Abdel R. Salaam facts for kids

Abdel R. Salaam is a famous choreographer, director, and teacher from Harlem, New York City. He has been involved in the arts since 1955. He is known for co-founding and directing the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. He also leads DanceAfrica, a huge festival started by Chuck Davis (dancer). DanceAfrica is one of the biggest African American dance, music, and art festivals in the United States. Thousands of people come to this yearly event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It includes an outdoor market, films, music, and workshops. It's one of the longest-running festivals at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

In 1981, Abdel Salaam, Olabamidele Husbands, and dancer Dyane Harvey started the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre company. This New York City dance group mixes traditional African dance with ritual dance. They also use styles like ballet, modern dance, and hip-hop.

Early Life and Learning

Abdel Salaam started learning music at a very young age. When he was five, he played piano, xylophone, and glockenspiel. By age nine, he was studying classical viola, and at eleven, he played alto saxophone. He went to the High School of Music and Art in New York City and finished in 1968.

After high school, he attended Lehman College in the Bronx. There, he met Professor Joan Miller (choreographer), a dancer and choreographer. She invited him to join the college's first dance major program and became his mentor. Teachers like Louis Falco, John Parks, Nadine Revine, Miguel Godreau, and Chuck Davis also taught in this new dance program. Abdel says Joan Miller helped him believe that art and dance can be used to share important messages. He believes art can promote peace with our planet and help solve human problems.

Amazing Career Highlights

While studying at Lehman College, Abdel became a main dancer with the Joan Miller Chamber Arts Dance Players. Early in his career, he also danced with other groups like the Fred Benjamin Dance Company. Later, he became an Associate Artistic Director for the Chuck Davis Dance Company. He has also been a guest dancer with the American Contemporary Ballet Company.

In 1981, Abdel started Forces of Nature Dance Theatre with his partner Olabamidele Husbands and his wife, Dyane Harvey.

In the 1980s, Abdel traveled to different events around the world. He was a delegate for Artists for Ecology's International Summit in Utah. He also took part in a conference about Third World Arts in Oxford, England. In the 80s, he joined the 12th Annual Festival for Peace in Moscow, Russia.

In 1988, Reverend James Parks Morton asked Abdel to create an African Episcopal Mass. This special church service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine used dance, music, and singing.

Abdel also represented the Brooklyn Academy of Music at a dance festival in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abdel is trained in many dance styles, including modern dance, Afro-Caribbean dance, ballet, jazz, and traditional African dance. He also knows martial arts. His company, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, performs a yearly Kwanzaa celebration at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Before that, it was held at Aaron Davis Hall.

In 1990, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre and the Alvin Ailey Dance company led a parade. This was during Nelson and Winnie Mandela's important visit to New York City.

In 2015, Abdel became the artistic director for DanceAfrica. Chuck Davis had started this festival in 1977. DanceAfrica brings together artists from Africa, the African Diaspora (people of African descent living outside Africa), and artists from the United States.

In 2016, his dance company, Forces of Nature, was featured on a PBS television special. This show, called 'Free to Dance', was about the history of Black dance in the 20th Century. His company also worked on a film project called 'When the Spirit Moves'. This project was with the National Association of Black Museums. It explored how African American dance influenced Western culture. The dance company was also part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Abdel Salaam is also the artistic director of Brooklyn's DanceAfrica festival. He directs the Harlem Children's Zone/Forces of Nature Youth Academy of Dance. He also leads the yearly Kwanzaa celebration at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

He has taught at famous places like the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Lehman College. Currently, he directs the Harlem Children's Zone and Forces of Nature Youth Academy of Dance and Wellness.

Noted Works

Abdel Salaam has created many important dance pieces:

• "Eclipse: Visions of the Crescent and the Cross" explores the connections and differences between Islam and Christianity.
• "The Life and Legend of Marie Laveau" is about a famous voodoo priestess from 18th-century New Orleans.
• Other works include "Coming Forth by Day," "Ode to Brahma," "Terrestrial Wombs," "Ancestral Earths," and "Healing Seven."

Awards and Honors

Abdel Salaam has received many awards for his amazing work:

• 1987 and 2007 - DanceAfrica Award in Choreography
• 1989 - Nominated for American Choreographer of the Year
• 1991-1993 and 1994-1996 - Choreography Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
• 1992 - Monarch Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance
• 1994 - Lehman College Silver Anniversary Award for his achievements in dance
• 2000 - Better Family Life Lifetime Achievement Award in Arts
• 2003-2007 - Artist in Residence at Tennessee Performing Art Center
• 2004 - New York Foundation for the Arts fellow
• 2013 - Audelco Award for Excellence in Black Theater as Dance Company of the year
• 2017 - The Bessie Awards in dance for his work 'Healing Seven'

Quotes

Abdel R. Salaam has shared his thoughts on art and dance: "My spirit is lifted through Art and the world of Dance! Dance and the Divine are One!" He also notes, "A lot of people don't know that there is a huge contemporary dance movement on the African continent. A lot of it is postmodern." He explains that this movement takes traditional culture and makes it modern. "It's about making a contemporary statement about the energy of African culture as we take our traditional language and turn it into something more modern. I feel DanceAfrica should show the many different ways of thinking in African dance."