This week we “tap” in with artist Brinae Ali, who’s using grant money to dig deeper into the life of a Baltimore-born tap legend. Go behind the scenes with an area native who works around the country as an actor and producer, but still maintains there’s no place like home. Check out how a celebrated photographer takes in the work of a photography icon and relays realities of social justice movements in his new book “No Justice, No Peace.”
While she’s a Flint, Michigan native, Baltimore-based artist Brinae Ali continues to be inspired by Charm City and its gems.
“As a tap dancer I get excited in a space where one of my tap icons is from… and Baby Laurence, he’s from Baltimore,” said Ali, 40. “Being here, I’ve always had this determination to get close to him, to find out some of the missing pieces of his life — his story.”
In conjunction with her work as a fellow with the Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts and member of the Baltimore Jazz Collective, Ali had already been working on original projects to honor the late “Baby” Laurence Jackson, the legendary Baltimore-born tap dancer who performed with greats like Charlie Mingus and Count Basie.
Ali, who recently received a grant from the National Dance Project, said she plans to use the funding for the “Baby Laurence Legacy Project.” Her goal is to highlight the artist’s legacy through workshops and performances that will help residents understand the major contributions a fellow Baltimorean made to dance and jazz.
“Baby Laurence himself was an advocate for dance and the culture of jazz, at a very crucial time,” she said. “And he really was a bebop dancer…people don’t associate dancing with bebop and that genre of jazz music.”
As a teaching artist, Ali said she is inspired by Baby Laurence’s dream to create an institute for students to learn the foundations, techniques and history of tap dance, a goal the legendary figure was unable to achieve before he died of cancer at age 53.
“He definitely struggled and suffered… and it was at a time in his life where he was back up again, getting the attention and support from everybody who knew how great he was.”
Ali will perform at Jubilee Arts on Nov. 11, where she plans to give a teaser of her Baby Laurence project.
No matter where he goes, Highlandtown-born actor and producer Vincent De Paul keeps Baltimore close.
“I detox from L.A. and all these other places in Baltimore and it really grounds me,” De Paul said. “I love it here.”
De Paul, also known by his producer’s credit, Salvatore Vincent De Paul Zannino, has several new projects in the works, including one with local ties.
“Nothing’s Impossible,” a “feel-good movie” about overcoming odds, is now streaming on PureFlix.com, De Paul said, noting he was introduced to the faith and family entertainment platform by Towson University graduate and screenwriter Timothy Ratajczak.
His second project combines a love of fashion and film. De Paul, a former Versace model, is producing a new documentary about artists who worked with famed designer Gianni Versace, who was killed in 1997.
“The Genius of Gianni Versace Alive” is De Paul’s tribute to the designer, who he credits with boosting his career. After a positive reception at Milan Fashion Week last month — and a reunion with Donatella Versace, sister of Gianni, at the Versace fashion show — De Paul said he plans to take the documentary to film festivals.
Upcoming projects include “The Chop Shop,” directed by local filmmaker Irv Becker.
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“I’m very excited,” De Paul said. “It’s about a barbershop here in Maryland, and I love that because it’s homegrown talent.”
Devin Allen’s second book, “No Justice, No Peace: From the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter,” offers readers an intimate perspective on the fight for justice through photos and narratives.
The Baltimore photographer juxtaposes his work with that of celebrated civil rights photographer Gordon Parks, who captured American culture and race relations from the early 1940s into the 2000s. Parks’ work inspired Allen, whose “artivism” graced the cover of TIME Magazine and is featured in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“[Parks] once said, ‘I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty.’ I didn’t know it at the time, but the camera would also be my choice of weapon,” Allen wrote in the introduction of his new book, released Oct. 11.
The photographer has spent the last seven years capturing Baltimore’s activism – from Freddie Gray to George Floyd and beyond. In 2017, Allen became The Gordon Parks Foundation’s inaugural fellow.
“I’ve since committed my photography and art to tackle issues in my community and elevate the voices of the unheard,” he wrote.
With photos from Parks and Allen, “No Justice, No Peace,” features words from writers and activists, including local author D. Watkins. The foreword is by acclaimed New York photographer Jamel Shabazz.
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