Day #4 started before Day #3 ended - as we were still jamming with the Original P as the day began. We were blessed to have them join us when we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jahroy who turned 16!! We finally ended the fun and returned to the house just before 4am, which left only about 4 hours before the day officially would begin.
We officially started the day with our final Conditioning and Movement session with Brittany Steele. The session turned into an impromptu discussion about the audition process, dealing with rejection, and other industry tips. Brittany really enjoyed working with our students and inspired them to follow their dreams and wished them success in their careers.
We finally had gotten to a point where we had some downtime in our schedule, thus we travelled to do a little shopping. We spent a few hours in Cumberland Mall, then stopped in Sam Ash - a music supply store. Even though some of us were upset that we had to leave (namely Emma, Dylan & Chiante), we needed a few hours to rest and relax before the evening's festivities.
As we ventured out to Centennial Park for the National Black Arts Festival concert, the heavens opened up and poured out more rain than Hurricane Hugo! Once we arrived, the men (Dylan, Jahroy and myself) were asked to plunge ourselves into the weather to enquire if the concert was still going on. After a few tense moments and a brief run-in with a over-worked security guard, we were able to get to Ms. Rose of the Original P to confirm that the concert was still on - just starting a few hours later. This allowed us to grab a bite to eat at the CNN headquarters building right next door.
After getting our food, we raced back to the park to take our position at the front of the stage. The concert featured some amazing performances by Kindred & the Family Soul, tributes to James Brown, Go-go King Chuck Brown, and fabulous Nu Soul songstress Leela James, who ripped up the stage!
The night was capped off with an earth shattering performance by the Original P, performing some of their greatest hits including "Flashlight", "Tear the Roof off the Sucka" and "Atomic Dog." The "amazing" turned into "epic" when the band invited the ladies of DAP 2012 onto the stage to dance with them during "Atomic Dog"! After the show, we went backstage and spoke with the band, congratulating them on their performance. It was an amazing night that I believe the students will always remember and cherish!
Here are some highlights from the Centennial Park concert:
Here are a few pictures as well:
Our night ended fairly early (just after midnight - lol) as we needed the extra sleep to prepare for our adventure at Stone Mountain in the morning!! Day #5 coming soon!!