribbean freestyle dance called brukup, which utilizes a series of pantomime-like moves that evokes break dancing, raving and butoh in equal parts, yielding an unforgettable dance experience.

Phony Ppl are redefining expectations of young artists. The band blends jazz, R&B, pop and alternative rock to make undeniable feel good music--melodies you can't forget and lyrics you belt when no one’s around.

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! offers multi-faceted youth enrichment and mentoring services to girls through dynamic programs that promote youth empowerment through the creative & performing arts. Join the ladies of BLACK GIRLS ROCK! as they co-host, DJ the day’s events, and entertain the audience with a dynamic vocal performance.

Urban Word NYC presents literary arts education and youth development programs and is at the forefront of the youth spoken word, poetry and hip-hop movements.

The complete SummerStage schedule for Brooklyn is as follows:

SummerStage 2011 Schedule

Park

Borough

Artist

Date

Show

Type

Betsy Head Park

Brooklyn

Salute to Hip-Hop featuring

EPMD and Funkmaster Flex

Presented in Association with Globe Star Media

Tuesday, June 07

7:00 PM

Concert

Betsy Head Park

Brooklyn

Special Ed

Wednesday, June 08

7:00 PM

Concert

Betsy Head Park

Brooklyn

B.T. Express and Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez

Thursday, June 09

7:00 PM

Concert

Von King Park

Brooklyn

Passion of Tap

All Levels Open Dance Master Class by Shaun T.

Friday, June 10

7:00 PM Master Class

8:00 PM

Performance

Dance

Von King Park

Brooklyn

Shlank Squad, Elite Force and Ladies of Hip-Hop with MAWU

All Levels Open Dance Master Class by

Members of Shlank Squad, Elite Force, Ladies of Hip-Hop

Saturday, June 11

7:00 PM Master Class

8:00 PM

Performance

Dance

Von King Park

Brooklyn

Tye Tribett

Presented in Association with

Globe Star Media and WLIB

Tuesday, June 14

7:00 PM

Concert

Von King Park

Brooklyn

Nice and Smooth and The Awesome 2

Wednesday, June 15

7:00 PM

Concert

Von King Park

Brooklyn

Jon B and Olivia

Presented in Association with

Globe Star Media and WBLS

Thursday, June 16

7:00 PM

Concert

Von King Park

Brooklyn

Indomitable: James Brown

Featuring Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber and Brandon Victor Dixon

SummerStage Theater Presented By

Time Warner

Friday, June 17

8:00 PM

Theater

Von King Park

Brooklyn

Indomitable: James Brown

Featuring Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber and Brandon Victor Dixon

SummerStage Theater Presented By

Time Warner

Saturday, June 18

8:00 PM

Theater

Von King Park

Brooklyn

SummerStage Kids’ Teen Family Day Featuring

Bed Stuy Veterans / Phony Ppl / Black Girls Rock! / Urban Word NYC

Sunday, June 19

3:00 PM

Family

Concerts

Red Hook Park

Brooklyn

Talib Kweli

Tuesday, June 21

7:00 PM

Concert

Red Hook Park

Brooklyn

Ozomatli

Wednesday, June 22

7:00 PM

Concert

Red Hook Park

Brooklyn

We Are Scientists and Milagres

Thursday, June 23

7:00 PM

Concert

Red Hook Park

Brooklyn

Reggie Watts and DJ Stormin’ Norman

Friday, June 24

7:00 PM

Word

Red Hook Park

Brooklyn

Dance Grand Moultrie with

Malcolm Low/ Formal Structure Inc.

All Levels Open Dance Master Class by Jamel Gaines

Saturday, June 25

7:00 PM Master Class

8:00 PM

Performance

Dance

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn

 The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series

Wednesday, July 13

7:00 PM

Concert