I hope you had a chance to watch this year’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. The annual event recognizes individuals for exceptional contributions to stage, screen, and music in their work as well as their profound cultural impact. This year recognition went to Debbie Allen, Garth Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, Midori Goto, and Joan Baez. A diverse group of honorees.
Midori Goto, performs under the mononym, Midori. She was a child prodigy and went on to be recognized as one of the world’s preeminent violinists. At 21, she established a foundation to bring music education to young people in underserved communities. She was appointed as a UN Messenger of Peace.
Debbie Allen is an African American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, and a former member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated for 20 Emmy’s, two Tonys, and holds a Golden Globe award. Her work in the musical Fame is likely best known. Today she teaches young dancers at her Academy in Los Angeles.
Garth Brooks is a country legend. He gained his fervent fans as he blurred the lines between pop and country and brought an arena rock spectacle to the live stage. Pyrotechnics and light shows while Brooks roamed the stage with a hands free microphone. At the height of his career, following a divorce, he declared his performing days were over until his daughter reached 18. I did not know I liked this guy, but he is passionate about his family and music. A rendition of his hit, Friends in Low Places brought him to tears.
Joan Baez has an amazing body of work in the folk genre. Incorporated into her work was her deep belief and activism in protest of war and for social justice. The audience sincerely sang along with “We Shall Overcome.” Baez has performed for over 60 years and has recorded over 30 albums.
Last but not least, Julie Andrews introduced Dick Van Dyke. Dick is 95 years young and still has it together mentally and physically. The overview of his performances over the past 70 years was a delight to watch. Anyone remember him starring in Bye Bye Birdie, maybe Mary Poppins, or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? He starred as Rob Petrie in the Carl Reiner sitcom with his name and his co star Mary Tyler Moore. Andrews mentioned supercalifragilistic and then said it backwards, I think.
There were performances by Yo Yo Ma, Emmy Lou Harris, Kelly Clarkson, James Taylor, and many more, with a concluding rendition by Gladys Knight. Knight sang “We Shall Be Free”, which Brooks co wrote in 1992 – the song expresses a live and let live stance regarding gay rights. The Knight interpretation of the song had Garth singing along and again in tears. It was obvious that he enjoyed the performance by the Empress of Soul.
On a day when we are finally nationally celebrating the end of slavery in America – I am reminded of how many times as a country we were on a trajectory to achieve the founding vision of our country, ‘all people created equal, with liberty and justice for all’. That orbit has always fallen short. In physics, specifically celestial mechanics, escape velocity is the minimum speed needed for a free, non propelled object to escape the gravitational influence of a massive body. It is heartening that a bipartisan majority approved the long controversial legislation in the face of the misplaced concerns about race theory and indoctrination. There may be hope for equality to hit critical momentum in my lifetime.
Did you know the last National Holiday created by the Congress was Martin Luther King Day signed into Law in l983. Let’s work together to fuel his Dream. Mike