Dance Theatre of Harlem Performs on MLK Day in Flushing

The Kupferberg Center for the Arts begins its 2015 season and honors the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with an inspiring performance and a moving program this Sunday. The Dance Theatre of Harlem kicks things off with diverse pieces featuring movement to compositions ranging from classical works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Igor Stravinsky to modern soul ditties by James Brown and Aretha Franklin. With titles such as New Bach, In the Mirror of Her Mind, and Return, these numbers relay messages of self-reliance, artistic relevance, and individual responsibility. Another photo and details on the event’s other activities are on the jump page.

Before the show, Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake, a former congressman who is currently the senior pastor at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, reflects on King’s life and legacy during the keynote address. The event also honors Queens College’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. For example, various students participated in Freedom Summer, an organized effort to register African American voters in Mississippi in 1964. One local student, Andrew Goodman, was murdered during those efforts. The Flushing school’s new president, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, also plans to address the crowd.

Details: Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colden Auditorium at Kupferberg Center for the Arts, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, Sunday, January 18th, 4 pm, $35.

Photos: Rachel Neville