Choreography: - Susan Gaddy Pope

May 15, 1969, Four Tops member Renaldo "Obie" Benson witnessed an act of police brutality and violence committed on Viet Nam protesters who had been protesting at Berkeley's People's Park. This day came to be known as "Bloody Thursday". Benson saw this and started wondering 'what was going on, what is happening here?' One question led to another. He had a conversation with songwriter Al Cleveland and they wrote the song What’s Going On? After pitching the song to The Four Tops, Joan Baez and others, the song was given to Marvin Gaye. Marvin rewrote the song adding lyrics and an arrangement which made it seem more like a story than a song. He made it visual and socially conscious. Through his lyrics when you heard the song you could see the people and feel the hurt and pain.

Today First Ave dance ensemble will dance to a remake of What’s Going On by a new artist, Kayla Brianna which symbolizes that 46 years late, although we have made progress, we are still in the struggle. The dance is done in memory of Marvin Gaye and his creative talent. It is dedicated to the memory of:

Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and the many others who have lost their lives to senseless gun violence.

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