Harlem’s Holiday Lights parade returns

The holiday season kicked off in Harlem with the 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID) hosting its 31st annual parade of lights. This year’s theme was “Dance! Harlem’s Heartbeat.”

“[Over] more than 30 years, Harlem Holiday Lights has evolved into a community-wide holiday celebration representing the historical and cultural flavors of our neighborhood and draws thousands of visitors from all over the region,” said Barbara Askins, president and CEO of 125th BID, in a statement.

Parade organizers named Misty Copeland this year’s grand marshal. She is principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre and the first Black woman to be promoted to the position in the company’s 75-year history. She is also the founder of the Misty Copeland Foundation.

“It is such an honor to be here in this community and to be a part of this when they’re focusing on highlighting dance and celebrating dance here in Harlem,” said Copeland. “Having my foundation here in Harlem. It’s a free after school ballet class in community centers, offering Black and Brown kids an opportunity to be exposed to dance. It means everything to be a part of this and have some of our students on the float with me tonight.”

The Legacy Award recipient this year is Dr. George Faison, the first Black person to win a Tony Award for choreography for “The Wiz” (1975). He has been a community staple for decades.

Faison began his career as a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater before forming his own company, the George Faison Universal Dance Experience. He has also choreographed for musical greats, including Ashford & Simpson, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Dionne Warwick, and Stephanie Mills. In 1999, he created the Firehouse Respect Project, a youth empowerment troupe for community outreach. By the next year, the project found a home at the decommissioned firehouse in Harlem that still serves as a performing arts space.

The ceremony to give Faison was held at the Forum at Columbia University, with key community leaders in attendance, including Manhattan Community Board 9 representatives and U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, along with performances from the Uptown Dance Academy and Dance Theatre of Harlem.

The parade itself has evolved from simple street decorations into a light showcase. It had a record 20 magically lit up floats and a firetruck this year. There were also dozens of community activities like a toy giveaway, a canned food drive, and live musical entertainment.

“The parade and our activations are an opportunity to further shine a spotlight on 125th Street and the iconic neighborhood as a growing arts, culture, and entertainment destination while also encouraging locals and visitors to support the economic fabric of the corridor, our small businesses,’’Askins continued. “We look forward to such a warm and uplifting start to the holiday season to celebrate this year’s theme of ‘Dance! Harlem’s Heartbeat’ and the vibrancy of Harlem.”

Community partners and sponsors include Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, MMPCIA, CB9, CB10, CB11, Apollo Theater, Foxworth Realty, WABC-TV, Columbia University, Settepani Restaurant, M&T Bank, Verizon, UFT, Metro Plus Health, Toys of Hope, Ryan Health, ARC XVI A. Philip Randolph Senior Center, Industrial Bank, Anheuser-Busch, Dance Theatre of Harlem, ABC 7 NY, Hope Center, Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, Mushtari, Harlem-Dowling West Side Center, Harlem Community Development Corporation, Central Harlem Senior Citizens’ Centers, Inc., American Giving Project, Miss Jessie’s, Thurgood Marshall Academy, W. 135th Street Apartments Tenant Association, Inc., Harlem Advocates for Seniors, Uptown Dance Academy, Fata Realty, MAC Cosmetics, United House of Prayer, FDNY, NYPD, Situation Group, and others.

The post Harlem’s Holiday Lights parade returns appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here