The Long Island Arts Alliance on Thursday was nominated for a New York Emmy Award in the category of Teen (13-19) Short or Long Form Content for its short documentary “Layla’s African Dance and Drum of Valley Stream” as part of their Back In the Spotlight: Cultural Dance series with Waldo Cabrera (Islip TV & NVJN).
The 66th Annual New York Emmy Award nominations were announced today at the LIVE with Kelly and Mark studio at WABC-TV.
Hosting the announcement was Emmy Award winner NJ Burkett, president, NY NATAS, Correspondent (WABC- TV). Presenting the nominations were Emmy Award nominee Gilma Avalos, Anchor (WNBC-TV); Edward R. Murrow Award winner, Ken Buffa, Anchor (Newsday); Emmy-Award nominee Damaris Diaz, Anchor (WXTV Univision 41); Emmy- Award nominee, Shannan Ferry, anchor/reporter (Spectrum NY1); Emmy-Award winner Virginia Huie, Reporter (News 12 Long Island); Emmy® Award-winner Jessica Moore, Anchor, (WCBS-TV); Emmy-Award-winner David Rodriguez, Anchor (WNJU Telemundo 47); Emmy® Award-winner, Senior Correspondent (WPIX-TV), Chapter Governor and Awards Committee Chair, Marvin Scott.
Without the ability to meet in person or to perform for an audience, many cultural organizations were faced with closure during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As New York began to re-open, the Back In the Spotlight series aimed to capture the excitement within five unique cultural dance troupes on Long Island as they prepared to once again share their heritage in person and uplift their communities.
The eight-minute Emmy-Award Nominated episode featuring “Layla’s African Dance & Drum of Valley Stream” follows students and parents as they celebrate the start to Black History Month and the restart of public performances after a long COVID-19 shutdown.
The piece follows the dancers as they go back in the spotlight as the halftime entertainment for the world-famous Harlem Globe Trotters at the UBS Arena.
“Waldo Cabrera’s thoughtful and colorful documentary style captures the heart and soul of the dance troupe and we are so proud of the entire Back in the Spotlight series” says Lauren Wagner, executive director of LIAA. “Beyond capturing the excitement and anticipation of these dancers, this project holds a greater purpose. By shedding light on the incredible work of these cultural dance troupes, our goal is to raise awareness and facilitate partnerships, collaborations, and support networks that will ensure the future of these organizations. We hope to inspire individuals and other local organizations to engage with these troupes, fostering a vibrant and sustainable arts scene on Long Island”.
Back In The Spotlight was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the state Legislature.
In addition to the Emmy® Award Nomination, the episode on the Boys & Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation was selected into the Latino and Native American Film Festival, and the episode on Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company was awarded a prestigious Press Club of Long Island Award.
This is the first Emmy Award nomination for LIAA. They are nominated alongside MSG Networks, NYC Life, and My 9 News WWOR. The Emmy® Awards honorees will be announced on October 28th at a live in-person event at the New York Marriott Marquis.
To view all five episodes in the series, visit: https://longislandartsalliance.org/back-in-the-spotlight
Images and logos can be provided upon request.
The press release containing the full list of nominees can be found at the following link: https://www.nyemmys.org/media/files/pages-page/734a283f/the-66th-annual-new-york-emmy-awards-nomination-press-release-7-14-2023.pdf
