Ballet Hispánico Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month w/ Dance - September 15 to October 15, Free performances, a Block Party, and more!

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Ballet Hispánico will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, 2017 with free events, performances, exhibitions and dance lessons for children and adults. Events include a Salsa Extravaganza, an "A la Calle" Block Party, an Instituto Coreográfico dance showing and discussion, an intimate Tablao flamenco performance, and an exhibition of visual artwork at the Ballet Hispánico's headquarters, The Arnhold Center, at 167 W. 89thStreet.

"No other Latino organization can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month like Ballet Hispánico, because we will do it with dance!" said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico. "We've been bringing individuals and communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures and the shared human experience through dance for more than 45 years. Our Hispanic Heritage Month events and activities will bring the celebration to the Upper West Side neighborhood, which has been our home from the very beginning of Ballet Hispánico."

  • The celebration begins on Friday, September 15, 2017* with the PBS broadcast of Lincoln Center at the Movies presents Ballet Hispánico at 9 pm. The program opens with CARMEN.maquia, a modern take on Bizet's passionate opera featuring physically charged and sensual choreography by Spaniard Gustavo Ramírez Sansano. The second part of the program, Club Havana, is a virtuosic reimagining of a sizzling nightclub by Cuban-born choreographer Pedro Ruiz. Originally filmed as part of the Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance series, the PBS broadcast will draw the largest national audience in Ballet Hispánico's history. (* check local listings) 
    http://www.livefromlincolncenter.org/broadcasts/lincoln-center-at-the-movies-presents-ballet-hispanico
  • On Saturday, September 23 from 5:30-7:30pm, Ballet Hispánico will host a Salsa Extravaganza, giving New Yorkers the opportunity to revel in the music and dances of Latino cultures.This free, two-hour event will offer lessons for all ages in three dance genres: salsa, merengue and bachata, followed by a celebratory dance for all, with refreshments.  Both experienced dancers and first-timers are welcome to join in this joyous celebration. Refreshments will be provided by Calle Ocho/Bodega 88. https://fs18.formsite.com/BalletHispanico/HHMfree/index.html
  • "A la Calle" Block Party on Sunday, October 1 from 2-6 pm,  a four-hour celebration of Latino dance, music, art, food and community, will take place on West 89th Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues),  Ballet Hispánico's home for more than 45 years. The event will include dance performances by our internationally renowned Company, School of Dance students, and BHdos as well as a musical performance by Los Hacheros, free half-hour dance classes for adults and children, and a variety of activities for children and families. A special free raffle will include items donated by 89th Street NY Kids Club and Preschool, Blu Dot, Book Culture, Children's Museum of Manhattan, Flywheel Sports, Macaron Parlour, Modell's Sporting Goods, Rachel Realty, SoulCycle, and The Vitamin Shoppe. https://fs18.formsite.com/BalletHispanico/HHMfree/index.html
  • This year's Instituto Coreográfico on October 5 at 7 pm will feature the work of acclaimed Spanish choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra. Moderated by Ballet Hispánico Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro, the program will include a showing by Guerra, as well as a lively discussion with the choreographer and the dancers. https://fs18.formsite.com/BalletHispanico/HHMfree/index.html
  • On Saturday, October 14 from 8-10 pm, Ballet Hispánico will offer the inaugural performance of the Ballet Hispánico Tablao series. Headlined by internationally celebrated dancer Nelida Tirado, thistwo-hour intimate performance will bring the Flamenco nightclub scene to the intimate Penthouse Studio of Ballet Hispánico. Tickets are $20 and there will be refreshments. https://fs18.formsite.com/BalletHispanico/Tablao/index.html
  • Throughout the month, Ballet Hispánico will curate an on-going exhibition of visual artwork from celebrated and emerging artists on the first floor of the West 89th Street carriage houses, transforming our home into a beautiful, emotionally moving gallery. 

ABOUT BALLET HISPÁNICO

Ballet Hispánico, the premier Latino dance organization in the United States, brings individuals and communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through dance. Whether dancing on stage, in school, or in the street, Ballet Hispánico creates a space where few institutions are breaking ground. The organization's founder, National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez, sought to give voice to the Hispanic experience and break through stereotypes. Today Ballet Hispánico is led by Eduardo Vilaro, an acclaimed choreographer and former member of the Company, whose vision of social equity, cultural identity and quality arts education for all, drives its programs. Ballet Hispánico, a role model in and for the Latino community, is inspiring creativity and social awareness in our neighborhoods and across the country by providing access to arts education.

EDUARDO VILARO joined Ballet Hispánico as Artistic Director in August 2009, becoming only the second person to head the company since it was founded in 1970. In 2015, Mr. Vilaro took on the additional role of Chief Executive Officer of Ballet Hispánico. He has been part of the Ballet Hispánicofamily since 1985 as a dancer and educator, after which he began a ten-year record of achievement as founder and Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. Mr. Vilaro has infused Ballet Hispánico's legacy with a bold and eclectic brand of contemporary dance that reflects America's changing cultural landscape. Born in Cuba and raised in New York from the age of six, he is a frequent speaker on the merits of cultural diversity and dance education.

Mr.Vilaro's own choreography is devoted to capturing the spiritual, sensual and historical essence of the Latino cultures. He created over 20 ballets for Luna Negra and has received commissions from the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Grant Park Festival, the Lexington Ballet and the Chicago Symphony. In 2001, he was a recipient of a Ruth Page Award for choreography, and in 2003, he was honored for his choreographic work at Panama's II International Festival of Ballet. In 2016, he was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame.

 

Ailey Extension for Teens New York City’s Premiere Master Teachers August 7 to 18

Great news for the young dancers in your life, the Ailey Extension will be opening their doors, this summer, to kids and teens who are serious about the art of dance.  They are offering three immersive, multi-day training workshops taught by New York City’s top choreographers and master teachers. Ailey Experience NYC Jr., Ailey Experience NYC, and Fabrice Herrault’s Ballet Summer Intensive allow young dancers to learn technique, musicality, and performance skills.

Started in 2005, Ailey Extension has fulfilled Mr. Ailey’s life-long commitment of bringing dance to everyone by offering “real classes for real people.” To that end, the Ailey Extension offers over 25 different dance and fitness techniques such as Horton, Ballet, Masala Bhangra, West African, Samba, Jazz, Zumba, House and Hip-Hop. Over 125,000 people call Ailey home and it’s New York’s largest building dedicated to dance, where dancers of all levels and walks of life can learn and be inspired – body, mind, and spirit! 

Here is what is happening from August 7 to 18:

Ailey Experience NYC, Jr. – Aug. 7-11, 10am - 3pm (Ages 8-12)

Young dancers between 8-12 years old can experience a variety of techniques during this one-week workshop, including ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, Horton, and Broadway jazz. Each class is designed to encourage creativity and help each child gain confidence in a non-competitive environment. Great news.  No prior dance experience is required. Twelve world class instructors from Ailey Extension and The Ailey School lead the training sessions, including Ailey II dancer Terri Wright. ($650 per child)

Ailey Experience NYC – Aug. 7-11 & 14-18, 10am - 6pm (Ages 13-19)

Modified for teenagers between 13-19 years old, Ailey Experience NYC offers dancers the opportunity to train and perform a variety of techniques, such as ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, Horton, and Broadway jazz. Held at the home of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, this program will culminate with a performance for family and friends. Week 1 is already sold out, but there’s still a chance to sign up for week 2 or the full two-week experience, which is led by top instructors from The Ailey School and Ailey Extension, including NY Style Mambo’s Katherine Jimenez, hip-hop pros Jonathan Lee and TweetBoogie, and ballet extraordinaire Peter Brandenhoff. ($675 for week 2 only / $1,250 for two weeks)

Fabrice Herrault Ballet Summer Intensive – Aug. 7-11 & 14-18 (Ages 10-19)

Renowned ballet instructor Fabrice Herrault returns this summer to lead his two-week intensive rooted in the tradition of the Paris Opera Ballet. Committed to the growth of each student, this program has a strong focus on technique, artistry, and musicality. The daily classes are open to advanced beginner, intermediate, and advanced dancers, and will offer ballet technique, pointe variations, and men’s classes. Sofiane Sylve, principal ballerina of San Francisco Ballet, will join Mr. Herrault as a teaching artist. ($600 one week / $1,200 two weeks)

In addition to these workshops, Ailey Extension offers over 25 different dance and fitness classes, seven days a week for students 16 years or older.

To learn more about how to get the kids in your life dancing, visit www.aileyextension.com for the full schedule.

Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel, Up & Close in New York (June 23 - July 23). #SistineUpClose

You love Michelangelo's work? You've heard of all his beautiful and amazing art work on chapel's ceiling at Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome? You have been wanting to go see it, but haven't had time, or money, or both. Well, you can see that artwork, right here in New York City, that to, up & close, from now until July 23.

The Oculus Mall (Westfield Mall?) at World Trade Center is holding this wonderful exhibition. It does cost $20, which seems a LOT, specially considering its all in open and you can see it just from outside (check out the pics) fro FREE. But if you wanna get closer, you can buy the tickets and go in. Checkout the schedule with more details and buy the tickets here:
https://www.westfield.com/upclose
https://www.westfield.com/westfieldworldtradecenter/events/all-events/up-close-michelangelos-sistine-chapel/41369
https://wl.seetickets.us/Westfield

The exhibition will move to various places all over country. Checkout the dates and details below.
https://www.westfield.com/upclose/tickets

Celebrate Thai New Year & Start of Thai Restaurant Week, April 22/29

THE ROYAL THAI CONSULATE-GENERAL CELEBRATES THAI NEW YEAR AND THE START OF  NYC THAI RESTAURANT WEEK WITH A STREET FESTIVAL  AND TRIP GIVEAWAYS TO THAILAND

Weeklong celebration features a Songkran Street Festival, April 22 & 29, 2017 in Woodside, Queens

New York - April 20, 2017: The Thai Community in New York in conjunction with The Royal Thai Consulate-General in New York, Tourism Authority of Thailand New York and the Thai Restaurant Chamber of Commerce of New York, are commemorating the Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) and Thai Restaurant Week. An eight-day celebration features a street festival in little Thailand, Woodside, Queens, April 22 and 29, 2017 and special limited-edition menus at Thai restaurants throughout New York City. 


The first and last day (April 22nd and 29th) of the week-long Songkran Festival which celebrates Thai New Year will include:

  • Thai cultural performances
  • Muay Thai showcase
  • A Beer Garden by Chang
  • Cooking demonstrations by Pinto Garden Restaurant's executive chef
  • Cooking competition
  • Thai street food booths
  • Artisanal umbrella painting
  • Dance workshops
  • An art exhibition by Thai Artists in New York (Only on April 29th)
  • A special exhibition celebrating the life and work of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand
  • Water blessing Ceremony

To kick-start the event on April 22nd, New York City Councilman Daniel Dromm and the Consul-General of Thailand will deliver addresses, followed by a traditional Thai Buddha procession which will culminate in the traditional water blessing ceremony.

 In addition to various cultural activities, attendees of the festival will have an opportunity to win flights to Thailand provided by Norwegian Airlines, visit the Pop-up Chang Beer Garden, and sample some of the best Thai cuisine in New York City from Yajai Restaurant, Pinto Garden, Topaz and Thai Select.

 To give participants the opportunity to experience Thailand first-hand, the Royal Thai Consulate-General in New York has partnered with Norwegian Airlines to provide complimentary flights for a few lucky winners. For a chance to win two round-trip tickets to Thailand on Norwegian Airlines, attendees of the Songkran Street Festival are invited to post a photo on Instagram using the hashtags #SongkranFestival and #FlyNorwegian. Diners experiencing Thai Restaurant Week should check-in by adding location at a participating restaurant on Instagram and post a photo of their dish using the hashtags #ThaiRestaurantWeek and #FlyNorwegian. Winning entries will be selected by the organizing committee.

 The Songkran Festival Street Fair will take place on Woodside Avenue between 75th and 77th Street, Queens, on Saturday, April 22nd and Saturday, April 29th from 12 pm to 6 pm. For further information, please visit the Royal Thai Consulate General NY page on Facebook.

 NYC Thai Restaurant Week will be in full swing from April 22-29. Participating restaurants will feature a special limited edition Songkran menu to celebrate the Thai New Year. For a list of participating establishments, visit: http://www.thairestaurantweek.com.

 The Songkran Festival and Thai Restaurant Week are brought to you by The Thai Community in New York in partnership with The Royal Thai Consulate-General, New Yok Chang Beer; Tourism Authority of Thailand New York; New York City Councilman Daniel Dromm; Norwegian Airlines; the Thai Restaurant Chamber of Commerce of New York; Thailand Board of Investment, New York; Thai Trade Center, New York; and Bank of Thailand, New York.

Ten Toes Rejoicing with @timeslippers

My ten toes are celebrating because I cared enough to slide them into time slippers. It might read to good to be true but I suggest that you trust my ten “little piggies” and make your tired feet smile.

TI:ME® Leather Slippers look like hip sneakers, solid doppelgängers but they are a new line of footwear—which began as a Kickstarter project—are actually high-end slippers that are perfectly designed to look like sneakers. Now they are ready for purchase in three styles: lows, mids, and high-tops and to the uneducated, naked eye I look like any other urban, fashionable sneaker-head sporting the latest style but in truth, I am striding in maximum comfort.

The designers created high-performance leather slippers with low-top construction which allows for unrestricted movement. Their top-quality leather upper is ultra-soft and conforms to foot over time with the insoles made out of the same material that’s used on yoga mats. Natural wool lining wicks away moisture, keeping foot warm and dry and does not cause sweaty feet. The flexible construction also features a collapsible heel which provides for a much more agile fit. Sumo-stretch,10mm, laces reduce tension and secure lockdown. They have a lightweight, flexible outsole which is designed for indoor and outdoor use. The Leather however may become discolored or change shape if exposed to snow or rain

The chic TI:ME® Leather Slippers are prices around $100 but since they double as sneakers and slippers it’s a solid bargain both for your wallet and most importantly, for your hard working feet.

Four Star Rating!

Top 5 places to enjoy Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, in NYC!

New York City is awesome the year around, but Holidays are even more special here in the city. There's just so much to see and do in the city. Here are the top 5 must see spots this holiday season:

Christmas & Holidays in NYC, at Macy's 34th street Herald Sq.

Macy's 34th Street Herald Square: One of the largest departmental store, that's right here in Manhattan, is also known for some wonderful holiday celebrations etc. And it's not just Thanksgiving and Macy's Thanksgiving parade. This Macy's happens to have beautiful Christmas and holiday themed "display windows" around Holidays. It's definitely a must see!

Christmas & Holidays in NYC, at Bryant Park - Winter Village. Free skiing, shopping & food to enjoy the holidays & winter in NYC

Bryant Park - Winter Village: Walk few blocks north on 6th Avenue and you arrive to Bryant Park. During winter they have "Winter Village", there, which is basically this winter market with tons boutique shops and wonderful food etc etc. And they have a beautiful Christmas Tree as well. However the best thing is the free ice skating rink (provided you have your own skates, else you can rent skates for cheap). Skiing under the stars, in middle of the city, surrounded by iconic NYC buildings. It's wonderful. And again, it's FREE!

Enjoy holidays, winter & New Year's at Times Square, NYC

Time Square, NYC: Walk a block west, and you're at center of the world aka Times Square. Is it special for Christmas or Holidays or even winter? Not really. But IT's special all year round. It's freakin' TIMES SQUARE!

Rockefeller Center: Well, if your'e talking Christmas and Holidays, you can't miss this spot. This is where the famous Christmas Tree of NYC is planted. And there also skiing!

Central Park: Walk few blocks north and you arrive at Central Park. Central park is evergreen place to visit, like Times Square. But it is special in winter with another ice FREE skating rink under the stars, in middle of the city, in the beautiful & magnificent Central Park, NYC.

THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER ANNOUNCES ILLUMINATING MOONLIGHT, JANUARY 4-9

Barry Jenkins's Moonlight and Medicine for Melancholy screen alongside a selection of the director's inspirations

Jenkins in person January 5

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces Illuminating Moonlight, a selection of major works of queer, black, and international art cinema handpicked by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, January 4-9.

With the ravishing, unforgettable Moonlight, which made its New York premiere at the 54th New York Film Festival, Barry Jenkins has established himself as one of today’s major voices in independent American filmmaking. This series brings together Jenkins’s two features (including his ripe-for-rediscovery debut, Medicine for Melancholy) and a pair of his shorts with a selection of films that informed the making of his latest, handpicked by the director himself.

His selections are, like Moonlight, stylistically sensual, compassionate portraits of outsiders, and include Killer of Sheep, Charles Burnett’s landmark of African American cinema and “milestone of eloquent understatement” (Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe); Carlos Reygadas’s quietly devastating domestic drama Silent Light; Nagisa Ôshima’s Gohatto and Claire Denis’s Beau travail, both striking meditations on repression and release; and masterpieces by two of cinema’s foremost empaths: Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together and Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Three Times, which served as a direct inspiration on Moonlight's triptych structure. 

Illuminating Moonlight also features two of Jenkins’s short films—A Young Couple, a documentary companion piece to Medicine for Melancholy, and his student film, My Josephine—as well as shorts by Kahlil Joseph and Phil Collins. Taken together, the films in this series serve to contextualize Jenkins’s work and offer insight into the making of a modern masterpiece.

Barry Jenkins will appear in person on January 5 for a conversation following Moonlight at 6:30pm, and will introduce Medicine for Melancholy at 9:30pm.

Tickets will go on sale Thursday, December 21 and are $14; $11 for students and seniors (62+); and $9 for members. Tickets for the Moonlight special screening featuring a conversation with Barry Jenkins are $18; $13 for members. Plus, see more and save with the 3+ film discount package. Learn more at filmlinc.org.

Organized by Dennis Lim.

Acknowledgments:
Special thanks to A24, Kahlil Joseph, the Institut Français, and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.

Films & Descriptions
All films screen digitally at the Walter Reade Theater (165 W. 65th St) unless otherwise noted

Beau travail
Claire Denis, France, 1999, 35mm, 92m
French, Italian, and Russian with English subtitles
Claire Denis’s loose retelling of Billy Budd, set among a troop of Foreign Legionnaires stationed in the Gulf of Djibouti, is one of her finest films, an elemental story of misplaced longing and frustrated desire. Beneath a scorching sun, shirtless young men exercise to the strains of Benjamin Britten, under the watchful eye of Denis Lavant’s stone-faced officer Galoup, their obsessively ritualized movements simmering with barely suppressed violence. When a handsome recruit wins the favor of the regiment’s commander, cracks start to appear in Galoup’s fragile composure. In the tense, tightly disciplined atmosphere of military life, Denis found an ideal outlet for two career-long concerns: the quiet agony of repressing one’s emotions, and the terror of finally letting loose. Print courtesy of the Institut Français.

Screening with:
The Meaning of Style
Phil Collins, Malaysia/UK, 2012, 5m
Malay with English subtitles
British-born filmmaker Phil Collins intersperses images of Malaysian skinheads idly lounging, reading magazines, and playing cards with a more confrontational scene unfolding on the streets of Penang. Courtesy of Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York.
Friday, January 6, 9:00pm
Saturday, January 7, 5:00pm

Gohatto
Nagisa Ôshima, Japan, 1999, 35mm, 100m
Japanese with English subtitles
Nagisa Ôshima returned, fourteen years after his previous feature, Max mon amour, with a final film. Like the scandalous In the Realm of the Senses (NYFF14), Gohatto deals with the anti-authoritarian sway of sexuality, a nearly taboo topic in Japan at the time of its release. The setting is a 19th century samurai school, where an impossibly handsome new recruit (Ryûhei Matsuda) spreads trouble and desire through the ranks of enlisted men and officers alike (among them Beat Takeshi). Filmed in a stately, burnished style, Gohatto is a late-life statement from one of the genuine masters of the medium. An NYFF38 selection.
Friday, January 6, 7:00pm
Saturday, January 7, 9:00pm

Happy Together / Chun gwong cha sit
Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong/Japan/South Korea, 1997, 35mm, 96m
Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish with English subtitles
Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai are lovers from Hong Kong adrift in Buenos Aires in Wong Kar-wai’s haunting, pungent tale of exile and love turned sour. Winner of the Best Director award in Cannes, Wong’s sixth feature is a straightforward, intimate work—a rich and atmospheric meditation on relationships that whirls from tango bars to Taiwan, from black-and-white to color, from desperation to hope. Lensed by Wong’s longtime collaborator Christopher Doyle, Happy Together beautifully captures the vivid colors, the crisp images, and the reflective and restless moments of love. An NYFF35 selection.
Wednesday, January 4, 9:00pm
Saturday, January 7, 7:00pm

Killer of Sheep
Charles Burnett, USA, 1978, 35mm, 83m
A masterpiece of poetic realism, Charles Burnett’s landmark UCLA thesis film is a haunting, almost documentary-like chronicle of 1970s black life in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood. A series of nonlinear episodes form a portrait of the dead-end life of Stan, a slaughterhouse worker struggling to provide for his family and resist the corrupting influences that surround him. Amidst urban blight, Burnett finds indelible, magic images—a young girl wearing a hound-dog mask, boys leaping from rooftop to rooftop, a couple slow dancing to Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth”—captured in evocatively grainy black and white and set to a soundtrack that moves from Paul Robeson to Rachmaninoff.

Screening with:
Until the Quiet Comes
Kahlil Joseph, USA/UK, 2013, 4m
Joseph’s spellbinding and ethereal collaboration with Flying Lotus shares several crucial motifs with Moonlight—most notably, the prone body submerged in radiant water.
Wednesday, January 4, 7:00pm
Sunday, January 8, 8:45pm

Medicine for Melancholy
Barry Jenkins, USA, 2008, 88m
Shot in luscious sepia tones, Jenkins’s feature debut considers what it means to be young, black, and bohemian in rapidly gentrifying San Francisco. Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins exude chemistry as Micah and Jo, two hipsters whose one-night stand stretches into a 24-hour odyssey through the city. In between bike rides and underground dance parties, Micah grapples with his identity as a black man in an overwhelmingly white indie scene, while Jo questions her commitment to her white boyfriend. Intimate, engaging, and gorgeous to look at, Medicine for Melancholy ponders big picture questions—about race, class, housing—while never losing sight of the human story at its center.

Screening with:
A Young Couple
Barry Jenkins, USA, 2009, 13m
In this documentary short—a companion piece to Medicine for Melancholy—the director interviews his friend John and John’s girlfriend Jenny, stumbling upon a frank and moving portrait of a modern relationship.
Wednesday, January 4, 4:30pm
Thursday, January 5, 9:30pm (Introduction by Barry Jenkins)
Monday, January 9, 9:15pm

Moonlight
Barry Jenkins, USA, 2016, 110m
Barry Jenkins’s three-part narrative spans the childhood, adolescence, and adulthood of a gay African-American man who survives Miami’s drug-plagued inner city, finding love in unexpected places and the possibility of change within himself. Moonlight offers a powerful sense of place and a wealth of unpredictable characters, featuring a fantastic ensemble cast including André Holland, Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali—delivering performances filled with inner conflict and aching desires that cut straight to the heart. An NYFF54 selection. An A24 release.

Screening with:
My Josephine
Barry Jenkins, USA, 2003, 8m
Arabic with English subtitles
Jenkins’s student film pairs kinetic and distinctly post-9/11 imagery with a confessional voiceover in which a young man named Aadid talks about the laundromat where he works the night shift and the affinities between the co-worker for whom he pines and Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife, the titular Josephine.
Thursday, January 5, 6:30pm (Q&A with Barry Jenkins)

Silent Light / Stellet Licht
Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany, 2007, 35mm, 139m
Plautdietsch with English subtitles
Having established a reputation as something of a bad-boy provocateur with his first two features, Japón and Battle in Heaven, Mexico’s Carlos Reygadas made an unexpected about-face with this austere drama set in a modern-day Mennonite community on the outskirts of Chihuahua. Filmed entirely in the German-derived Plautdietsch language and starring a cast of mostly nonprofessional actors, Silent Light weaves a poetic and affecting tale of a marital and spiritual crisis, revolving around the affair between married farmer Johan (Cornelio Wall Fehr) and a neighbor woman (Maria Pankratz), while Johan’s wife (Miriam Toews) suffers, knowingly, in silence. An NYFF45 selection.
Thursday, January 5, 3:30pm
Sunday, January 8, 6:00pm
Monday, January 9, 6:30pm

Three Times / Zui hao de shi guang
Hou Hsiao-hsien, France/Taiwan, 2005, 35mm, 139m
Mandarin and Min Nan with English subtitles
Hou Hsiao-hsien’s rapturously beautiful 2005 feature is a triumph about the melancholy play of time and memory. The action is broken into three different love stories, each set in a different era — 1966 pool hall, a prosperous 1911 brothel, and contemporary Taipei — but starring the same leads, the impossibly glamorous Shu Qi and Chang Chen. While these stories deliberately echo his earlier works, Hou uses them to chart the transformation of Taiwanese life, love, and the relationship between men and women over the last hundred years. He captures all this with the poetic intensity that has defined his work — an absolute mastery of space and rhythm and a humane tenderness suffuses every frame. An NYFF43 selection.
Friday, January 6, 4:00pm
Sunday, January 8, 3:00pm

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.’s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come.

The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from The New York Times, Variety, Loews Regency Hotel, Row NYC Hotel, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. For more information, visitwww.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter.

PRESENTING SHIFT: NEW YORK 2016

PRESENTING SHIFT: NEW YORK 2016

 

TAKING PLACE IN QUEENS ON DECEMBER 3RD AT KNOCKDOWN CENTER

 

FEATURING YOUNG M.A, KODIE SHANE, ASMARA (OF NGUZUNGUZU), 

THE SKINS AND WCKIDS

Today, SHIFT announces the lineup for its New York edition with Young M.A, Kodie Shane, Asmara of Nguzunguzu, The Skins and WCKIDS. SHIFT is a one-day, multifaceted music experience spotlighting new beatmakers, MC's and innovators in a full tilt celebration of the culture. Headlining is Brooklyn-native and song-of-the-summer-contender, Young M.A, alongside Sailing Team's charismatic queen bee, Kodie Shane, and pop quintet The Skins. Nguzunguzu Asmara will mix her unpredictable stylings throughout the night, a true visionary on the decks. 

The event will take place at Ridgewood's Knockdown Center with 2 rooms of music Saturday, December 3rd. Find tickets and info for the show below and stay tuned for news on more SHIFT experiences.

Tickets available via TicketWeb

SHIFT

December 3rd - New York @ Knockdown Center

Young M.A, Kodie Shane, Asmara of Nguzunguzu, The Skins and WCKIDS

Ages 21+

SCHUYLER FISK, CARL ANDERSON AND SAM WILSON ANNOUNCE THE RESTLESS HEART(S) EXTENDED TOUR DATES

The Single "Restless Heart" available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon

Following up Schuyler Fisk's album Blue Ribbon Winner, Carl Anderson's Risk of Loss and Sam Wilson's Sons of Bill album Love and Logic, these Virginians have decided to team up and blend their voices on the road for the "Restless Heart(s)" tour.

Written and performed by Fisk and Anderson and produced by Wilson and Fisk, "Restless Heart" is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play and other platforms.

"Restless Heart was the first writing collaboration for Carl and me and it came out of us so quickly, it was almost like the song wrote itself. The recording of this song came about just as effortlessly and innately as the writing of it. Carl and I recorded it live at our good friend Sam Wilson’s East of the Sun studio. To me, this song feels like hanging out with an old (heartbroken) friend…in the best way." explained Fisk.

Schuyler Fisk is a songwriter and singer and actor. Her debut album The Good Stuff debuted on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and at #1 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart. Schuyler has since released a sophomore record Blue Ribbon Winner, a Christmas record Sounds of the Holiday and an LP under her side-project band's moniker, FM RADIO, called Out of the Blue. Her active grassroots following has garnered her hundreds of thousands of monthly spotify subscribers and over 7 million plays on a single songs. She has toured North America, Europe and Japan with artists including Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, Rachael Yamagata, Joshua Radin, and The Weepies. She’s been very active in writing and recording for film and tv projects, as her music has been featured on soundtracks such as The Last Kiss, Safe Haven, Dear John, Hart of Dixie, and Ugly Betty. As an actress, Schuyler has appeared in several films and television shows, including Orange County, I’m Reed Fish, Law & Order: SVU, Gus Van Sant's Restless and The Best of Me. Schuyler is currently working on her next solo record and has a handful of acting projects set for release this year. www.schuylerfisk.com

Carl Anderson is a singer-songwriter who according to The Bluegrass Situation, “melds classic Nashville instrumentation, Muscle Shoals flourishes, and West Texas poeticism into a perfectly balanced musical pastiche."  Originally from Charlottesville, he first found success behind the scenes as a songwriter, contributing to Andrew Combs’ Worried Man album among others.  His latest single, Not Forgotten You, is a sunny followup to his acclaimed 2015 LP Risk Of Loss, filled with songs of pain and redemption.  He recently performed at the 2016 Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, CA. www.thecarlanderson.com

Sam Wilson is the eldest of the brothers in the cosmic Americana group Sons of Bill, whose four studio albums and decade of international touring has garnered praise from some of the world’s top critics including The Guardian who dubbed them “Virginia's scholarly heirs to R.E.M.” A classical guitar major who spent years as a jazz musician in New York City, Sam is also an adept producer, studio owner, and multi-instrumentalist, lending his full range of talents to this new collaborative single. www.sonsofbill.com

The cover art for the single "Restless Heart" is designed by VM Fisk.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/restless-heart-single/id1153731792

Schuyler Fisk, Carl Anderson and Sam Wilson are available for interviews via telephone, email, skype and in person the day of their show.  :30, :60 bites or the full song is available upon request.

Following is a list of current "Restless Heart(s)" tour dates, with more to be announced.

"RESTLESS HEART(S)" TOUR DATES: 

  • October 5, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Cafe
  • October 7, 2016 San Francisco, CA Tiburon Concert Series
  • December 7, 2016 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
  • December 8, 2016 New York, NYRockwood Music Hall
  • December 9, 2016 Charlottesville, VA Southern
  • December 12, 2016 Vienna, VA Jammin Java
  • December 13, 2016 Philadelphia, PA Boot and Saddle

Yoshiki in Concert w/ Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra on Jan 12 & 13, at Carnegie Hall - Tickets On Sale Tomorrow

Yoshiki--composer, classically-trained pianist, drummer/percussionist, and the creative force behind the rock group X Japan, has announced a special concert event presented Knitting Factory - Yoshiki Classical, Featuring The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. This special classical performance will take place on, Thursday, January 12 and Friday, January 13, 2017 – 7:30 PM both evenings, at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage in New York City.

For the Carnegie Hall concert, Yoshiki will perform his original compositions alongside the world-renowned Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. He will also play several traditional selections TBA. The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra was named one of the Top 10 orchestras in the world by CNN in 2015.

“I began taking piano lessons and music theory at age four, and became interested in classical works by Beethoven and Schubert,” explains Yoshiki. “In elementary school, I played the trumpet in the brass band, and around age ten started composing songs for piano. I’ve been writing classical music ever since. Needless to say, classical music has been a major influence in my musical career, including X Japan. I was fortunate enough to play Madison Square Garden 2 years ago with my band X Japan. Now I’m playing Carnegie Hall as a pianist with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, which was another dream of mine. Words can’t describe how honored I am to be performing at such a prestigious venue with an amazing orchestra.”

Tickets for the January 12 and 13 concerts, priced at $105/ $85/ $75/ $65/ $55/ $40, will be available at 11am (EST) on September 29th at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling Carnegie Charge at 212-247-7800 and Carnegie Hall’s website -https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2017/1/12/0730/PM/Yoshiki-Classical-Special-with-Tokyo-Philharmonic-Orchestra/.

Yoshiki composed Anniversary for piano and orchestra, and performed it with a 77-piece orchestra to celebrate the tenth year of the Emperor of Japan's reign in 1999. In 2015, he composed the theme song and conducted the Super World Orchestra at the opening ceremony of the World Expo. In 2012, Yoshiki composed the official theme song for the Golden Globes®. His classical concerts in 2014 captivated crowds earning him standing ovations and sold out shows in more than 10 countries as he performed classical versions of X Japan songs and popular rock tracks with a string sextet live on stage, as well as some traditional Classical pieces.

His album, Yoshiki Classical debuted at #1 on the iTunes Classical Music chart in 10 countries around the world. Pianist Magazine raved Yoshiki Classical a “true labor of love from a talented artist who’s made an impressive mark within the classical and rock genres.” The album featured performances by YOSHIKI as both the composer and pianist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra. Produced by Yoshiki, the album included two selections that were produced by the legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin. For more information about the album Yoshiki Classical, visit: http://www.yoshiki.net/classical.html. Yoshiki is a Kawai Artist.

In 2011, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 100th anniversary as Japan’s first symphony orchestra. With about 130 musicians, TPO performs both symphonies and operas regularly. TPO is proud to have appointed Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, who has been conducting the orchestra since 2001, as Honorary Music Director, Maestro Mikhail Pletnev as Special Guest Conductor and Maestro Andrea Battistoni as Principal Guest Conductor. In March, 2014, TPO became made a very successful world tour of six major cities: New York, Madrid, Paris, London, Singapore and Bangkok. In December 2015, TPO held Beethoven’s 9th symphony concerts in Seoul and Tokyo with Mastro Myung-Whun Chung, with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra combined into one orchestra.

This Yoshiki Classical World Concert Tour will also take place in Japan and Hong Kong.

Japan -Presented By UDO Artists, Inc.-
December 5 (Mon): OSAKA Castle Hall
December 6 (Tue): Tokyo International Forum
December 7 (Wed): Tokyo International Forum
December 8(Thu): Tokyo International Forum

For tickets and information, please visit www.udo.jp

Hong Kong – Presented By Big Honor Entertainment-
December 29 (Thu):  Hong Kong, Asia World Expo

For Tickets and information, please visit: www.puffinent.net

The new music documentary about Yoshiki’s rock group X Japan titled WE ARE X--from Passion Pictures—will be released by Drafthouse Films in New York and Los Angeles on October 21, 2016, followed by nationwide release. Since its premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival--where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize for editing--the film has continued to garner critical acclaim due to its remarkably candid portrayal of its subject, Yoshiki, leader of X Japan.
 

For more information, please visit:

www.Yoshiki.net

Releases + Assets:

http://www.msopr.com/n/client-roster/x-japan

Janis, Me & Bobby McGee in NYC

Janis Joplin on The Cutting Room Floor

In a genre rife with imitation, Janis, Me & Bobby McGee at The Cutting Room on September 15th offers unapologetic originality, with Joplin’s music as the catalyst for a high- energy evening of songs and stories.

Don’t go expecting a Joplin impersonator. At six feet tall with a Joker-esque grin, Karen Irwin may bear a passing resemblance to Joplin if you squint, but she makes it clear:

“I do not play her. I am playing myself. I am inspired by her and I am singing her tunes. But I am not trying to be Janis Joplin. I am trying to be Karen Irwin.”

Irwin had been told for years her singing was reminiscent of Joplin’s, and-- after her fiancé’s sudden death in 2007-- was encouraged to use her Art as a means to healing and self- empowerment.

“An especially dear friend did research to find parallels in [Janis’ and my] lives and philosophies and helped me to construct this cabaret show,” she says. “It’s a universal story, really. Girl isn’t the kind of girl who people think she should be. Girl is bullied and tortured by other boys and girls. Girl fights through the torture to discover her own authenticity and share it with the world.”

While the theme of discovering one’s own voice and comfort in her skin is universal, it’s the differences that resonate most strongly with Irwin. “I see where our stories diverge, mostly. I was given a supportive family and not the unbridled access to drugs [Janis had]. I never really felt connected to my gender until I was able to redefine for myself what it meant to be a woman.”

Having performed the show from Indianapolis to Bangor, with bookings lining up around the country, every audience gets a blood-pumping, powerhouse performance.

“I’m not ‘careful’ when I perform this,” she says. “I leave the stage with bruises and I don’t know where they came from. But it’s worth it. It’s worth it just to get lost. It gets me high. And people are moved.”

But her connection to Joplin and her legacy stops at the stage.

“I wouldn’t want to be her,” Irwin says definitively. “She has encouraged me to be myself.”

  • Janis, Me & Bobby McGee makes its New York debut on Thursday, September 15th at 9:30 at The Cutting Room, 44 E. 32nd St. New York, NY 10010.
  • Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 the day of show and are available at thecuttingroomnyc.com or linking from JanisMeAndBobbyMcGee.com.

Janis, Me & Bobby McGee promotional video

clips from 2015 show in Maine

Desigual @ New York Fashion Week Sep 2016

TIME INC.’s ESSENCE AND INSTYLE REVEAL EXCLUSIVE OCTOBER ISSUE INTERVIEWS FEATURING THE OBAMAS

InStyle Partners with Leading Designers to Release Limited-Edition Tote Bags Benefiting the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund

 Time Inc.’s Essence, the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, and InStyle, the world’s most successful fashion media brand, both debut October issue cover stories featuring the Obamas. Essence highlights both President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, and InStyle showcases a one-on-one interview with the First Lady.

After nearly eight years as Commander-in-Chief and First Lady, the First Couple talked candidly to Essence to reflect on their legacy, their favorite memories and what’s next after the White House. While weighing in on his most notable moments, the President states: “For me, things like My Brother’s Keeper…that’s something I’m confident we’ll be continuing after we leave…” Also, the First Lady weighs in on their impact: “I think when it comes to Black kids, it means some­thing for them to have spent most of their life seeing the family in the White House look like them. It matters...”

The October Issue of InStyle marks the first time the fashion media brand has ever featured a First Lady. In the final stretch of a polarizing election season, there’s one thing the American public can agree on: the power of Michelle Obama. She talks to InStyle about the importance of educating girls, the impact of social media and, of course, her personal style. On the influence of women globally, she states: “Girls are going to move our country and our world to a place where there’s more peace, more prosperity, more possibility, because women raise the next generations again and again and again.”

In honor of the October cover subject, InStyle has partnered with select American designers to release a line of limited-edition designer tote bags to benefit the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund. Let Girls Learn is an initiative launched by the First Lady and President to help adolescent girls around the world go to school. Bringing the mission to life, each designer pays homage to one of the countries where the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund is creating real change: Carolina Herrera drew inspiration from Peru, Jason Wu from Senegal, Prabal Gurung from South Africa, Narcisco Rodriguez from Malawi, DVF from Moldova, DKNY from Jamaica, and more. The collection is available for pre-order at Shop.InStyle.com on October 13 (interested parties can enter their information to receive updates starting now), with prices starting at $52—and 100% of the profits benefiting the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund. 

“Both Essence and InStyle recognize the resounding influence that the First Couple has had on so many facets of our society. We are delighted that President and Mrs. Obama chose these two powerhouse brands to share their passions and engage with a diverse combined audience of nearly 50 million,” said Alan Murray, Chief Content Officer, Time Inc.

Essence and InStyle October issues will be available on newsstands and via tablet on Friday, September 16.

For details, visit Essence.com  and InStyle.com and follow both on social media:

  • Twitter: @Essence and @InStyle
  • Instagram: @Essence and @InStylemagazine
  • Snapchat: @Essencemag and @InStyle
  • www.essence.com

Kinesis Project dance theatre presents Secrets and Seawalls

At the Adapted Aquatics buildings in Fort Tilden, Gateway National Park
September 18 & October 16, 2016 at 1pm and 4:30pm

Kinesis Project dance theatre, hosted by The Rockaway Artist Alliance and National Parks Service, presents a performance experience along the beach of Fort Tilden on September 18, 2016 and October 16, 2016 at 1pm and 4:30pm. Audiences will meet at Rockaway Artist Alliance Gallery to be brought to the performance, and should wear clothes for a fall day at the beach and shoes for walking. After the performance, audiences are welcome back to enjoy the art opening at the Rockaways Artist Alliance. A post show conversation with the artists will take place on October 16th after the 4:30pm performance. Tickets for Secrets and Seawalls are $25-$45 and are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/secrets-and-seawalls-in-the-rockaways-2016-tickets-27126669599.  

Transportation from NYC: Kinesis Project partners with NYC Beach Bus to easily bring our audiences to Ft. Tilden. The bus meets ticketed audience members near Atlantic Avenue and transports audiences - drinks and snacks available! Tickets for bus must be purchased ahead of time via the performance ticket link to board.  

Secrets and Seawalls is a dance in two acts. Inspired by storms and disruption, Melissa Riker and Kinesis Project dance theatre in collaboration with architect Lee H. Skolnick, FAIA, use methods of dance and architecture to explore vulnerability, power, and how each are revealed.  The work premiered along the beach at Fort Tilden in Gateway National Park, The Rockaways in 2015.  Melissa Riker and Lee Skolnick's collaboration, Secrets and Seawalls has spanned the interest of both dance media and architecture. 

"The partnership with architect Lee H. Skolnick is apparent as the audience is coaxed along the promenade by the dancers who, like mischievous water nymphs, lure you to a graffiti-strewn concrete carcass where they are perfectly framed; dip diving through the building's shell."
-The Dance Enthusiast

"The Kinesis Project dance troupe turned the Fort Tilden shoreline into an outdoor theatre...Using the expanse of the abandoned graffiti'ed buildings, the beach and ocean's edge as their performance space..."
-THE WAVE, Rockaway Beach, NY, November 20, 2015

Three years in the making, Secrets and Seawalls stems from the choreographer's questions about the integrity of NYC's seawalls and the impact of weather. Working in collaboration with architect Lee Skolnick, Riker and Skolnick use the lenses of their respective art forms to create a dance work that tracks vulnerability in ourselves and in structures. Choreography by Melissa Riker, in full collaboration with the dancers. Dancers: Cassandra Cotta, Zachary Denison, Michelle Amara Micca, Lonnie Stanton. Concept collaboration: Lee Skolnick, FAIA. Costumes by Asa Thornton.  Live Music by Katie Down, Helen Yee and Michael Evans.  

Melissa Riker is Artistic Director and Choreographer of Kinesis Project dance theatre, celebrating its 10th NYC Season in 2015. She is a New York City dancer and choreographer who emerged as a strong performance and creative voice as the NYC dance and circus worlds combined during the 90's. Riker's dances and aesthetic layer her training as a classical dancer, martial artist, theatre choreographer and aerial performer. She creates dances on site - and in context. 

Riker invents large-scale out-door performances and spontaneous moments of dance for individuals and corporate clients.

Audiences and critics have called Riker's work "a Marx Brothers' routine with soul," "A movable feast." And from The NY Times, her choreography is: "comically acrobatic, gracefully classical, visually arresting."

Since 2005 Kinesis Project's work has been experienced in San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Vermont, Florida and in New York City at such venerable venues as Danspace Project, Judson Church, Joyce Soho, The Minskoff Theatre, The Cunningham Studio, West End Theatre and Dixon Place.  The company dances outside in sculpture gardens, universities, and annually since 2006 in Battery Park's Bosque Gardens and The Cloisters Lawn as well as hosting over 30 surprise performance all over New York City and the tri-state area as an element of the company's earned income and outreach programming with volunteer populated flashmobs. Residencies include: Earthdance 2006, Omi International Arts Center 2008, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center 2011, TheaterLab 2014, Adelphi University 2014. Ms. Riker is a 2016 CDI Residency Fellow, 2015 LMCC Community Arts Fund grantee and was commissioned by The Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a surprise large-scale work and performances of her work Secrets and Seawalls at Omi International Arts Center, Gateway National Park in partnership with Rockaways Artist Alliance. Ms. Riker has received commissions from Carson Fox and the Ephemeral Festival in 2013, 2014 and 2015 for large-scale outdoor events, NYU in 1998, for an outdoor work long before "flashmob" was coined, 2006 and 2008 grants from the Puffin Foundation for her work Community Movements, a dance work with community volunteers, Fellowships from the Dodge Foundation, Space Grant Residencies from 92nd St Y, The New 42nd St Studio, Gibney Dance Center, and The Joyce Theatre Foundation, and annual artistic merit grants from The Bowick Family Trust to support the continued work of Kinesis Project dance theatre.

Lee H. Skolnick, FAIA (collaborating architect) seeks to synthesize art, science, and architecture to create memorable and meaningful experiences. He unlocks each project's "motivating story" to inspire imagination, curiosity, and understanding. For over 35 years, Mr. Skolnick has passionately developed and pursued his philosophy of "design as interpretation," wherein he seeks to unearth the unique themes and compelling concepts which characterize each project, and to translate them into concrete expression. Breaking down the barriers between disciplines, Mr. Skolnick has created an extraordinary firm where more than 35 designers and educators work in close collaboration. By making a thorough exploration and translation of content the starting point for design, he has brought depth, authenticity, and vision to an enormous array of diverse projects around the world. His museum, cultural institution, and residential projects have been recognized as works of fresh innovation and inspiration. Mr. Skolnick has employed his integrated design philosophy on projects for such clients as the Aileron Center for Entrepreneurial Education in Dayton, OH; the Sony Wonder Technology Lab in New York, Muzeiko: The America for Bulgaria Children's Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria; the Paley Center for Media in New York and Los Angeles; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC; the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, TN; the New-York Historical Society; the New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY; the Cooper Hewitt National Museum for Design in New York and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY, among many others.

Mr. Skolnick also has served on the Boards of The Cooper Union, Longhouse Reserve, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design and the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of the National Association for Museum Exhibition (Exhibitionist). He has served on panels and juries for the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Institute of Architects. He is also a frequent lecturer, instructor, and author of scholarly papers and popular works, and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Leicester, England. 

Since the 1980s, he has been awarded Architectural Digest's "AD100," Cooper Union's "Achievers Under 40," House & Garden's "Design Obsession," the Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement from The Cooper Union, "The Most Innovative" by The Best of the Best Luxury Homes magazine, "The Best of the Best" Home Book's House of the Year, and local, state and national AIA Honor Awards. In 2003, Mr. Skolnick was elevated to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 2007, he coauthored the exceptional book What is Exhibition Design?; an unparalleled handbook that explores what constitutes successful design and clarifies the roles of the various disciplines involved in exhibition design while exploring how new technologies expand the possibilities for both form and function. In 2008, Architecture Omi, an ambitious new project in Columbia County, New York, named Mr. Skolnick as its first Chairman of the Board. Architecture Omi is part of Omi International Arts Center, a renowned not-for-profit art program that provides artist residency programs and outdoor exhibition spaces on its rural campus, where a collaborative environment flourishes between artists from multiple disciplines. Architecture Omi seeks to explore the myriad intersections of architecture, art, nature and human structure.

LIVE Musical Party with Karen Ortiz, at GRILL ON THE HILL: Aug 27, 2016

This August 27, at 8:30 pm, there's a party at Grill on The Hill, that you can't miss. The Grill On The Hill is a lot like “cheers” but with African-Americans, Latino and a vibrant rainbow tribe.

Their new musical series — designed to give new bands a new home — the first in the series begins on Saturday, 8.27 with a feisty Latina.  

Uploaded by Rishabh Natarajan on 2016-04-14.

Karen Ortiz loves music and music loves Ortiz.  The singer/songwriter knew her heart, from a very early age and at 9 year old, she shared the stage with South African legend Hugh Masekela and Paul Simon at Carnegie Hall.  

Fast forward to circa 2016, her voice is stronger and the message of her original songs stress the power of positive changes and the value of tolerance. 

Originally from the boogie-down Bronx, the gifted songstress/songwriter is bringing her band to Grill On The Hill, on Saturday, August 27th (9:30pm) as part of the new program to promote up and coming singers in Harlem. 

Q: Karen, How would you describe your music?

I think every artist has qualms with answering this question because it makes you define an extension of yourself. I write my own songs and I'm a primarily a singer so that would put me under singer songwriter, which is funnily a genre for a lot of people, though it doesn't say much about the music itself. I'm unsigned, so I guess that's indie? I write a lot of folky, kinda rock stuff but I'm brown so I get labeled some variation of soul quite often. I tend to not try to describe it at all. People can make of it whatever they want. I'd only describe it as honest.

Q: As a songwriter, in this city, where do you cull your inspiration?

City life, for sure. I have a song, "Bartender", as many artists in this city find themselves in the service industry to support their craft. In it I talk about how exhausting it is to do something for the sole purpose of building something somewhere else and living at night. The type of people you surround yourself with when you live at night, either serving cocktails or serving up songs at a venue, they're never in work mode, though you always are. Writing songs is a way for me to deal with stress and the high demands this city has on us, especially with the cost of living... and i don't just mean financially. The removal from all things natural and limited access to it and how we adapt is always interesting to me. I also have a song called "Dogs Used To Be Wild," and it essentially explores to what extent we can be removed from our nature and be domesticated into becoming a totally different animal. That's what us city folk do.

Q: Top 3 musical influences.

These will change in a week but I would say vocally, Jeff Buckley has always inspired me. Not just his power and range but he was extremely versatile. Bob Dylan's lyricism is amazing because he tells a story the whole time and it's hard for you to know his music without listening to what he's actually saying. Same goes for Father John Misty. Nina Simone I relate to on many personal levels. I remember the first time I heard her was a live recording of a performance. Her rapport with the audience was so relaxed and nonchalant, as if she couldn't tell that everyone was in love with her. And she definitely left a lot of space for silence. I LOVE when an artist doesn't feel like they have to entertain in between songs and is just themselves for a moment. I know this is cheating but Ella Fitzgerald's style is unmatched and I'd totally fan girl over her if i could get in a time machine and do that. 

Q: Why do you love being on stage?

That's a good question! I dunno if I love being on stage, I just know I have no choice. I don't really know how to be happy without it and my mental hygiene suffers. I don't covet the limelight, I just wanna create something better than I am that has more lasting power than this useless body. What I do love is representing the underrepresented. So I won't be making any love songs or shaking a scantily clad body anytime soon. Hahahaha, luckily for you. That's just not my bag and there are plenty of people that already do that and do that really well, lol. They're killing it out there with the live songs and the booty shaking and good for them! What I do love is giving someone a message they relate to that no one else is talking about but they actually deal with, like feeling kind of lost or like you're not really building anything. Before you think I'm some saint about it, i should clarify that it's totally selfish. I just have to do it. Haha

Q: In NYC you top 3 watering spots?

Ha! I drink at places I notice the staff doesn't hate their lives. That and at home. Lol-in all seriousness, probably where is convenient for everyone else. Only if I'm trying to impress someone or am dragged somewhere do I go to "nice" bars. Well.... Here's a better answer: anyplace with boardgames, dogs, or not a line to get to the bar. If it's summer, a big neighborhood bar with plenty of picnic tables is always nice. Or spicy food and sake in the winter. You know, I'm afraid of giving real answers of real hidden gems on account of all the changes happening in our neighborhoods, haha. Stick with the Lower East Side, guys. That's already yours.

Q: Fill in the blank:  I make music becasue

I must. That's who I am, a musician.

-------------------

Click the link below, to get tickets for the event:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rockin-musical-benefit-party-for-the-sleepytown-collection-join-singersongwriter-karen-ortiz-tickets-27017046714

GRILL ON THE HILL. SATURDAY, AUGUST 27th. 9:30pm. Part of the New Music

Series. FREE

Tickets on Sale for Works & Process, the Performing-Arts Series at the Guggenheim - Fall 2016 Season

Highlights: Operatic Adaptations of It's a Wonderful Life by Jake Heggie and Breaking the Waves by Missy Mazzoli
Steppenwolf: The Fundamentals by Erika Sheffer
The Metropolitan Opera: L'Amour de Loin by Kaija Saariaho
Peter & the Wolf with Isaac Mizrahi
Works & Process Commission: Jodi Melnick with Sara Mearns, Jared Angle, and Gretchen Smith

Works & Process at the Guggenheim is pleased to announce its fall 2016 season. Since 1984 the performing-arts series has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to leading creators and performers. Each intimate program blends performance with stimulating conversation with the creators, and takes place in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed, 285-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. Described by the New York Times as "an exceptional opportunity to understand something of the creative process," Works & Process is produced by founder Mary Sharp Cronson. A season preview video is available and further details can be found at worksandprocess.org.

Lead funding for Works & Process is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation and The Christian Humann Foundation and is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. 

Fall 2016 Season Schedule
Opera Philadelphia
Breaking the Waves by Missy Mazzoli
Monday, September 12, 7:30 pm
Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek's chamber opera Breaking the Waves, based on Lars von Trier's 1996 Academy Award-nominated film of the same name, tells the story of a couple's sacrificial love. Prior to the world premiere, cast members perform excerpts, and Mazzoli and Vavrek discuss their creative process.

Kate Weare Company
Marksman
Sunday, September 18, 7:30 pm
Choreographer Kate Weare's newest work, a sextet with an original score by saxophonist Curtis Robert Macdonald, zeroes in on our ability to precisely intuit one another with senses remote from modern consciousness yet imperative to our survival. Dancers perform excerpts from the new piece prior to its premiere at the Joyce Theater in New York. Weare and Macdonald participate in a moderated discussion before the Joyce premiere. 

Steppenwolf
The Fundamentals by Erika Sheffer
Monday, September 26, 7:30 pm
A Steppenwolf commission, The Fundamentals explores America's corporate culture through its main character, Millie, a resourceful young mother and housekeeper at a New York luxury hotel. When an opportunity in management gives her the chance to leave her blue-collar life behind, she is faced with how much, and who, she is willing to sacrifice. Cast members perform excerpts, and playwright Erika Sheffer and director Yasen Peyankov provide a behind-the-scenes look at the play's production. 

Carnegie Hall
Steve Reich 80th Birthday
Sunday, October 8, 7:30 pm
Preview Carnegie Hall's Steve Reich 80th Birthday celebration. Prior to its world premiere on November 1, Ensemble Signal conducted by Brad Lubman will perform excerpts from Reich's new work Pulse, Signal will also perform Quartet, a work scored for two pianos and two vibraphones. The program culminates with video excerpts from Three Tales, a ground breaking video opera by Reich and Beryl Korot. Reich and Korot will participate in a moderated discussion with Stuart Comer, MoMA chief curator of media and performance art. Pulse is co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall.

MCC Theater
Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell
Sunday, October 16, 7:30 pm
Prior to the New York premiere of Ride the Cyclone,creators Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell and director Rachel Rockwell discuss the quirky musical that follows six teenagers whose lives are tragically interrupted aboard a roller coaster ride that promises a prize like no other. Excerpts will be performed. 

Works & Process Commission Encore
Commedia dell'arte by John Zorn
Sunday, October 23, 9 pm
American composer and musical pioneer John Zorn returns with Commedia dell'arte, a suite of five miniatures inspired by the dell'arte characters Harlequin, Colombina, Scaramouche, Pulcinella, and Pierrot. Zorn participates in a moderated discussion.


Rules Of The Game by Jonah Bokaer and Daniel Arsham
Monday, October 31, 7:30 pm
Choreographer Jonah Bokaer and scenographer Daniel Arsham's largest collaboration yet, Rules Of The Game is a new multidisciplinary work for eight dancers. It features an original score composed by Pharrell Williams, arranged and conducted by David Campbell and recorded by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Bokaer discusses the collaboration, and excerpts are performed before the New York premiere at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival. 
Enter via the ramp at 88th St and 5th Ave. 

Houston Grand Opera
It's a Wonderful Life by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer
Sunday, November 6, 7:30 pm
Houston Grand Opera artistic and music director Patrick Summers, composer Jake Heggie, and librettist Gene Scheer discuss Heggie and Scheer's It's a Wonderful Life-an opera based in part on the timeless film It's a Wonderful Life* (1946) and Philip Van Doren Stern's short story The Greatest Gift (1943). Excerpts will be performed prior to the world premiere. 
*The opera adaptation is by permission of Paramount Licensing, Inc and co-commissioned by San Francisco Opera. 

The Metropolitan Opera
L'Amour de Loin by Kaija Saariaho
Monday, November 7, 7:30 pm
Excerpts from Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's breakthrough opera L'Amour de Loin are performed prior to the Met Opera premiere in a new production by Robert Lepage. Peter Gelb, General Manager, Metropolitan Opera, willmoderate a discussion with Saariaho and the creative team. 

Works & Process Commission
Jodi Melnick with Sara Mearns, Jared Angle and Gretchen Smith
Sunday, November 13, 3* and 7:30 pm
Monday, November 14, 7:30 pm
See the culmination of choreographer Jodi Melnick's Works & Process residency with dancers Sara Mearns, Jared Angle, and Gretchen Smith. Melnick's work weaves dance, spoken text, and moderated discussion with Claudia La Rocco. The performance features live music for harpsichord by composer György Ligeti, violin by composer Heinrich Biber,and newly commissioned music by Robert Boston. 
*Enter via the ramp at 88th St and 5th Ave. 

Nederlands Dans Theater with Sol León and Paul Lightfoot
Tuesday, November 15, 7:30 pm
Preview Nederlands Dans Theater's New York City Center season with excerpts from choreographic works by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, Marco Goecke, and Crystal Pite. León and Lightfoot will participate in a moderated discussion. 
Enter via the ramp at 88th St and 5th Ave. 


Juilliard Dance
New Dances with John Heginbotham, Katarzyna Skarpetowska, Pam Tanowitz, and Matthew Neenan
Sunday, November 20, 7:30 pm
Excerpts of new works by four innovative choreographers-John Heginbotham; Katarzyna Skarpetowska; Pam Tanowitz; and Matthew Neenan- are performed by Juilliard Dance students prior to their premieres. Artistic director Lawrence Rhodesdiscusses the creative process with the choreographers. 

Peter & the Wolf with Isaac Mizrahi
December 3, 4, 10, 11, 2:30 pm and 4 pm
December 9, 5 pm and 6:30 pm
Isaac Mizrahi narrates Sergei Prokofiev's charming children's classic as Brad Lubman conducts Ensemble Signal, and a cast performs choreography by John Heginbotham, bringing the 30-minute story to life for the young and young at heart. 
For children 5 and up. 
Premium front-row ticket: $100/$90 Friends of Works & Process and Guggenheim members
Enter via the ramp at 88th St and 5th Ave. 

Holiday Concert
Sunday and Monday, December 18 and 19, 7 pm
In what has become a revered annual tradition, Vox Vocal Ensemble, led by George Steel, fills the museum's iconic rotunda with the joyous sounds of holiday music. 
The museum closes at 5:45 pm and reopens at 6:45 pm for the concert. 
Floor seating: $40, $35 Friends of Works & Process and Guggenheim members
Ramp standing: $20, $15 Friends of Works & Process and Guggenheim members 

Location:
Peter B. Lewis Theater, unless otherwise noted
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street
Subway: 4, 5, 6 train to 86th Street
Bus: M1, M2, M3, or M4 bus on Madison or Fifth Avenue

Tickets:
$40, $35 Friends of Works & Process and Guggenheim Members, unless otherwise noted.
$10 student rush tickets available one hour prior to each performance if space allows (for students under 25 with valid ID). 
For the box office call 212 423 3575, Mon-Fri, 1-5 pm, or visit worksandprocess.org.

Shawn Blanchard: From Crack Baby to Author, Speaker & Mentor

Shawn Blanchard was born on the Westside of Detroit with drugs in his system in an environment surrounded by drugs, sex, poverty, and negative peer pressure. He has seven brothers. Today, three are deceased, and two are incarcerated. In reading this, most would assume that with his upbringing there would be no hope for a better tomorrow. They would assume that his beginning would be the very end of his story, when in fact, his story had just begun.

Present day, Shawn is a Mentorship Specialist, Author, and Speaker who has dedicated his life to mentoring and providing youth with the necessary tools needed to reach success for over 15 years. He was recently honored and awarded the President Barack Obama's Volunteer Community Service Award in DC at the White House. Art Shrian and myNewYorkeye had a conversation with Shawn, and he's smart, funny and inspiring. Just what you would expect. Here are the excerpts:

Art Shrian: You started with unfortunate beginnings, but you not only came out of it, but turned it around. Who and what motivated you to be able to do that?

Shawn Blanchard: There are honestly a ton of factors that influenced me. Quite frankly, I believe that we all have unlimited factors that have the potential to influence us if we let them. Formal mentorship was a big part of my motivation starting with my Grandmother, a high school counselor, some brothers, and some of my sisters. Even if I didn’t want to emulate someone exactly there were factors that I appreciated or they served as a “really good bad example” and I knew exactly what I didn’t want to emulate. Beyond the individuals I watched television and would see A Different World, Will Smith’s charisma and fun intelligence in Fresh Prince, James Bond’s overall articulate yet masculine finesse, Eddie Murphy’s suave persona in Boomerang, and countless others that I would sew together to produce the kind of man package I wanted to embody.

AS:  As people of color, we face injustice and lack of same opportunities everyday. How was your journey (any specific examples), and how did you overcome those obstacles?

SB: I think we should approach every situation with excellence in mind regardless of our circumstances. If you give me a seemingly impossible test, that simply means that your “impossible” is about to be my “possible”. Such situations give us the ability to strive beyond the norm. When I hear statistics or myths about my people I simply understand that there is general information out there that doesn’t apply to everyone. Society and media has a way of painting a tainted picture of people of color. I see these statistics broken all the time and in many instances the “statistics” are lies. People often talk about the amount of black men in prison when in actuality there are more black men in college then in prison. I recall being at the University of Michigan. I was told that I shouldn’t take math or economics courses because they would be difficult for me to pass given my background being from a high school in an underserved community. So, I made math and econ my major and even taught math at the University of Michigan during the summers. I take pleasure in obstacles. They tend to be opportunities.

AS: Now you're mentoring young folks, and giving back to the community through your book, seminars and other ways. How important is this to you? And how has it impacted you personally, in process of helping others?

SB: This is my life’s mission. I’m blessed because it takes some of us a lifetime to find our purpose in life. My main thought behind what I do is making sure that my presence and tools make the lives of others better. Otherwise, I would be working in vein. This has impacted my personality because it forced me to dig deep into myself, my experiences, and research to find solutions to some of life’s most difficult scenarios. It also gives me clarity of what is truly fulfilling. Making the life of another better is a real reward.

There are many roads to travel in life. Often times our best self is the self that selects the road less traveled. Answers to all of life's questions are all around us. We can find such answers by tapping into the GURU's called mentors. The answers we need in life are all around us.

AS: You happen to be a fashion and men's style expert and successful entrepreneur as well. How important do you think dressing up and your appearance is to be successful in life? 

SB: Attire plays a helpful role in our success. It shapes the minds of others through there first impressions. I’m a firm believer in knowing you have to teach people how to treat you. An easy first step is displaying the visual aspect of excellence through attire. It displays your energy level, attention to detail, gentleman knowledge, individuality, and overall intelligence. Secondly, we have to psychologically send ourselves personal messages. One’s attire can send a message of importance to self.

AS: Any particular tips on mens styling and what's going to be HOT this summer?

SB: This summer there are a couple looks that I foresee being winners. For the dressier look patterns on patterns, neckerchiefs, and shades of grey are setting the tone. For the more relaxed look; overly distressed jeans, baseball caps, and backpacks that are cool enough to take into a boardroom will set the stage.

AS: What's your favorite TV shows, and what's in your netflix/amazon queue right now?

SB: Great Question! My favorite television show is definitely POWER! It’s a real show that some see as entertainment, however, it is definitely a reality that many are not privy to. Lately I’ve been letting it loop in amazon while I get work done to make sure I’m caught up for the upcoming season. I just started Game of Thrones… I like it!

AS: Who would you like to play you, in your biopic? Why?

SB: Hmmm… I was just having this conversation on FB Live. There are a number of actors that would play the role well. I think Michael B. Jordan or Chadwick Boseman may be good choices. I think Michael B. Jordan would be really believable because it would be playing a merger between his role in Rocky, Fruitville Station, mixed with an intellectual, charismatic care giver which I haven’t seen him do yet. Seems like he’s naturally that kind of person anyway. Chad on the other hand has mastered the art of playing another character well which we saw in Jackie Robinson. This would be a totally new role for him that I’m sure he could execute well.

AS: What's your most favorite and least favorite thing about NYC?

SB: My most favorite aspect of NYC is the hard work among the rich cultured melting pot. Between various ethnicities, food, dance, and language, there is a universal thirst for hard work and acceptance of diversity. My least favorite aspects are the rats in the subway! Those things are like small dogs! LOL!

CNN Impact Your World Looking at Shawn Blanchard today, it's hard to believe the polished, well-spoken University of Michigan grad and Detroit city official once envisioned a life as a kingpin drug dealer. "Never judge a book by its cover," he laughs.

More than $82 Million Awarded for Arts Projects Nationwide Including $14,000 awarded to Ardea Arts

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEA's second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2016. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $14,000 to Ardea Arts for the creation of BOUNCE The Basketball Opera. The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.

"The arts are all around us, enhancing our lives in ways both subtle and obvious, expected and unexpected," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "Supporting projects like the one from Ardea Arts offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day."

To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use#NEASpring16. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to arts.gov.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

To support the production and outreach activities of Ardea Art's Basketball Opera, BOUNCE, a dramatic mix of music, theater and basketball involving youth and community both in the process and performance of the work. BOUNCE is grounded in contemporary youth issues, including teen violence.  It brings to life a story of the soaring hopes, dreams and aspirations of Isaac (Icarus) "Ike the Flight" Harris, a high school basketball player who overcomes temptations and life's hard lessons. An accessible, affordable-to-produce opera performed on basketball courts across the country in parks, athletic centers, schools, correctional facilities and theaters. This universal opera is conceived by director Grethe Holby, with story and libretto by basketball author and poet Charles R. Smith, Jr., and music by Grammy award-winning composer Glen Roven with additional music by folk blues Global soul composer Tomás Doncker and EDM Producer Ansolo.  Partners include University of Kentucky Opera Theatre (development); WNYC (media); Alaska Public Media, City Parks Foundation, Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes (GMACC), and three city high schools: EBC High School for Social Service, Nazareth Regional HS, both in Brooklyn, and Business of Sports School (BOSS) in Manhattan. 

ARTIST BIOS

Grethe Barrett Holby (Concept & Direction) Collaborating on well over 35 new operas over her career, she launched the groundbreaking organization American Opera Projects in 1988, which she led for 13 years, then Ardea Arts/Family Opera Initiative in 2006. A Rockefeller fellow, Holby has collaborated with Leonard Bernstein, Placido Domingo, Yusef Komunyakaa, Lou Reed, Menotti, Kitty Brazelton and others, in venues from The Kennedy Center and La Scala to The Kitchen. Productions for Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, North Carolina, Memphis, Anchorage, Houston, Michigan, and Washington opera companies; and originating cast member of Philip Glass/Robert Wilson Einstein on the Beach.

Glen Roven (Lead Composer/Music Supervisor) Composer, lyricist, conductor, pianist; Founder and Artistic Director for RovenRecords, distributed worldwide by Naxos; 12 -time nominee and 4-time Grammy winner; collaborated with Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews, Aretha Franklin, Renee Fleming, Kathleen Battle and hundreds of other celebrities for film, television, Broadway, Carnegie Hall and many other international venues and orchestras.

Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Story and Libretto) Award-winning author, photographer and poet with over thirty books to his credit including a Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration (2010) for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem "My People" and a Coretta Scott King Honor Author Award (2008) for his biography on Muhammad Ali, "Twelve Rounds to Glory." Early books such as "Rimshots", "Hoop Kings" and "Hoop Queens" focus on his love of basketball.

Tomás Donker (Additional Music) Global Soul composer and producer. Directs, composes and performs with his ensemble, Tomás Doncker Band. Guitarist for James Chance & The Contortions, Defunkt, J. Walter Negro & The Loose Jointz. Collaborated with Boosty Collins, Yoko Ono, The Itals, & Prince Charles Alexander. Current projects with Ivan Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Meshell Ndegeocello, Living Colour's Corey Glover, P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler Shamekia Copeland, & Bill Laswell.

Ansolo (EDM tracks) A DJ and Electronic Dance Music Producer, Ansolo has performed in major EDM concert venues and festivals around the world including Electric Zoo and Ultra Music Festival. 

Everett McCorvey (Lead Music Director) Professor of Voice, OperaLex Endowed Chair in Opera Studies, and Director and Executive Producer of The University of Kentucky Opera Theatre: Artistic Director of the National Chorale, New York City; Director, American Spiritual Ensemble; Vice chair Kentucky Arts Council. Professional Credits: the Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Communale (Italy), Radio Music City Hall. A basketball fan, he often sings the National Anthem for UKY Wildcats games.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and the agency is celebrating this milestone with events and activities through September 2016.

ARDEA ARTS Founding Artistic and Executive Director - Grethe Barrett Holby

Ardea Arts commissions, develops, and produces provocative new works of music-theater and opera to entertain, challenge and inspire today's diverse global community, uplift the human spirit, and encourage new ways of seeing our world. It is their goal to engage the community to the greatest extent possible in both the process and performance of the work, producing both within and far outside the walls of the opera house in order to reach the widest public possible. Collaboration is sought with unexpected artists to include American contemporary and popular forms in the operatic musical palette. Ardea Arts works out of its studio in Soho, New York City.

In addition to BOUNCE, Ardea Arts repertory includes Flurry Tale  (1999), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2001), Fireworks!  (2002), Animal Tales (2005), The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz (2007), The Man in the Black Suit (2008),Goodnight Moon/Plums (2009), CAT (2010), Maya's Ark  (2013), BABAR The Little Elephant (2014), One Christmas Long Ago (2015), and in development, The Three Astronauts. Producing partners have included Center for Contemporary Opera, French Institute NYC (FI-AF), American Opera Projects, NYC Central Park Zoo, Infinity Music Hall CT, and International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Space.

BOUNCE The Basketball Opera will have workshop performances this June 25-27. Please visit www.ardeaarts.com for details.

Big Apple Circus Returns to Cunningham Park with the Queens Premiere of The Grand Tour May 15 – June 12, 2016

Big Apple Circus returns to Cunningham Park for the company’s 38th season with the Queens Premiere of The Grand Tour! Tickets start at $25, and the show runs from May 15 – June 12, 2016 under the Big Top at Cunningham Park, located at Union Turnpike and 196th Street in Oakland Gardens, NY 11363. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.bigapplecircus.org.

See high-flying acrobats, lovable clowns, the Wheel of Wonder, ponies, puppies and more! All seats less than 50 feet from the ring. In this all-new show, The Grand Tour transports audiences to the advent of the modern travel era, when the most adventuresome began touring the world in ships, planes, trains, and automobiles. Audiences will be awed by the world-class entertainers as they perform breathtaking acts from the four corners of the globe. Clowns, jugglers, acrobats, and aerialists from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America set off on a whirlwind adventure, accompanied by the live, seven-piece Big Apple Circus Band at each performance.

“The Grand Tour is a first-class jaunt.”
— – The New York Times
“A class act ... Sophisticated and beautiful.”
— – The Village Voice
“Language can’t do justice to the visual and kinetic thrills of the Big Apple Circus. Just go!”
— – Time Out New York
“Polished and fun.”
— – Daily News
“The Finest Up-Close Circus in America.”
— – Variety
“America’s Best Circus for Children.”
— – Parents Magazine

Four-time Big Apple Circus ringmaster John Kennedy Kane returns to introduce a variety of stunning performers: clowns Joel Jeske and Brent McBeth; third-generation circus animal trainer Jenny Vidbel with her pony and dog acts; aerialist Sergey Akimov; international juggling sensation Alexander Koblikov; ninth-generation circus performer Chiara Anastasini with hula hoops; the Dominguez Brothers defying the law of gravity with their thrill-filled act featuring the Wheel of Wonder; Chinese hand balancers The Energy Trio; the African acrobatic troupe Zuma Zuma; and the Dosov Troupe soaring on the teeterboard.

The Grand Tour, conceived and created by Joel Jeske, is directed by Mark Lonergan (artistic director of Parallel Exit, the three-time Drama Desk Award-nominated physical theater company) with choreographer and associate director Antoinette DiPietropolo. Musical direction by Rob Slowik, with clown material created and directed by Joel Jeske. Set and lighting design by Maruti Evans, costume design by Oana Botez, and props design by Katie Fleming.

Big Apple Circus Embraces Autism will take place on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 11am. Big Apple Circus has joined with world-renowned Autism Spectrum Disorders experts to adapt The Grand Tour for families with members on the spectrum and create a joyful experience for all. The adapted show includes the same world-class artistry as the full performance with a shorter running time, adjusted lights and sound, a calming center, pictorial social narratives, and specially trained staff and volunteers to assure a memorable event for everyone! All tickets to this special performance, a 75-minute abbreviated show, are half price ($12.50–$37.50).

A special Big Apple Circus Member event, including dessert in the ring with the performers, will be held following the performance on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 4:30pm.  For more information on how to become a Big Apple Circus Member, please visit http://www.bigapplecircus.org/join-and-give.

As a nonprofit performing arts institution, the Big Apple Circus is committed not only to thrilling audiences in the ring, but also to bringing the joy and wonder of circus into the community. Big Apple Circus creates direct, shared connections inside its one-ring Big Top AND in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools, in its New York City home and in cities across America.

““These performers, many from circus dynasties, preserve an important tradition, reinforced by the nonprofit Big Apple Circus’s commendable community-service activities, notably the
Clown Care program, which entertains hospitalized children. This company … doesn’t only have awe-inspiring acrobatic skills; it has a lot of heart, too.””
— – The New York Times, 2014 Critics’ Pick

Big Apple Circus Clown Care® brings the joy of classical circus to hospitalized children at 15 leading pediatric facilities across the United States. Performers collaborate with doctors and staff to design a program to fit the needs of each hospital. Members of the Clown Care team bring the healing power of humor to children with acute and chronic illnesses, visiting nearly 225,000 young patients every year.

Big Apple Circus offers a specially adapted performance of the show, Circus of the Senses, for children and adults with vision or hearing impairments and/or other disabilities. American Sign Language interpreters are positioned in spotlights throughout the tent, and wireless audio headsets transmit a live audio play-by-play description of the action in the ring. Braille or large-print descriptive programs are available for audience members. A “touch session” after the show offers a unique opportunity for pre-selected groups of visually impaired children to go into the ring to meet the artists and literally feel a clown nose, a juggler's clubs, or the silky coat of a performing dog.

Big Apple Circus Embraces Autism provides performances with modified lighting and sound as well as a staffed calming center, to meet the needs of children on the autism spectrum. Inclusion is a core value at Big Apple Circus, which is dedicated to delivering the finest circus entertainment to everyone, regardless of physical or cognitive ability, or economic circumstance.

Circus for All! distributes free and subsidized tickets to schools and nonprofit organizations serving low-income children and families, enabling many of them to experience the excitement and wonder of the circus for the very first time.

Circus After School teaches kids life skills such as teamwork, responsible risk-taking, and perseverance, through a structured program of learning and performing circus arts.

About Big Apple Circus

(Will Maitland Weiss, Executive Director; Guillaume Dufresnoy, Artistic Director)

Conceived and founded by Paul Binder and Michael Christensen to be a leading presenter of live family entertainment and a nonprofit performing arts institution, our nation-wide performances and community programs have made our 38-year history far-reaching and full. It all began in 1974, when American entertainers Binder and Christensen became juggling partners and took to the street corners of Europe. Their comedic juggling act was a hit, and they soon found themselves on the stage of the prestigious Nouveau Cirque de Paris. They returned home to America in 1976 with a vision: to entertain and improve the lives of millions of American children and families. One year later, they found a site for the first tent-raising in Battery Park, New York, and went on to create the award-winning, nonprofit Big Apple Circus. For more information, visit www.bigapplecircus.org.

About Cunningham Park

Culture, sports, nature... and fun! All of these things abound in Cunningham Park, one of the largest parks in Queens.  Assembled between 1928 and 1944 and named Cunningham Park in 1934, the space has developed into headquarters for countless athletic leagues, animals, playmates, and barbecue enthusiasts.  Pick a pleasure and begin your explorations today!  http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/cunningham-park.

@837NYC, VR experience is FUN and FREE! #LWDYK

Lapacazo, What Do You Know?  I know about virtual reality and in NYC, at the Samsung 837 experience it’s free and fun! 

Don’t fret when you get the notification that out of town guests are arriving at your door this season. So you can’t get them tickets to HAMILTON you can still give them a taste of innovation that costs them nothing and will entertain them for hours.  

Google the Samsung 837 “where technology and culture collide. It’s located in the heart of the cobble stoned streets in the Meatpacking district in NYC, where “Samsung 837 combines art, fashion, technology, and sport in unprecedented ways.” Check it. The place is filled with ideas and unique opportunities to try out the Samsung’s cutting edge devices including the Samsung V.R.gear but since it’s not a store, don’t expect to be able to purchase any Samsung products. 

The line up of FREE events at Samsung 837 isoff the chain good and it goes way beyond just concerts and screenings, it shows how their devices contribute to moments worth the buzz.

http://www.samsung.com/us/837/#!/

The space was designed by renowned architecture firm Wonderwall and features an amphitheater area, VR tunnel, customer service and workshop area, and café. Enjoy live DJs spinning every day from 1-7pm in their fully equipped DJ Studio. From house to reggae, we have a sound to match every taste. Every Sunday sign up for the 837 Run Club.  Be fearless and lace up your shoes and come sweat it out with expert-led jogs along the Hudson Highline.

Here is what you need to know about the Samsung V.R. gear that’s powered by Oculus. 

Lapacazo Sandoval: How Many Apps are in the Gear V.R.?

Samsung makes the gear V.R. and Oculus is the virtual reality content provider. There are over150 experiences currently in the Oculus app. 

LS: I was bowled over by the fact that you can enjoy Netflix on the Samsung V.R. gear?  Explain.

The Netflix app is downloadable through the Oculus app. You can log in and watch your choices. Anything that was shot in 360 degrees will show up all around you as you are watching it.  Anything that was not recorded specifically in 360 degrees will appear— like a giant screen— in front of you, as if it’s being projected. Imagine. Just like if you are sitting there.

LS: How can I enjoy this experience, with my friend, using an Avatar with the Samsung V.R. gear?

That’s a great question. When you download the Gear V.R. app (through Oculus app) one of the 150 experiences and that ranges from watching movies and playing games and also includes [a] social hangouts.  

Let’s say that you are in New York City and your friend is in Japan. If you both have Samsung gear V.R. and you’ve downloaded the [Netflix app] you can both ‘ virtually hang out ‘ in a social hang out setting and using a cartoon Avatar and it looks like both of you are in the same room.  Similar to a video chat or phone conversation. Using the character [Avatar] you can have a conversation and it feels like you are there with that person. 

LS: Describe the worlds’ largest selfie?

The photo mosaic here at Samsung 837 is the world’s largest selfie. You take a picture wait just a few seconds and it pops up on the world’s largest social media display and this screen, as we call it: it’s 96, 55’ inch panels. Once it takes your photo, it’s comprised of 55 thousand Instagram images.  

LS: That’s great family connectivity and it’s free except for the coffee bar upstairs.  

Correct. At Samsung 837 we sell nothing but you can experience everything. Our events are free but RSVP is essential. Go to Event Brite Samsung 837 event bar. One of the newest attractions is the 4 D virtual roller coaster experience where the chairs move.  All free!