Wednesdays are rough - colloquially referred to as the hump day of the week, it's usually a relatively unexciting day. Regardless of how your Wednesday is going (flying by or dragging on), there's at least one piece of exciting news for this day. For New Yorkers, this is the day of the week that each new Village Voice is released!
A free publication like AM New York and the Metro, the Village Voice is well known around the New York City. It may not have the daily crosswords and sudokus to keep you occupied like the free daily publications, but it IS a great guide to the arts scene of the city. While the other free publications do offer some city guides and upcoming events, the Village Voice should be your go-to guide if you're looking for a unique event. They break up their offerings into different sections such as Music, Dance, Art, Movies, and Food, and they talk about new openings, one time events, and ongoing offerings. Each issue has listings of events for the coming week, as well as numerous reviews.
I'm very fond of the Village Voice - it has entertaining news articles, and has always paid a fair amount of attention to the city's dance scene even when other papers would only allow a column for all of the dance events and reviews. Some of their classifieds and ads may be a little seedy at times, but this paper is an excellent guide to what you should attend each weekend (or even during the week!). So, if you're not sure what to see or do one day and I haven't posted anything to your liking recently, pick up a copy of this publication on a nearby street corner. It's free and always worth flipping through - it focuses on a lot of the downtown scene, but includes events throughout the city. You can also visit it online and find more information on upcoming events, reviews, and headlines.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Mad Decent Block Party
Yesterday's weather was perfect: sunny, hot but not humid, and breezy. So instead of sitting in my apartment all day and cleaning as I should have done, I decided to venture out into the city in search of adventure. I had heard about a block party being put on in South Street Seaport, so I braved the dysfunctional weekend schedule of the 4/5 trains and headed downtown to meet a friend and check it out.
Upon arrival to the block party hosted by Mad Decent, some sort of indie rock band was playing on a stage, surrounded by a dancing crowd and several beer and merch booths. The scene quickly shifted as Ninasonik took the stage. The rest of the lineup consisted of great DJs and acts such as Major Lazer, Bosco Delrey, DJ Sega, and Maluca. Most of the artists were Brooklyn-based, and there were also numerous special guests within each set - at least in the half of the block party that I witnessed, having arrived quite late into the event.
Although not every act was dynamite, I would definitely describe the event as mad decent. Several of the artists were incredibly engaging, and by the end everyone was definitely dancing. There was also singing along, professional hip hop dancers on the stage, and a bit too much crowdsurfing and crowd members trying to jump up on the stage. Although the crowd was a little obnoxious at times, probably due to the large quantities of beer sold and lax security, it was definitely a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The scene, mostly full of dance and club music, seemed a little out of place in the classy South Street Seaport, but the breeze from the water and the enthusiasm of the performers was infectious and fun to witness. The night ended with being sprayed by multiple champagne bottles and getting shut down before Maluca could perform her hit El Tigerosa, but that's what you get for a rowdy crowd and a free event.
If you have other plans, I wouldn't suggest rearranging your life to attend this block party next year, but it's definitely worth stopping by for if nothing else is going on. It's fun to dance, and you get an accurate representation of the music scene going on in New York - Mad Decent brings different acts to each of its block parties in order to celebrate the local flavor. So be on the lookout for next year's lineup once it's announced - it's not a bad way to spend a gorgeous day!
Upon arrival to the block party hosted by Mad Decent, some sort of indie rock band was playing on a stage, surrounded by a dancing crowd and several beer and merch booths. The scene quickly shifted as Ninasonik took the stage. The rest of the lineup consisted of great DJs and acts such as Major Lazer, Bosco Delrey, DJ Sega, and Maluca. Most of the artists were Brooklyn-based, and there were also numerous special guests within each set - at least in the half of the block party that I witnessed, having arrived quite late into the event.
Although not every act was dynamite, I would definitely describe the event as mad decent. Several of the artists were incredibly engaging, and by the end everyone was definitely dancing. There was also singing along, professional hip hop dancers on the stage, and a bit too much crowdsurfing and crowd members trying to jump up on the stage. Although the crowd was a little obnoxious at times, probably due to the large quantities of beer sold and lax security, it was definitely a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The scene, mostly full of dance and club music, seemed a little out of place in the classy South Street Seaport, but the breeze from the water and the enthusiasm of the performers was infectious and fun to witness. The night ended with being sprayed by multiple champagne bottles and getting shut down before Maluca could perform her hit El Tigerosa, but that's what you get for a rowdy crowd and a free event.
If you have other plans, I wouldn't suggest rearranging your life to attend this block party next year, but it's definitely worth stopping by for if nothing else is going on. It's fun to dance, and you get an accurate representation of the music scene going on in New York - Mad Decent brings different acts to each of its block parties in order to celebrate the local flavor. So be on the lookout for next year's lineup once it's announced - it's not a bad way to spend a gorgeous day!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Paul Taylor's 80th Birthday Celebration
This past Thursday, I attended the Lincoln Centers Out of Doors performance series to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company (along with its second company, Taylor 2). When I attend dance performances, I'm always happy when there's a large crowd - and this was certainly the case for this particular show. I arrived half an hour early, trail mix and water bottle in hand, and ended up sitting on a ledge surrounding all the chairs in order to get the best view possible. Most of the chairs near the front of the stage were already full, and the crowd kept piling in. I wasn't too far away, and the angle from the ledges wasn't too bad... and I avoided all the body heat of the chair crowd! While waiting for the show to begin, my roommate and I made friends with a fellow ledge sitter who offered to let us borrow his binoculars occasionally throughout the show, which was very exciting. This just goes to show, be nice to the people around you and they might even help you out!
As the performance began, with the help of the percussion and brass band known as Asphalt Orchestra, I ran into a classmate who informed me that a recent graduate from our school had just joined the Taylor 2 company - so we remained on the lookout (with the binocular assistance, of course) for his stage appearances. The two pieces Taylor 2 performed were classics - the abstract 3 Epitaphs and the beautiful Esplanade.
Then the original company took the stage to perform three works - Airs, Syzygy, and Company B. Airs, similar to Esplanade, was characterized by more flowing movements and classical music accompaniment, whereas Syzygy was a more erratic, abstract piece to synthetic music. The final work, Company B, is one of my favorite Taylor works - performed to the stylistic voicings of The Andrews Sisters, this piece integrates social dance with modern dance to create a fun piece with undertones of war drama.
Throughout this amazing performance, it was easy to pick out one of the leaving dancers - a short blonde by the name of Julie Tice. She is breathtaking in Taylor's choreography, and she will be sorely missed - the flowers thrown and the standing ovation given at the end of the night showed just how much her artistry has been appreciated. The other company member retiring, Orion Duckstein, was also excellent along with the rest of the company, but Tice stood out throughout the night. It will be interesting to see how the new members of both the original company and Taylor 2 fit in - some of them have only been in rehearsal for two months, and already they are performing Taylor's classic works and executing them well, which bodes well for the companies.
The night ended with the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Paul Taylor to celebrate his 80th - and I can't imagine a better way to spend your birthday than seeing your company and work thrive. I can only hope that Taylor continues creating new works and training his company as he continues to age, because Thursday night's performance was excellent proof that both he and his company are alive and kicking! So check out their future performances - both companies tour frequently, but also perform at colleges such as Adelphi and at New York City Center in late February.
As the performance began, with the help of the percussion and brass band known as Asphalt Orchestra, I ran into a classmate who informed me that a recent graduate from our school had just joined the Taylor 2 company - so we remained on the lookout (with the binocular assistance, of course) for his stage appearances. The two pieces Taylor 2 performed were classics - the abstract 3 Epitaphs and the beautiful Esplanade.
Then the original company took the stage to perform three works - Airs, Syzygy, and Company B. Airs, similar to Esplanade, was characterized by more flowing movements and classical music accompaniment, whereas Syzygy was a more erratic, abstract piece to synthetic music. The final work, Company B, is one of my favorite Taylor works - performed to the stylistic voicings of The Andrews Sisters, this piece integrates social dance with modern dance to create a fun piece with undertones of war drama.
Throughout this amazing performance, it was easy to pick out one of the leaving dancers - a short blonde by the name of Julie Tice. She is breathtaking in Taylor's choreography, and she will be sorely missed - the flowers thrown and the standing ovation given at the end of the night showed just how much her artistry has been appreciated. The other company member retiring, Orion Duckstein, was also excellent along with the rest of the company, but Tice stood out throughout the night. It will be interesting to see how the new members of both the original company and Taylor 2 fit in - some of them have only been in rehearsal for two months, and already they are performing Taylor's classic works and executing them well, which bodes well for the companies.
The night ended with the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Paul Taylor to celebrate his 80th - and I can't imagine a better way to spend your birthday than seeing your company and work thrive. I can only hope that Taylor continues creating new works and training his company as he continues to age, because Thursday night's performance was excellent proof that both he and his company are alive and kicking! So check out their future performances - both companies tour frequently, but also perform at colleges such as Adelphi and at New York City Center in late February.
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