New York City - For its spring 2011 season, Harlem Stage - one of the country's leading producers and presenters of performances by artists of color - amps up its tradition of honoring Harlem's cultural history with a roster of contemporary artists in dance, music and film, who take inspiration from the past.

Among the season's highlights:

 • 2010 MacArthur Genius Grant winner Jason Moran and Grammy nominee Meshell Ndegeocello team up to salute a legendary piano genius in The Fats Waller Dance Party.

 • Classic albums and songs from the neo-soul movement of the 1990s and 2000s get re-imagined in Soul: Remixed, Revisited and Reconstructed.

 • Emerging and established dance artists share the stage in the 12th season of the acclaimed annual E-Moves festival, anchored by a 25-year retrospective from Urban Bush Women.

 • Filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris launches his new participatory multimedia project, bringing audience members' histories to life in the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion.

More than 20 spring events are organized under several Harlem Stage series, including the cutting-edge music series Uptown Nights at Harlem Stage now in its fourth sold-out season, the E-Moves series of dance performances and films, the Harlem Stage on Screen film series featuring the Black Documentary Collective and the LGBT-focused NewFest as collaborators, and the new-generation contemporary jazz-focused series Harlem Stride, among others.

Harlem Stage also presents a monthly open-mic series for teens, Uptown Open, which features youth-run events that present young poets, emcees, scholars, and activists sharing their voices, their art, and their opinions in an after-school safe space. Uptown Open is presented in partnership with Urban Word NYC,

"We are thrilled to present a varied, diverse and explosive season of dance, film, theater and music for our audiences this spring," said Patricia Cruz, Harlem Stage's Executive Director. "We strive to promote artists of color doing extraordinary work and are proud to bring New York audiences this impressive line-up."

Ticket prices range from free to $35. Seats at free performances must be reserved in advance. Ticket purchases and reservations can be made online at www.HarlemStage.org or by calling the box office at 212-281-9240, ext.19 or 20.