50 for 50 with Arvil Freeman

“There’s hundreds and thousands [of fiddlers]. If you play exactly like somebody that’s recorded…well then who is going to play like you? Use your imagination! [The] good Lord give you a brain, so use it.”
— 2018 North Carolina Heritage Award recipient Arvil Freeman
 
 
 
 

50 for 50

50 artists celebrate North Carolina

Arts Across NC

A podcast by and about the NC Arts Council

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Statewide Arts Celebration

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Not everyone can say they learned music from someone who toured with James Brown and Otis Redding, but students of Dick Knight can! The Kinstonian played with some of the greatest artists in the history of soul music, but ultimately decided his calling was in the classroom. All told, Dick Knight taught music in public schools for 47 years. He says, "You know you think it’s so great, but when those lights up there go out, that bus is outside getting ready to go and you better be on it or you going to get left. All the admiration and all the stuff people thought was going on…the lights go out then you’re back to reality. It’s all dead. It was a great experience to do that, but it means a lot to come home and get in your bed every night and work with children. My reward wasn’t money. It’s just like now – a lot of kids say, 'Oh that’s Mr. Knight! You taught me in high school. You did this you did that!' And I feel so good about it. That’s my reward." ________________________ Take a listen to his story at the link in our profile, and catch him live in concert at the NC Heritage Award Ceremony on May 23 in downtown Raleigh.
If Beyoncé’s Coachella performance has you eager to learn more about HBCU marching bands, hop over to the link in our profile to meet Dick Knight, who became a member of Florida A&M’s legendary marching band program when he was only 16. Dick went on to play music with James Brown and Otis Redding, and he brought the spirit and style of his alma mater’s program to every band he taught during his 47-year-career as a public school teacher. He will be honored for his incredible career on May 23 at the NC Heritage Award Concert and Ceremony! See you there!
The story of Bharata Natyam - an ancient Indian classical dance - is filled with drama around religion, culture, and politics. It began thousands of years ago in the Hindu temples of southern India and was banned during British colonial rule. The dance was revitalized during the Indian independence movement and was embraced as a celebrated national art form after India won independence from Britain in 1947. ____________ Asha Bala, a 2018 North Carolina Heritage Award recipient who was born in Mumbai in 1953, first encountered the dance during this era of national cultural revitalization. “I started learning dance when I was very young. Many people were doing it. We didn’t have television, we didn’t have computers. There was no digital media, so you could just soak yourself into this dance form.” Hear Asha’s story at the link in our bio!
Asha Bala is on a mission to make an ancient South Indian classical dance a celebrated American dance form. Meet Asha, a 2018 North Carolina Heritage Award recipient, in our new podcast episode! Link in bio!
 
 

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