Rev. Calvin O. Butts III served as president of his class at Flushing High School before embarking on an academic, religious, and activist career that included being senior pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and president of SUNY Old Westbury. After his death on Oct. 28, 2022, he returned to Queens, where he rests eternally in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens.
Valerie Green attended University of Wisconsin-Madison before forging a career that includes founding Dance Entropy in 1998 and establishing the rehearsal and performance venue Green Space in Long Island City in 2005. As a dancer, the Ohio native has performed around the world and partnered with choreographers from Burkina Faso, Colombia, Lebanon, Sweden, and the U.S.
Green pays homage to Revered Butts via RITE at Maple Grove’s Celebration Hall on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1 pm.
This six-man, 36-minute dance explores humankind’s internal struggle with self-image and societal pressure and the vulnerable journey from Form to Clarity.
Admission is free, and RSVP is strongly encouraged. A small reception follows.
Green choreographed RITE, which features Aidan Feldman, Johnny Mathews III, Tsubasa Nishioka, Richard J. Scandola, Ethan Schweitzer-Gaslin, and Tyreel Simpson. Irena Romendik is in charge of the costumes.
Established in 1875, Maple Grove is spread out over roughly 75 acres in the vicinity of Queens Boulevard, Hoover Avenue, Kew Gardens Road, and 86th Road. The cemetery has a Friends Group that constantly presents public events (i.e. concerts, lectures, dinners) dedicated to permanent residents, such as Revered Butts.
