Date: Thursday, July 17th Time: 12:30pm - 1:45pm Location: Bryant Park Cost: Free
Every Thursday from now through August 106.7fm will be bringing you Broadway in Bryant Park. On your lunch break grab a seat by the stage and watch selections from Broadway and Off Broadway productions. Today's line up includes pieces from Avenue Q, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, In the Heights and Pure Country (opens Fall 2008). After the jump you will find the line up for the rest of the summer.
Date: Wednesday, July 16th - 20th Time: 1:00pm, 4:00pm, or 7:00pm Location: Various, see below Cost: Free
The Joyce Theatre's Dance Out!; continues today bringing three distinct, free, outdoor performances to various parks throughout the city. Check below for more info and to find out where the pieces - Dans le Jardin, Transports Exceptionnels and Contigo will be performed today. All Ages.
Dans le Jardin, an improvised dance created and performed by the Netherlands-based choreographer Michael Schumacher, is set to live music performed by cellist and composer Alex Waterman. Using the park as a backdrop and inspiration for his performance, Schumacher dances around and with his surroundings. Partnering with a statue, moving gracefully under a tree or exploding across the grass; the park, music and audience play equal parts as inspiration and observers for this improvisational piece.
Transports Exceptionnels, by Compagnie Beau Geste, is a unique and whimsical outdoor duet for one man and an excavator. Choreographed by Dominique Boivin and accompanied by the dramatic voice of Maria Callas, the dancer Phillippe Priasso meets, greets, and embraces a moving excavator; transforming the construction site into a stage, street into playground, and dance into a tentative balance between nature, man, and machine.
Contigo is a solo work combining acrobatics and dance by Portuguese choreographer Rui Horta and Joao P. Pereira Dos Santos, an accomplished acrobat and master of the Chinese pole. In this awe-inspiring piece that defies gravity, Dos Santos traverses a 20 foot vertical pole, flipping and spinning with brut strength and drilled precision.
Friday, July 18:
* Contigo at South Oxford Park (BK) at 7 pm
* Transports Exceptionnels at Socrates Sculpture Park (QU) at 1 pm and 7 pm
* Dans le Jardin at Pinocchio Park (SI) at 1 pm and 4 pm
Saturday, July 19:
* Contigo at South Oxford Park (BK) at 7 pm
* Transports Exceptionnels at St. Mary’s Park (BX) at 1 pm, 5 pm, and 7 pm
* Dans le Jardin at St. Mary’s Park (BX) at 4 pm and 6 pm
Sunday, July 20:
* Contigo at South Oxford Park (BK) at 7 pm
* Transports Exceptionnels at South Beach Boardwalk (SI) at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm
* Dans le Jardin at Queensbridge Park (QU) at 4 pm and 7 pm East River Park (East River and E Houston St.)
Date: Thursdays in July Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm Location: Crotona Park (Charlotte St. & Crotona Park East Bronx) Cost: Free
"The Crotona Park Jams, now in their sixth year, are recreations of the legendary park jams of Hip Hop's earliest years, growing up in the Bronx. At the annual Crotona Park Jams, the DJs are the show and they decide if, which and when MCs can get on the mic, during their sets, as it was in the beginning. Please join us and guests from all nations, in the Bronx this July as we celebrate the true culture of Hip Hop with legends and pioneers rocking the turntables and the mic. Not only do legends command the stage, master practitioners of every element can be found throughout the audience." Tonight features DJ GrandMaster Caz, Lord Finesse, Mix Master Ice, & MC Pebblee Poo with DJ Imperial Jaycee. Directions and full schedule below. All Ages.
July 10: DJ Scratch (1988 New Music Seminar DJ Champ), Jazzy Joyce & PopMaster Fabel (Rock Steady Crew)
July 17: DJ GrandMaster Caz (Cold Crush Brothers), DJ Lord Finesse (DITC) & Mix Master Ice (U.T.F.O.). Special guests MC Pebblee Poo with DJ Imperial Jaycee
July 24: Kool DJ Red Alert (Kiss FM), DJ Steve Dee (1990 New Music Seminar DJ Champ),Rockin Rob (Mean Machine). Special guest: Chief Rocker Busy Bee (1985 New Music Seminar MC Champ).
July 31: DJ Cash Money (1988 DMC World Champion), GrandWizzard Theodore (inventor of the scratch) & Jazzy Jay (Strong City) with special guest: T La Rock performing "It's Yours"
Crotona Park is located at Charlotte St. & Crotona Park East Bronx NYC 10460. Take the 2 or 5 train to 174th and walk West on Boston Road. Make a right on 173rd St. then a left onto Crotona Park East. Buses to get you there include: BX 11, 15, 17 & 55.
Date: Thursday - Sunday in July Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm Location: Riverside Park (North Patio of the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument at 89th Street) - map Cost: Free
Heralding themselves as the "other free Shakespeare in the Park," Hudson Warehouse presents free performances all summer long, starting with this month's Much Ado About Nothing. "Written sometime between 1598 and 1599, [Much Ado About Nothing] is the first of three comedies that represent Shakespeare’s comic genius at its height. Is Hero’s reputation lost forever? Will Beatrice and Benedick finally admit their love to each other? Will justice be served? All Ages.
Date: Thursday, July 17th Time: 7:00pm Venue: Castle Clinton, Battery Park (directions) Cost: Free
What summer in NYC would be complete without an outdoor show by those omnipresent. post-college rockers, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Tonight they take over Castle Clinton and (free) tickets are limited so see below for details on that. All Ages.
Tickets are required and space is limited. Two free tickets per person will be distributed at the Castle on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 5:00PM on the day of the show.
Date: Thursday, July 17th Time: 7:00pm Location: Pier 84 (44th St and Hudson River) Cost: Free
"One of Hudson River Park’s hottest events returns delivering a knockout punch. While the sun sets and the stars rise you’ll have the time of your life as amateur boxers from the five boroughs and beyond duke it out to see who is the best." Produced in conjunction with the Church Street Boxing Gym, Rumble features sanctioned amateur boxers from all walks of life facing off in the ring to prove who is the best. All Ages.
Date: Thursday, July 17th Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm Location: East River Park Bandshell (East River between Grand and Jackson Streets) Cost: Free
I'm amazed that this is the first time that local indie-rockers The Fiery Furnaces have shown up on the site. I've long been a fan of the Illinois-transplanted stylings of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger as they fuse garage blue, psych, a little new wave, and some good old rock and roll into a fresh take on the traditional song structure. This is a great one not to be missed. All ages.
Date: Thursday, July 17th Time: 8:30pm (tickets available at 7:00pm) Location:Knitting Factory NYC (75 Leonard Street) Cost: Free with ticket
Can't anything be easy anymore? So here's the deal for you. MySpace is popping up around the country with these "The Release" events. Tonight they are bringing Mississippi's own David Banner to you for free along with special guest Maino. Banner is (IMHO) one of the most prolific voices in hip hop today, walking that fine line between tales from the street and political commentary. Here's the catch, you need to bring a print-out of your myspace page with Mr. Banner in top 8 to get in and there are a a limited number of wristbands being given out, starting at 7. It is all ages however so pop out of work early and get on it. Full details here.
Our site format seems less than forgiving when it comes to small posts but with all of the great events going on today, I simply can't get to them all. So, here's a brief rundown of some other stuff going on with some links for more info (all links are external.)
Junot Diaz at Summerstage - Dominican author of Drown reads from his latest. (link) Roots Music at Celebrate Brooklyn - Jerry Douglas and Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson play good old Americana at the bandshell (link) Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Movies with a view in DUMBO (link) Biome - a dynamic, interactive, installation (with nice type!) opens at the Riviera, (link) DJ Spooky - Free afterparty at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 18+ (link)
