In the New Book GOOD IS POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE, Co-Authors Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Bonnie Johnson, Rev. Rhonda MClean-Nur, Rev. Donald Marbury, and Andrea Pearlman ALL write beautiful tributes celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sweet Honey In The Rock!
Dyane Harvey-Salaam is an award-winning performing artist, choreographer, founding member and assistant to the director of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, dance educator at both Princeton and Hofstra Universities, and founder of Ma’at Pilates, (daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother.
Aspects of her life have been recorded and preserved in the Lincoln Center Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division Oral History Project. A celebrated concert artist for 50+ years, she has also appeared on film, on and off Broadway, nationally and internationally. Her achievements represent the blessings of The Ancestors. Forever honored and humbled by their grace.
In the book GOOD IS POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE Dyane Harvey-Salaam writes…
“The Goodness of Sweet Honey In The Rock… In the early ‘60’s, the Universalist Unitarian Church, I believe a “revolutionary theology church of its time” in Schenectady, New York, hosted the Freedom Singers and provided a platform for fundraising. Berniece Johnson, Cordell Reagon, Chuck Neblett, and Rutha Harris, toured the south singing in churches, homes, and schools, helping to raise awareness and inspire courage in the struggle for civil rights, HUMAN RIGHTS.
At 12-13 years old, I was a wannabe ballerina, always listening to classical music. When I heard their sound in our church, my mind was blown! I can still hear, feel the echoes of the lives they lived traveling through the south on dusty roads to support Black communities through the power and strength of their voices. Our church, a Friends of SNCC partner, offered them a private home to rest and recuperate. Their added bonus was that we overhauled their car by “souping up the engine”, supplying them with a police car engine. This way they could easily escape when situations warranted a speedy departure. The Freedom Singers also returned south with additional funds donated from our community in support of the movement.
1970’s thank you Shirley Rushing for introducing me to the amazing magic of Sweet Honey in the Rock, the A Cappella group, during a dance rehearsal in NYC.
As a young novice, new to the Black dance world, I danced with many small companies, Shirley Rushing Danz was one. When she played the music for a particular piece, I recognized Berniece’s voice immediately conjuring memories of home along with the stories shared during presentations of the original Freedom Singers.
These memories had a strong impact on my movement interpretation that day and even now…” DyaneHarvey-Salaam (excerpted from a longer essay)
The new book GOOD IS POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE is an Anthology of Hope with writings collected by Rev. Melony McGant edited by Andrea Christofferson and Shannon Wong with profound Foreword by Cultural Icon, Ben Vereen & Sacred Re-Memberings (writings) by more than 100 authors. AVAILABLE NOW!
http://www.goodispowerfulbeyondmeasure.com
The #SweetHoneyInTheRock Golden Anniversary Tour! ** More dates to be added **
March 8 • Carlisle, PA
March 9 • Needham, MA
April 5 • Beaverton, OR
April 6 • Portland, OR
April 12 • Athens, GA
April 13 • New Haven, CT
October 27 • Philadelphia, PA
November 14 • San Francisco, CA
November 15 • San Francisco, CA
November 16 • San Francisco, CA
November 17 • San Francisco, CA
December 19 • Northridge, CA
