Midtown is a state of mind. Midtown is a movement.

A commonly asked question of The Midtown Entertainment Group is: Why the name Midtown?
The answer is simple. Midtown is more than just a location. It's a state of mind. When Managing Director Enrika Sissle and I conceived this adventure, we felt that arts and culture are most meaningful when they meet the people where they are. Finding middle ground can lead to understanding.

Tallahassee is a very segregated city. Not many will admit that in the open but it is. Some neighborhoods may give the visual of it being a melting pot. Often times it's cosmetic. Venture into  the social circles, frequent the cultural events and you will find an imbalance. That imbalance is on the stage and in the audience

As the creative team we have made it our purpose to create a new standard of culture in Tallahassee. Our goal is to embrace the best in all of us. This past Saturday The Midtown Entertainment Group hosted our first open house to celebrate the opening of The Midtown Studio, our base of operation. We watched our vision literally unfold before our very eyes. In one room, at one time sat four generations of people. Everyone  was there to experience The Midtown Movement. Our guests participated in the ancient art of Tai Chi, Middle Eastern Belly Dancing, and the funk of Hip Hop. I learned a Hip Hop Dance routine right along side my mother. Imagine that! To give them a slight taste of the dramatic, I lead this diverse group of people in an improve game of storytelling that ended with one of the main characters dying a comedic death. Different people of different ages were in one space enjoying and learning from one another.

This is why we have art. This is the purpose of sharing culture. This is The Midtown Movement.

The Redemption of Cooper Morgan...

Arthur Mitchell, dancer, choreographer , and founder of The Dance Theatre of Harlem was quoted saying that "The human body is the first instrument that God made." I have to agree. Watching The Cooper Morgan Dance Company perform is like watching humans leap to touch the heavens. Coincidently, Savery Morgan co-founder of Cooper Morgan is a former member of The Dance Theatre of Harlem. Don't quote me on this. I only over heard him say this. I could have heard wrong. If I did, as I have said in previous blogs; Don't come for me, this is merely a blog of my thoughts and feelings concerning the arts, not an article for a major news publication. The front name for this prolific group of dancers I am proud to say is my long time friend DeWitt Cooper. When I say we go "back", we go BACK. I'm talking like the "90's". Time really does fly.

DeWitt Cooper a graduate of The Case Western Reserve University is a dynamic teacher, former employee of Disney, and was a cast member of the Broadway Tour of In the Heights. I'm banking that his work with The Cooper Morgan Dance Company is among his proudest accomplishments.
For 10 years Cooper Morgan has hosted a Summer Intensive in cooperation with the Tallahassee Community College. The participants range from elementary age to collegiate.

I experienced my dear friend and his dancers in action this past Friday Evening. The concert was the finale of the week long study. As we waited in the lobby of The Fred Turner Auditorium, the young dancers danced us to our seats with a little Uptown Funk. They served us all of the flavor that hip hop is known for. The concert officially opened with a visual prayer, set to the music of Come Sunday. Act one of the concert featured the young students of the intensive. The highlight of the first act was a mini- ballet entitled "La Fiesta Negra". It was the story of a Queen who sacrificed her life for her loyal citizens. That was my interpretation at least. Amir's Solo, proved how beautifully poetic street dancing can be when given the chance. His performance was among the many memorable moments.

Act Two showed me what The Cooper Morgan Dance Company was really about. The members of this company took to the stage with choreography that was gracefully athletic. Each musical piece provided unusual colors for this visual tapestry of motion. Redemption and Choice Rights left illustrious images of movement , shape, and light for my mind to inhale. It then occurred to me that my dancer friends have some of the best taste in music. I have developed a profound appreciation and even admiration for how dancers visualize motion with sound. It gives the music you hear a visual that is equally stimulating for the mind. The experience becomes three dimensional.

Thank you DeWitt Cooper and Savery Morgan. Your breathtaking army of dancers, from the novice to the professional are The Midtown Movement.