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A Broadway theater was renamed in honor of Lena Horne

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American actress and singer Lena Horne (1917-2010) attends a fundraiser for the Actors Studio in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, circa 1955. (Photo by Ed Feingersh/Pix/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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For the primary time in history, Broadway’s famous row of theaters will now have a black woman’s name immortalized amongst its ranks.

The Nederlander Organization announced today that the Brooks Atkinson Theater will likely be officially renamed the Lena Horne Theater on November 1, in honor of the legendary entertainer.

Located at 256 West forty seventh Street, the theater has hosted productions resembling the Cotton Club-style musical in recent years. It opened in 1926 as The Mansfield in honor of actor Richard Mansfield, and was renamed the Brooks Atkinson Theater in 1960 in tribute to the famous drama critic.

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Now the theater will likely be renamed once more in tribute to the long-lasting film and recording artist and civil rights activist, becoming the primary Broadway theater to be named after a black woman.

A Broadway theater was renamed in honor of Lena Horne
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: View of the Brooks Atkinson Theater during Broadway shows and musicals which were closed to the general public throughout the Covid-19 pandemic on May 3, 2020 in New York City. COVID-19 has spread to most countries world wide, causing over 248,000 deaths and over 3.5 million infections reported. (Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

In the summer of 2020, the Nederlander Organization began the method of trying to find a legendary figure in black theater, for whom the Brooks Atkinson Theater was renamed in solidarity with Black Theater United. Given Horne’s groundbreaking history in entertainment – she was the primary black woman to be nominated for a Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical – and her organic connection to the theater (a play about her life and times was performed there in 1981), the alternative of the actress was obvious. .

The name change will likely be celebrated with an unveiling ceremony on forty seventh Street, which can even happen on November 1. Co-produced by Christina Selby and Jacquelyn Bell, the ceremony will feature special performances, remarks and the disclosing of a brand new marquee, kicking off with a block party featuring a live DJ to have a good time this historic moment for the theater community.

A Broadway theater was renamed in honor of Lena Horne
LOS ANGELES – 1943: Lena Horne poses for promotional photos for the film “I Dood It” directed by Vincente Minnelli in 1943 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)

Legendary stars and luminaries from the Broadway and entertainment community are also expected to hitch the celebration.

The official opening of the Lena Horne Theater will happen on November 1, 2022.

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Arthur Mitchell, co -founder of The Dance Theater of Harlem, died

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Arthur Mitchell, co -founder of The Dance Theater of Harlem, died

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According to his niece Juli Mills-ross, a pioneer dancer and choreographer, Angel Mitchell, died of kidney failure on Wednesday morning. He was 84 years old. Born in Harlem in 1934, Mitchell grew up as one of the outstanding dancers within the Fifties and Sixties, because of his charismatic style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxlshfuolzs

In 1955, Mitchell became the primary African American dancer from New York City Ballet (NYCB), to the good disappointment of some white patrons who complained when he was paired with white ballerinas. Despite this, the co -founder and artistic director of NYCB George Balanchine still gives Mitchella the chance of flash. Soon, Mitchell became a soloist and at last the primary dancer, who was the primary for a big ballet company on the time. After his term at New York City Ballet, Mitchell became a co -founder Harlem Dance Theater With Karel Shour in 1969. His primary goal was to open a faculty for young black people in the world where he grew up. Although many individuals thought that they were crazy about establishing a classic Uptown ballet school, under the leadership of Mitchell The Dance Theater of Harlem, he became one of a very powerful dance institutions in America.

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According to a former dance critic Alan Kriegsman, “Mr. Mitchell not only launched and strengthened the career of many excellent dancers, but also changed the image of African -American dance professional.” Throughout his entire profession, Mitchell won several awards, each as a dancer and because the artistic director of the Dance Theater in Harlem. In 1993 he was honored by Kennedy Center of the Performing ArtsThe following 12 months through which he received the MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant”. In 1995, Mitchell received National Medal of Arts. Mitchell, who described himself as Jackie Robinson from Ballet World, was powered by one goal: to interrupt down what many considered possible for the black people. “The myth was that because you were black, that it was impossible to do a classic dance,” he he said. “I proved that it is wrong.” Rest in peace.

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