This weekend, Memphis, Tenn. will become the Step Dancing Capital of the world as weekend steppers far and wide will converge upon Memphis, as my good friends at 21st Century Productions present the “Back 2 Back Step-tacular”.
Now in its second year, the Back 2 Back Step-tacular is an event that is hosted by two cities, Memphis and St. Louis, with St Louis hosting part one in May and Memphis hosting part two in June. Steppers from Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, Tampa, Minneapolis and Montgomery, Ala. will be in attendance.
“Last year was a planning year” stated Stephanie Hollamon, Marketing Director, 21st Century Productions. “We basically started this journey with the two organizations coming together to socialize and dance.” What developed from savvy marketing techniques presented by our counterpart, Iary Israel, CEO, Word of Mouth Entertainment, and literally by word of mouth, (no pun intended), are two events that have exploded into a major production.”
What’s amazing is that many Memphians are not aware that the Step Dancing culture is big here. So get it in gear, it’s not too late to get a crash course in Step Dancing by the weekend. There are many classes being given around the city. The Bluff City Steppers holds classes every Tuesday and Thursday at the Orange Mound Community Center, 2590 Park Avenue from 6:00 until 7:30 pm. For more information on that class, contact Doris Matthews at (901) 485-7252. You might want to take your gym shoes with you. I’m still working on my skills, even though they are still somewhat non-existent. But I’m getting better.
There’s also tons of information on the web. Also, for more information on the Back 2 Back Step-tacular, just visit their website at www.21stcentproductions.com for more details.
On Another Note: It’s that time again!
The Stax Music Academy’s Snap Summer Music Camp is gearing up for their Grand Finale Performance on Saturday, June 27th at 7 p.m. at Buckman Performing Arts Center. This year’s theme, “At the Corner of Soulsville and Hitsville: Stax Celebrates Motown,” is a special salute to Motown Records as the legendary record label celebrates it’ 50th Anniversary.
Special guest will be Terron Brooks, the actor who convincingly portrayed Eddie Kendricks in the Emmy Award winning NBC mini-series, “The Temptations”. He will reprise this role during the performance. You know it’s going to be a great event as always.
Tickets to the Grand Finale are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at the Stax Museum gift shop at 926 E. McLemore, or may be purchased with a major credit card by calling 901-946-2535.
Ask Myron:Q: “How many seasons did the Richard Pryor Show air on NBC?”
M. Chism, Memphis
A: It actually did not last a full season. It barely lasted a full month. After recording a highly successful comedy special for NBC, Richard Pryor agreed to do a comedy series for the network. He signed on for the first season of 10 episodes. However after battling it out with network censors, Pryor became frustrated and negotiated with NBC to cut the amount of episodes to four so that he could end the series early. Although the cutting edge show was short lived, it helped boost the careers of actors Tim Reid, Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard and John Witherspoon among others. Those episodes are now available on DVD.
Q: “I read somewhere that the Melvin Van Peebles movie, “Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song” inspired the movie Shaft, was this true?”
R. Williams, Memphis
A: The film did not inspire the story of Shaft; it actually inspired the producers of the film to cast a black actor in the role of Shaft. You might want to check out the film, “Baadasssss” directed by Van Peebles son Mario. It stars Mario in the role of his father and tells the story of how the legendary film was made. It can be found in most all video stores or on Netflix.
(Got an entertainment question? Send me an email at myron@myronmays.com or give me a call at (901) 288-6394. If your question is printed, I’ll send you a couple of free tickets to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.)
