The Apollo Presents Kwanzaa: A Regeneration Celebration
WHAT: The Apollo announced today its annual Kwanzaa celebration, which returns in-person for the first
time in two years, offering attendees the opportunity to experience the cultural importance and collective
Black joy that characterize the holiday. Kwanzaa: A Regeneration Celebration will take place on Friday,
December 30 at 7:30pm EST, anchored by performances from renowned New York-based dance company
Abdel Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre—the creative force behind the 40-year tradition which
blends contemporary modern, West African, house, and hip-hop dance styles—as well as special guest
artist, Haitian American singer Pauline Jean. Also featured will be the young people of the Forces of
Nature/Harlem Children’s Zone Youth Arts Academy of Dance and Wellness, performing under the
direction of Jae Ponder.
Over the years, the Apollo has worked to ensure the presentation of its Kwanzaa program during the seven-
day celebration of African American culture, carving out space for the community to reflect on the seven
basic principles (the Nguzo Saba) and recommit to the collective achievement of a better life for families,
community, and Black people overall. The event, hosted by Harlem-born actor, playwright, community
activist, and first-time Apollo Kwanzaa emcee Stephanie Berry, will take place in the Apollo’s Historic
Theater. Tickets start at $25 and are available here.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a response to the commercialism of Christmas
and as a way to focus on building community. Kwanzaa is observed from December 26 to January 1, during
which time participants reflect on seven basic principles—Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-
determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia
(purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).
Since 2006, the Apollo has presented an annual event to celebrate this holiday tradition during Kwanzaa
with families and communities from across New York’s five boroughs and the tri-state area. In addition to
the in-person celebration, the Apollo will offer the event virtually, as well as provide the option to relive
the 2021 Kwanzaa Special via video on-demand, connecting African American communities across the
country. Learn more at apollotheater.org.
WHEN: Friday, December 30, 2022 at 7:30 pm EDT
WHERE: The Apollo’s Historic Theater
253 West 125th Street
New York, NY 10027
TICKETS: Tickets, starting at $25, are on-sale now at www.ApolloTheater.org and in-person at the
Apollo Theater Box Office. Harlem residents, employees, business owners, and students
can save 50% on tickets through Apollo’s Half off for Harlem program at
www.ApolloTheater.org/half-off-for-harlem.
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 the world premiere of the theatrical adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me
and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved; special programs such as the blockbuster
concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo; 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella; and the annual Africa Now!
Festival. The non-profit Apollo Theater is a performing arts presenter, commissioner, and collaborator that
also produces festivals and large-scale dance and musical works organized around a set of core initiatives
that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens, including the Women of the
World (WOW) Festival as well as other multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo 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 James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah
Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R., D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun
Kelly, and Miri Ben-Ari; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.
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.
