Holidays at the Apollo: Yolanda Adams, Cynthia Erivo, Shoshana Bean, Kwanzaa – This December
Harlem, NY – October 31, 2019 – This December, the Apollo Theater will celebrate the holidays with offerings for the entire family. Holidays at the Apollo includes programs that will celebrate culture, music, and community during the festive season.
Highlights of the Holidays at the Apollo include:
- The 28th Annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic (Sunday, December 8) presented by the National Double Dutch League, returns to the Apollo stage—bringing together national and international communities of jumpers.
- Coca-Cola Winter Wonderland (Saturday, December 14) the theater’s free annual family event taking place under the iconic Apollo marquee, features live entertainment, presentations, a visit from Santa, and a toy and book drive for a Harlem charity.
- 10th Annual Amateur Night Holiday Special (Saturday, December 14), a special edition of the theater’s signature program Amateur Night at the Apollo showcasing talented young alumni of the show’s “Apollo Stars of Tomorrow” category. Performers include Matthew Whitaker, Ronald Johnson, Michelle Galvis, Christian Guardino and special guest Angelica Hale. Co-Hosted by Capone.
- Night Divine (Monday, December 16), GRAMMY award-winning vocalist and actress Cynthia Erivo and Broadway star, Shoshana Bean come together for a one-night-only Holiday Spectacular.
- Holiday Joy: A Gospel Celebration (Saturday, December 21) featuring gospel legend Yolanda Adams and singer Donald Lawrence and Company. Hosted by comedian Marcus Wiley.
- 13th Annual Kwanzaa Celebration: Regeneration Night (Saturday, December 28) now in its 13th year at the Apollo, honors the principles of Kwanzaa through music, dance, and community celebration featuring Abel R. Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, and The KIPP AMP Legacy Jazz Ensemble.
Please see below for a full schedule of Holidays at the Apollo events:
Double Dutch Holiday Classic
Sunday, December 8 at 1:00 p.m.
The National Double Dutch League presents the 28th Annual David A. Walker Memorial Double Dutch Holiday Classic, where national and international communities come together featuring three categories: speed and compulsory, fusion freestyle, and best in show.
For more information on the Double Dutch Holiday Classic visit www.apollotheater.org
Coca-Cola Winter Wonderland
Saturday, December 14 from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Before the Apollo Amateur Night Holiday Special, the Apollo and Coca-Cola are partnering to bring themagic of the holiday season to Harlem. Under the Apollo’s iconic marquee, Coca-Cola will offer picturetaking with Santa Claus and singing under the marquee with live musical entertainment, as well as otherholiday-themed activities and performances. In the spirit of giving, the afternoon will also include a toy andbook drive for a local Harlem charity. This family event is hosted by Billy Mitchell, the Apollo’s tourdirector and in-house historian.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.apollotheater.org
10th Annual Amateur Night Holiday Special
Featuring The Apollo Amateur Night Stars of Tomorrow Alumni
Special Guest Angelica HaleCo-Hosted by Capone
Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m.
The Apollo Theater lights up the holiday season with the Amateur Night Holiday Special. The tenth annualevent under its signature program Amateur Night at the Apollo, showcases the talented young alumni of theshow’s “Apollo Stars of Tomorrow” category and will feature performances by Matthew Whitaker,Ronald Johnson, Michelle Galvis, Christian Guardino and special guest Angelica Hale of NBC’sAmerica’s Got Talent.
Tickets for the Amateur Night Holiday Special start at $28. Tickets will be available at the Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now.
Holiday Joy: A Gospel Celebration
Featuring Yolanda Adams and Donald Lawrence and Company
Saturday, December 21 at.4:00 p.m.
Join us for an afternoon of soul stirring Holiday gospel music to lift your Holiday spirits and bless your Christmas season. Yolanda Adams and Donald Lawrence will warm your soul. Marcus Wiley, host and comedian, promises to delight you and your loved ones throughout the evening.
Tickets for Holiday Joy: A Gospel Celebration start at $35 and will be available at the Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now.
Kwanzaa Celebration: Regeneration Night
Featuring Abdel R. Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre With The KIPP AMP Legacy Jazz Ensemble
Hosted by Imhotep Gary Byrd
December 28 at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.
Since 2006, the Apollo has established an annual performance with Abdel Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre to commemorate the holiday tradition of Kwanzaa. The Apollo’s celebration is a joyful evening of dance and music honoring the principles of Kwanzaa—family, community, and culture. This year’s performance will include The KIPP AMP Legacy Jazz Ensemble.
Tickets for Kwanzaa Celebration: Regeneration Night start at $25. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now.
Get social! For exclusive photos, updates and more use the hashtags #HolidaysAtApollo and #KwanzaaApollo
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Support
Amateur Night at the Apollo and Holidays at the Apollo are sponsored by Coca-Cola.
The Apollo's 2019-2020 season is made possible by leadership support from Coca-Cola, Citi, Ford Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and the Jerome L. Greene Arts Access Fund in the New York Community Trust.
Public support for the Apollo Theater is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About the Apollo Theater
The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.
With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo, the world premiere theatrical reading of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s National Book Award-winning Between the World and Me, 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella, the annual Africa Now! Festival, and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved. The Apollo is a performing arts presenting organization that also produces festivals and large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; global festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention; international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, James Brown, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Dave Chappelle, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, Sarah Vaughan, Gladys Knight, and Luther Vandross; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy. For more information visit https://www.apollotheater.org/.
About The Apollo
The Apollo is an American cultural treasure. It is a vibrant non-profit organization rooted in the Harlem community that engages people from around New York, the nation, and the world. Since 1934, The Apollo has celebrated, created, and presented work that centers Black artists and voices from across the African Diaspora. It has also been a catalyst for social and civic advocacy. Today, The Apollo is the largest performing arts institution committed to Black culture and creativity.
The Apollo is a commissioner and presenter; catalyst for new artists, audiences, and creative workforce; and partner in the projection of the African American narrative and its role in the development of American and global culture.
The Apollo envisions a new American canon centered on contributions to the performing arts by artists of the African diaspora, in America and beyond.
