Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center in Association with Central Baptist Church of NYC Presents The Gospel According to THPAC

SATURDAY, JUNE 17- SUNDAY, JUNE 18 AT 7:00 PM

Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC) will present The Gospel According to THPAC at Central Baptist Church of NYC at 166 W. 92nd Street on June 17-18 at 7:00 p.m. Central Baptist Church of NYC is accessible via the 1, 2, 3, or B subway lines. Event information will be released on the THPAC website in May.

The Gospel According to THPAC is a dance narrative work that features gospel music, photography, video and spoken word pieces. The Gospel According to THPAC was conceived by THPAC Executive Chairman Alex Smith, Jr. and features choreography by Will A. Ervin, Jr., Jamel Gaines and Walter Rutledge. The dance tells the story of Black America from pre-slavery, slavery, Jim Crow, the ‘60s Civil Rights Movement and onto the Black Lives Matter Movement. It is set to music by Stephanie Mills, Nina Simone, Rev. James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir, among others.

“I am thrilled to bring The Gospel According to THPAC to the stage. It was inspired by my mother, her love of gospel music, and her spiritual journey through the church.” said Smith, Jr. “She helped select the music but sadly passed away before she could see the work brought to life. Her life and others like hers are honored through this program.”

Additional 2023 THPAC productions include So Very Sly, a multi-media presentation featuring choreography, visual projections and special effects set to music by Sly and the Family Stone from June 29-30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mark O’Donnell Theater in Manhattan. A Ramp to Paradise, based on a short story by Smith, Jr. published in an anthology, A River Runs Beneath Us, tells the story of the famed underground Black gay dance club, “The Paradise Garage.” The date and location are to be announced.

About Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center:

The Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC) was founded 46 years ago to support the creative ideas of choreographers and dance companies of color. Its mission is to preserve and present the artistic vision of dance artists of color. For 46 years, THPAC has supported and attracted emerging and established dance artists of colorwho seek out the organization’s experimental yet historically aware environment. THPAC has become a viable institution for communities that have traditionally celebrated and reflected on their social and cultural issues throughthe rituals of music, dance, literature, and performance. THPAC’s founder, Larry Phillips, began working as a dance therapist in Brooklyn at a community center that sponsored children’s education and support programs for single parents attending New York Technical College. The programs were the forerunner of THPAC. In 1977, he renamed the organization after his renowned and highly influential teacher, the late Thelma Hill, who remains a positive force in the dance world of New York City and beyond.

About Central Baptist Church of NYC:

The mission of Central Baptist Church of NYC is the same mission Jesus gave his followers: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.