Omar is one talented tap dancer, but when you see his bright yellow suit and long hair bouncing around in your direction, you know to get off the stage. Although you touched the tree of hope, his dance interrupting your performance tells you that you are not the next Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday discovered at the Apollo Theater. That’s what I learned while sitting in the audience of a fun taping of Evening at the Apollo hosted by Whoopi Goldberg last month. I was also reminded that the Apollo is a phenomenal social enterprise and historical landmark.I had the great gift of being hosted for a week in the house of the woman who manages the Apollo Theater- a warm, graceful and intelligent leader. With great pride, she shared with me all the exciting activities happening at the Apollo, which is considered the bastion of African-American culture and achievement. Built in 1914, the building is now what she calls “the quintessential example of both the cultural and economic pillar of community.”
As a social enterprise, the Apollo has both commercial operations and community services. One example of community services lies in the series of health fairs offered each year to educate Harlem residents about relevant health problems. In addition, The Apollo Academy is being developed as a multi-faceted program that exposes young people to various, non-performance career options in the arts and entertainment industries.
The commercial side of the Apollo, of course, is related to the performances there. These include TV show Evening at the Apollo which I mentioned earlier with Omar, concerts by the Temptations this month and Forces of Nature Dance Theater. Most importantly, this legendary venue has launched the careers of icons such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, James Brown and Lauryn Hill and continues to maintain its position as the nation's most popular arena for emerging and established African-American and Latino performers.
The Apollo Theater is a great example of a successful social enterprise, and I enjoyed getting a flavor of it.
Wow, I never thought of the Apollo as a SE. I'm an African American women living in Oakland, CA and I work as a Community Development Officer for a major Bank. Often I find myself educating local nonprofits about the field of social enterprise. Your article opened my eyes to one I'd not considered.
ReplyDeleteadeeba-- thanks for posting your comment. It means so much to me. My father grew up in Oakland, so it was nice to see that you are from Cali. Yes, the Apollo has been a great economic engine for Harlem. Please let me know as you think about other related topics we could write about here...community development banking is dear to my heart.
ReplyDelete