Happenings for Week of May 28th, 2007

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007




Identity by Design: Tradition, Change, and Celebration in Native Women’s Dresses (A, C, E)
For generations, Native women from the Plains, Plateau, and Great Basin regions of the United States and Canada have designed dresses renowned for their beauty. Created from the tanned hides of deer, elk, and big horn sheep, each dress tells its own story, speaking of an individual designer’s artistic vision, a family’s status, tribal values, and social and cultural change. In this lecture, curator Emil Her Many Horses will explore the stories embodied in historic and contemporary Native women’s dresses, as revealed through the words, insights, and memories of contemporary Native women designers. He will discuss how these dresses transcend their function as items of clothing and represent evidence of a proud and unbroken tradition, linking contemporary artists to the generations of women who preceded them and those who are to come.
Bard Graduate Center
38 West 86th St (between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West)
6 - 7:15p
$17
For more information: bard

Author Discussion and Book Reading: George Bowerin (C, E, L)
Author of Vermeer’s Light: Poems 1996-2006
The ongoing Upper North Side series, in cooperation with the Canadian Consulate, highlights the best Canadian literature and culture for a New York audience. McNally Robinson is especially honored this evening to host George Bowering, Canada’s first Poet Laureate (2002-2004) and one of his country’s premier literary artisans. His new collection Vermeer’s Light brings together acclaimed poems from his recent books (some of them previously published under pseudonyms) as well as an extended meditation on the evolution of his most anthologized poem “Grandfather.” Join us for a reading and conversation with this preeminent and beloved Canadian poet.
@ McNally Robinson
52 Prince Street (between Mulberry and Lafayette Streets)
7p
Free
For more information: mcnally

Movie Screening: Orange Winter (F)
One rigged election, two classic operas, one silent classic. Orange Winter.
They poisoned the opposition candidate. But he survived.
They exerted full control over the media. But one journalist rebelled. They stole the election. And the streets erupted.This is the Orange Revolution, in Kiev, Ukraine.
@ Pioneer Theater
155 East 3rd Street (@ Avenue A)
9p
Tickets range: $6.50 - $10
For more information:orangewinter

Wednesday, May 30th, 2007



Art Exhibit: Haiti Unmasked: Kids with Cameras (A, C, ,E)
These photographs are by child domestic workers in Haiti, who were taught the art of photography by Gigi Cohen in 2005.
@ Point of View Gallery
638 West 28th Street (between 11th Avenue and West Side Highway)
Free
For more information: pointofview

Art Exhibit: The Disappeared (Los Desaparecidos) (A, C, E)
This exhibit gathers 14 contemporary living artists from seven countries in Central and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay and Venezuela), all of whose work contends with the horrors and violence stemming from the totalitarian regimes in each of their nations during the mid- to late-20 th century. Some of the artists worked in the resistance; some had parents or siblings who were disappeared; others were forced into exile. The youngest were born into the aftermath of those dictatorships. And still others have lived in countries maimed by endless civil war.
@ El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue (between 104th and 105th Streets)
$6
For more information: elmuseo

Successful Relationship Choices with Dr. John (code: T-LS5WS08-01) (E)
Have you been successful in every aspect of life except love? Have you “got it all,” yet still find yourself alone? Relationship expert and clinical psychiatrist Dr. John Tamerin helps you find out what you are doing wrong and how to get it right. Learn to identify which choices are contributing to your discontent and how to act on those choices to yield healthier results.
@ 92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue (@ 92nd Street)
7 - 9p
$25
For more information: 92y



The Dirty Dozen Brass Band comes to NYC (A, M)
For 25 years, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band has boldly forged the traditions of New Orleans jazz with the modern influences of bebop, funk, R&B and pop, creating a new standard by which all other brass bands are measured. Their relentless touring both on their own and as the horn section for everyone from Miles Davis to Elvis Costello has taken the band to every corner of the planet, making their classic "Second Line" sound synonymous with New Orleans itself. In recognition of the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of New Orleans and the Gulf coast, DDBB released a meaningful reinterpretation of the Marvin Gaye classic What’s Going On.
@ BB King Blues Club and Grill
237 West 42nd Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue)
Doors @ 6p, show starts at 8p
$16 in advance, $19 day of show
For more information: bbkingblues

Thursday, May 31st, 2007

Blackface Minstrelsy: The TV of the 19th Century (C, E)
America's first homegrown entertainment, blackface minstrelsy originated in the North in 1828, and by 1840, the Virginia Minstrels were the entertainment rage of New York. During the 1850s, minstrelsy became a tool of the anti-slavery movement. After the Civil War, African Americans formed minstrel troupes that would become the training ground for black performers of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
@ New York Historical Society
170 Central Park West (@ 77th Street)
6:30p
$15
For more information: nyhistory



Book Discussion (C, L, M)
Chuck Panozzo: The Grand Illusion: Love, Lives and My Life with Styx
Panozzo was the bass player in Styx, whose mid-'70s hits such as "Mr. Roboto," and "Lady" are staples of classic rock radio, and he is rightfully proud of Styx's accomplishments "The first rock band ever to sell four consecutive triple platinum albums." Styx's fans will enjoy Panozzo's detailed look at the band's internal conflicts as they rise from small Chicago bars to sold-out arenas. But the heart of Panozzo's autobiography is a sensitive and insightful look at "one gay man's struggle to come to terms with himself" while performing in a rock world where "the things that would make the other guys laugh a female fan lifting up her skirt, a pair of panties thrown on stage just didn't do it" for him. The most fascinating sections are accounts of Panozzo's conflicted youthful feelings in his sheltered Catholic neighborhood; his adolescent trips to gay theaters where "skin flicks validated the fact that there were other people out there like me"; his attempts to keep his rock identity secret during furtive dates while on tour where he "treated every excursion like a CIA mission;" and a joyous moment when he publicly comes out and decides to tell his story "to inspire others, gay or straight, to live a proud, truthful life."
@ Barnes and Nobles
675 Sixth Avenue (@ 22nd Street)
7p
Free
For more information: bn or Grand-Illusion

Koosil-Ja's mech[A] Output (A, C)
Radical New York-based choreographer/ performance-technology artist Koosil-Ja presents an electrifying multimedia dance-performance with live 3-D environment, seamlessly incorporating elements of traditional noh music and choreography from the classic noh play Dojoji. The legends surrounding Dojo-ji Temple in Wakayama, southeast of Osaka, have inspired numerous noh and kabuki plays about the vengeful spirit of a spurned woman. By juxtaposing the restrained and subtle choreography of Dojoji with 3D world imaging projected on to a large screen, the daring Bessie Award and Guggenheim Fellowship-winning choreographer-dancer/singer-songwriter transposes the work into her own aesthetic context, creating an innovative blend of modern and traditional, digital and flesh. The production features 3D world designed by Claudia Hart, 3D Interactive interface designed and performed by John Klima, and live sound and software design by Geoff Matters, dramaturgy by Nanako Nakajima and pendulum enclosure construction by Michael D. Casselli.
@ Japan Society
333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
7:30p
$25
For more information and to buy tickets: japansociety



Felix Swing Band Performs (A, C, D, M)
Felix Swing Band features the music of Fletcher Henderson, under the leadership of Westchester County's Felix Endico. Felix Swing Band is inspired by Fletcher Henderson and Earl Hines. Felix and all the Cats play authentic swing/society jazz music. The group is comprised of veteran luminaries such as Eddie Bert, Bill Wurtzel, Tootsie Beam, and Leo Ball who have played with Benny Goodman, Horace Henderson, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton.
@ Swing 46
346 West 46 Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
8p
$12 admission includes dance lesson
For more information: swing46or felix

Friday, June 1st, 2007

Dance Performance: (A, C, D)
Martha Graham Dance Company Steps in the Street and Prelude to Action from Chronical
Sitelines opens with the Martha Graham Dance Company performing in the streets for the first time. Two excerpts from Martha Graham's Chronicle evoke how war can break the spirit and art can call us to action. Created by Graham in 1936, Chronicle is one of her rare political expressions. The stark, geometric choreography percussive, angular and always visceral still evokes the shock of early Graham movement discoveries.
Location: Intersection of Wall and Broad Streets
12:30p
Free
For more information: rivertoriver

Wine Tasting: Spanish Wines for Summer (D/F)
Our favorite warm-climate wine region knows warm weather wine very well.
@ Astor Wines
399 Lafayette St (@ East 4th Street)
6 - 8p
Free
For more information: astorwines

Isaac Mizrahi Performs (A, M)
Isaac Mizrahi is back with his band, The Ben Waltzer Quintet, for a series of shows in June. He'll chat, take your questions, sing, sketch and may even do a jig. Just come dammit.
@ Joes Pub
425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th Street and Astor Place)
7:30p
$25
For more information and to buy tickets: joespub

The Bill Jacobs Ensemble (A, C, M)
Vibraphonist, mallet percussionist, educator, administrator, these are all ways to describe a talented and gifted musician named Bill Jacobs. Bill was born in the Bronx, New York and a look at his background will tell you why this man has so much to offer. His early interest in music started to develop during his childhood in Queens, where his parents moved. His father and others encouraged Bill’s musical development.
@ Flushing Town Hall
137 - 35 Northern Boulevard (@ the corner of Linden Place)
8p
$15
For more information and tickets: flushing

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007



2007 Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival (A, C, D, D/F, M)
Hot line up of artists: dj bobitto garcia aka kool bob love; earthdriver; abukua dancers; baba israel and yako. Dance for tolerance: with youth from cali, colombia, fortaleza, brazil and brooklyn (a project of the third millennium foundation). Free boat rides: with red hook boaters.
@ Louis J. Valentino Jr. Park & Pier (at Coffey and Ferris Streets), Brooklyn
10 - 7p
Free
For more information: dance

Bike Tour/Food Tasting: The Great Brew, View and Chocolate Tour (D/F, E, S)
This special tour starts with a ride through the historic Lower East Side. Once the most densely populated neighborhood in the world, it is now a very “in” section with a thriving nightlife, as well as an authentic Soviet era, larger than life, statue of Lenin. We’ll pass by a live poultry market that caters to new immigrants who back home just picked their chickens live off their small rural town streets and alleys. Leaving Manhattan, we will pedal on the new Williamsburg Bridge bike path. We enter the "hip," artistic neighborhood of Williamsburg and head to the Big Apple’s best micro-brewery, The Brooklyn Brewery. Its 1860’s building has been beautifully restored to its bare brick and wood timbers. Here you can sample its top-rated beer, ale, or stout on tap. Only a short ride away, yet centuries back in time, we enter a Hassidic "shtetl," like that made famous in Fiddler On The Roof. Here the orthodox Jewish population still tries to live as it did before the Holocaust. On this, the Jewish Sabbath, all the businesses are closed as the synagogue becomes the focal point of existence. Another short pedal away, and we are back again in the 21st century. Now we are in Dumbo. We head to Jacques Torres Chocolate Shop, run by a pastry chef extraordinaire. We finally pedal over the Brooklyn Bridge, also on its own bike path. Easy paced, safe, quiet streets. 11 miles,
10:15 - 5p
$75 includes bike, helmet, a licensed tour guide, (food and drink extra; $10 less with your own bike). Once you sign up, you will get the meeting location
For more information and to sign up: bike



Leashes and Lovers: 4th Annual Ice Cream Social (D/F, S)
Enjoy a warm, festive afternoon cooling off with some ice cream for fido and some brew and food for you. Dog-friendly Ice Cream Social. Event Includes: (Dog-friendly ice cream provided by Mutt Licks, dog labeled wine and beer (unlimited), plenty of appetizers, ASPCA adoptable dogs. All are welcome at Leashes and Lovers events. Please bring only "friendly" socialized dogs. No flexi-leashes please
@ The Barking Dog Cafe
150 East 34th Street (@ Lexington Avenue)
4 - 6p
$40
For more information and to sign up: leashes

3 Kings and Their Dead (A, C)
"What happens when three of Shakespeare's most ruthless kings face their victims? 3 Kings and Their Dead is an imaginative reworking of scenes from Shakespeare's three plays, in which Macbeth is stalked by Banquo; Claudius confronts his brother, Hamlet's father; and Richard III gets haunted by all whom he has sent from this world. Ambition. Treachery. Destruction. There always seem to be glamour and glory, until death and fear reveal war's true nature. Yet it is perhaps the ultimate justice when the perpetrator must answer to those whom he has victimized.
@ Arthur Seelen Theatre
250 West 40th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
7:30p
Free (Suggested donation of $5 - $10)
For more information: king

Dance Performance: Ear to the Ground (new works by: Anita Cheng and Noopur Singha) (A, D)
Based on the choreography of Anita Cheng and the collaboration of artists from many fields, Anita Cheng Dance explores how we view and experience movement. Noopur Singha has both the delicateness of Manipuri Dance and prowess of Western dance.
@ Mulberry Street Theater
70 Mulberry Street (corner of Bayard Street), 2nd floor
7:30p
$14
For more information and to get tickets: dance

Movie Screening: Black + White = Grey (F)
2007 marks Rooftop Films' 11th year of existence, and this summer promises to be our biggest and best yet. Rooftop Films' Summer Series sneak preview. Quirky comedies, startling dramas, and powerful political documentaries about racial misunderstandings, subtle deceptions, and flat-out lies.
On the lawn at Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn
135 Dekalb Avenue (@ South Elliot Street)
Music starts at 8p, movie starts at 9p
Free
For more information: rooftop

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007



Walking Tour: Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival (A, C, D/F, E, M)
A beloved NYC tradition. Experience the music, crafts and language of the Chinese and East European Jewish communities of our Lower East Side block. Chinese sword and Jewish folk dances, folk art demos, concerts and more.
@ Eldridge Street Project
12 Eldridge Street (between Berry and Canal Streets)
12 - 4p
Free
For more information: eldridge

Exhibit Opening and Artists Reception: The Latest from Shannon Elliot (A, D/F)
Her several showcased works hold the viewer and leave an impression long after they have moved along. Using beguiling colors and deceptively simple images that seem to float in the clarity of a dream, Ms. Elliott creates a sometimes haunting whole world within the confines of her canvas. To stand and view her work in the flesh is to know the power of her painting.
@ Rockaway Artists Alliance
260 Beach 116th Street (between Beach Channel Drive and Rockaway Beach Boulevard), Rockaway Beach
1 - 3p
Free
For more information: rockaway

Lecture: Catching the Smugglers (C, E)
The Role of Homeland Security in Rescuing Stolen Cultural Heritage with Tim Carey
Mr. Carey details the 18 month-long investigation by the Department of Homeland Security which began with the seizure of a cache of illicit Gandharan artifacts at Newark Port of Entry in September 2005 and culminated in their return to the Government of Pakistan in February of 2007. Comparisons between looted artifacts and Gandharan artifacts which have recently appeared at auction demonstrate what motivates smugglers to import illicit antiquities into the US.
Bayside Historical Society
208 Totten Avenue (near Cross Island Parkway), Fort Totten
Free, with admission ($3 suggested donation)
For more information: bayside

Shakespeare on the Run (A, C, S)
The New York Classical Theatre presents its 8th season of free theater in Central Park. Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, directed by Stephen Burdman, As you watch the show, the next scene that is about to happen starts about 50 feet away, and the whole audience follows the actors to where the scene is taking place every 10 - 15 minutes. From West 103rd Street, the play moves around the Lake, using footbridges, trees, rocks, benches, and even the audience as scenery.
@ West 103rd Street and Central Park West (inside the Park)
7 - 10p
Free
For more information: centralpark

Monday, June 4th, 2007



Alexander Calder in New York (A, C)
This is the first-ever multi-work exhibition of the artist's sculptures in New York City's public spaces. Calder (1898-1976) was an engineer by training, and the works on view epitomize his technical mastery of industrial materials. But they also demonstrate his joyful imagination, his sense of harmony and balance, and his lifelong interest in color, abstraction, scale and anthropomorphism. “Stabile" is the term that Calder used throughout his life to describe his freestanding, nonmoving sculptures, from the delicate stand-alone geometric abstractions he made in the early 1930s to his monumental multi-story constructions of the 1960s and 1970s. Artist Jean Arp coined the term in 1932 to describe those works in comparison to Calder's mobiles. The stabiles on view throughout City Hall Park were made between 1957 and 1976, a period when Calder had devoted himself to making outdoor sculpture on a grand scale from bolted sheet steel. In delicate counterpoint to these large outdoor works, Untitled (1976), one of the last mobiles the artist made before his death, hangs in the rotunda stairwell of City Hall. In addition to the works on view in this temporary exhibition, there are a number of stabiles and mobiles by Alexander Calder that are on permanent or long-term public display in New York City. Object in Five Planes (1965), 26 Federal Plaza near Worth and Lafayette Streets, is located just three blocks north of City Hall Park.
Works can be found at City Hall Park which is bordered by Broadway, Chambers Street, Centre Street, and Park Row.
Free, outdoor space
For more information: publicart

Lecture: Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang (Code: HL060407) (C, E)
The Big Bang explains the origin of the Universe, how galaxies and stars formed, and why the expansion of the Universe is speeding up today. But what caused the Big Bang in the first place? Could it be that what we think of as the moment of creation was simply part of an infinite cycle of titanic collisions between our Universe and another one? With guests: Paul Steinhardt and Neil Turok.
@ American Museum of Natural History
81st Street (between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue)
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
7:30p
$14
For more information and to buy tickets: amnh

Key to Activities

A Art
C Cultural
D Dance
D/F Drink/Food
E Education
F Film
L Literature
M Music
NP Non-Profit
P Party
S Sport