City School District Of Albany: Dance Show To Honor Famed Composer

Albany NY

28 May, 2022

12:51 PM

Description

Press release from City School District of Albany: May 27, 2022 Albany High School performers will take part in a Thursday dance recital that celebrates the life of an 18th-century, world-renowned composer through classical ballet, African-Carribean dance and modern dance. "Liberté: The Chevalier from Paris to the Carribean" celebrates the journey of Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint-George. The performance will be held at Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST) at 6:30 p.m. Dance teacher Omonike Akinyemi is choreographing and directing the performance. Senior Josh Diaz will play the role of Saint-George. Additional performers include students from Just Dance! classes, the Cinema-Dance-Musical-Theater Club, Select Choir, World Drumming class and Media Arts class. Also, fourth and fifth grade students from the South End Children's Café will perform. Saint-George was known as "The Black Mozart." Born in the French colony of Guadeloupe, he was the son of a wealthy planter and his wife's African slave. Saint-George gained fame as a virtuoso violinist, classical composer and conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris. He also was a champion fencer and colonel of the black legion, and he was an early supporter of racial equality in France and England. TOAST is located in Lincoln Park, off Delaware Avenue. This press release was produced by City School District of Albany. The views expressed here are the author's own.