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The Panther
August 25, 1980
Folkes Finds ‘Fame’ In Movie
BY VEVERLY Y. BYRD
It seems nowdays that success
stories are about elusive as the
five cent candy bar. However, in
the performing arts, professional
dancer Neisha Folkes maintains
that obstinate will to succeed.
Ms. Folkes, 21 and a principal
dancer in "Fame” a highly ac
claimed movie about several
students at Manhattan's High
School of the Performing Arts,
says her "love for creativity” has
attributed to her success during
the course of her career as a
professional dancer.
Ms. Folkes displayed a part of
this creativity in a benefit
performance August 13 at the
High Museum for the World
Premire of “Making It On My
own,” a film produced by the
Young Film Makers.
Although Ms. Folkes was not a
starring actress in the film, she
does have strong ties with the
high school featured in the
movie “Fame." Ms Folkes was a
top award graduate from the
same Performing Arts school and
portrayed an important part as a
dancer in the film.
Although a top graduate of her
class, she energetically notes"-
Just because I went to Perform
ing Arts didn’t mean I was given
the position to do the role, I had
to follow it up with my talent.
Ms. Folkes, whose use of hand
gestures while conversating
gives the impression of constant
preparation for a dance routine,
recently graduated from Julliard
School of Performing Arts. She is
currently captivating audiences
as a dancer in the 83 girl chorus
line of Radio City Music Hall’s
production of "Manhattan
Showboat.”
Dancing since 13 years of age,
Ms Folkes says she has had the
fortunate opportunities during
her studies at Julliard to appear
professionally in musical stage
productions such as "Guys and
Dolls”. For more than a year, she
was dance captain and a singer in
the Broadway production of
“The Wiz” and has had a solo
part in “God’s Sons.”
"I feel that Julliard has opened
a lot of doors for me and hope
that I can continue to set the
experience and training it
allows,” Ms. Folkes said.
Cheech And Chong- At It Again
BY SHERRY JONES
Cheech Marin and Thomas
Chong are at it again. This time
the humorous pair are starring in
their own movie, "Cheech and
Chong’s Next Movie.”
For more than ten years, the
“Abbott and Costello of the
counter - coulture”, have been
bringing laughter to theatres,
night clubs and concerts. Now
they are trying their handsatfilm
writing and directing.
The film is written by Cheech
and Chong and produced by
Howard Brown. All three belong
to the C&C - Brown Productions,
Inc. Chong also directed the
movie.
The comedy carries you on a
trip through a near - riot at the
Comedy House, a wealthy
family’s living room, a movie
studio, a massage parlor, a police
raid and a welfare office.
It even takes you into a “Space
Invader” travel that Rolling
Stone Magazine referred to as "a
pot pourri of dope jokes, wry
ethnicity and life’s funky
see cheech, page 14
Displaying a drive enabling
her to keep up with a schedule
involving practicing eight hours
a day as well as two daily
performances, Ms. Folkes
contends there are some people
in the arts who have inspired her
career.
"I really enjoy watching
entertainer Ben Vereen,
choreographer Bob Fosse and
Alvin Ailey who was a concert
dancer," she said. "There were
many people that I saw that I
never really wanted to be like
but always wanted to set their
qualities. I wanted to be an in
dividual and I just felt I had the
talent to do so.
Possessing star filled eyes
delightfully forseeing continued
success, the second oldest
daughter of five children, has as
pirations of reaching even
greater heights in the future. Her
brother, George, served as adult
consultant for the Young Film
Makers project.
"I have hopes of joining the
Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe in
January 1981 as well as persuing
my career toward film, theatre,
television, and my professional
modeling,” she said.
Ms. Folkes is pleased the art
form she "fanactically” enjoys
has gained such feeling to know
that the work you love doing is
being recognized, otherwise you
don't want to do it,” she said.
“I love to dance, and love is
great, but if no one else loves it
(dancing) then your efforts
sometimes seem fruitless,”
laments the eight year dance
veteran.
James Brown Is Original Blues 'Brother'
BY SHERRY JONES
James Brown is returning to
the entertainment industry and
now he’s the Reverenc
Cleophus James of the Triple
Rock Baptist Church. He's starr
ing in Universial Picture’s "The
Blues Brothers.”
It is during the climax of his
sermon that Jake and Elwood
Blues (John Belushi and Dan
Aykroyd) are inspired to reunite
their band. The brothers are
uniting to save the orphanage
they grew up in.
The St. Helen of the Blessed
Shroud orphanage owes$5000 in
back taxes. It will be liquidated il
the money is not paid in 11 days.
Therefore, the Blues Brothers set
out to gather the money hones
tly.
Brown alsosingsagospel song
"The Old Landmark” that send?
the Chicago congregation and
Elwood dancing in the aisles.
During this time the brothers
decide to make money by
performing.
The role of Reverend
Cleophus James is not new to
Brown. “I was raised in the
church. Everyone always said I’d
grow up to be a minister,” he
related.
Before becoming "The King
Of Soul”, James Brown was very
active in the church. At the age
of two and a half years old he
sang in church choirs and later
toured the country with the
Swanee Quintet.
He also recorded an album
with the gospel group that backs
him in the church service in “The
Blues Brothers.” The Reverend
James Cleevand’s Southern
California Community Choir
joined Brown in singing "The
Old Landmark.”
James Brown has earned the
name ‘‘Mister Dynamite”
through h is many achievements.
During his 25 years in
entertainment he has had 94
songs on the charts, including
over 50 gold records.
He received a Grammy Award
for Best Rhythm and Blues (male
vocalist) in 1965 for his smash hit,
“Papa's Got A Brand New Bag.”
The songwriter who wrote the
scores for the films, “Black
Caesar” and "Slaughter’s Big
Rip-Off,” he was the first soul
singer to ever perform at the
Grand Ole Opry.
The author of the book,
"Don’t Be A Dropout,” Brown is
the first entertainer in America
to receive from the President of
Liberia the Order of the Star.
His achievements have been
many,butthe aging arranger and
choreographer is concerned
about making a successful return
to the entertainment field. He
hopes that "The Blues Brothers”
will be a successful step.
"The film was made with a lot
of love and gave us all another
chance,” stated Brown to People
Magazine. "I hate to admit it, but
these young people never heard
of me.”
"They come to the movies to
see Belushi and Aykroyd, and
they see James Brown and
Aretha Franklin. If they like us
maybe they’ll come hear us
play.”
Also starring in the movie are
Ray Chalres, Cab Calloway,
Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson,and
the Blues Brothers Band.