Gareth Armstrong Deconstructs Shakespeare

in

The New York Premiere

of

Shylock

at

The Bruno Walter Auditorium
Library for the Performing Arts
40 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York

January 8-9, 2004

Gareth Armstrong Deconstructs Shakespeare in His One-Man Show

Was Shylock, one of William Shakespeare's best-known creations, a villain or a victim or someone more complex? For two performances only ­ Thursday, January 8, 2004 at 6 p.m. and Friday, January 9 at 4 p.m., actor/writer Gareth Armstrong will give the New York premiere of his acclaimed, award-winning one-man show.

The play is narrated by Tubal, Shylock's friend and a minor character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Conjuring the play's cast of characters and such historical figures as Pontius Pilate and Adolf Hitler, as well as such mythological ones as Dracula and the Wandering Jew, Armstrong explores with both humor and sadness the play, its performance history, and the legacy of racial and religious intolerance.

Following a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival, a season at the Hampstead Theatre in London, and performances at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, the play has been performed to critical acclaim on four continents.

Shylock is directed by Frank Barrie, whose one-man show Macready played in the West End (winning him the Best Actor Award from the London critics) and in New York in 1980.

Gareth Armstrong began thinking about his play while he was rehearsing for the role of Shylock in the Salisbury Playhouse's production of The Merchant of Venice. He describes his feelings in the introduction to the published version of Shylock: "Nobody much talks to Shylock, though they talk plenty at him or about him. Nobody seemed to be talking to me much in the coffee breaks, either.?I began to feel a bit of the isolation that that proverbial pork chop felt at the Jewish wedding ­ only in reverse. And after a bit I wondered what they were saying about me behind my back." Mr. Armstrong has been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has performed in London's West End in such plays as Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced, Tom Stoppard's Dirty Linen, and Noel Coward's Easy Virtue. He has toured over 30 countries in plays and recitals for the British Council, broadcasts regularly with the BBC, and plays Sean in the world's longest running radio serial, The Archers.

All public programs are held in the Library's .

Admission is free and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For further information, telephone +1 212.642.0142

Medallion fragment with Helio

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM

invite you to visit

PETRA:  LOST CITY OF STONE

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE EXHIBITION EVER PRESENTED ON THE STUNNING ART AND CULTURE OF THIS ANCIENT NEAR-EASTERN CROSSROADS

A Landmark Exhibition

Featuring Outstanding Treasures from Jordan,

including Examples of Monumental Nabataean Architectural Elements -

many on View for the First Time Outside of Jordan

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Highlighting New Scholarship and Recent Archaeological Discoveries

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 American Museum of Natural History

October 18, 2003 - July 6, 2004

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Architectural relief with veiled female bust. Petra

Petra and the Nabataeans

            Located in the Jordan Rift Valley at the crossroads of international trade routes, Petra was one of the most influential and prosperous commercial centers in antiquity.  The forbidding desert was transformed by the Nabataeans into a bustling metropolis with monumental tombs carved directly into the red sandstone hills, and hundreds of other structures including burial chambers, funerary banquet halls, residences, theaters, bath complexes, arched gates, and a complex system of water channels and reservoirs.  The Nabataeans were skilled engineers and developed and maintained an elaborate system of damming, terracing, and irrigation that allowed them to maximize the agricultural potential of the surrounding Petra plateau.  The development of Nabataean writing coincided with and facilitated urbanization, and the rich cultural life of the city reflected a confluence of Eastern and Western styles and traditions.  From the second century b.c. through the third century a.d., Petra prospered.  A massive earthquake in a.d. 363 destroyed much of the city, and, although partially revived after that, Petra was no longer the economic powerhouse it had been.  Much of the technological infrastructure that had made life in Petra possible fell into disuse, and political and religious changes in the ancient world led to the eventual abandonment of the city in the seventh century a.d. 

From its rediscovery by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812, Petra, with its savage beauty, desolate setting, the mystery and splendor of its rock-carved architectural ruins, and the variegated color of its cliff faces has been a source of deep fascination for Westerners.   It became a major pilgrimage site for 19th century European and American artists and other travelers and it continues to enthrall.   It was even used as a location for the popular 1989 feature film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.    

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Exhibition Resources and Companion Materials

            The companion book to Petra is Petra Rediscovered, Lost City of the Nabataeans, copublished by the Cincinnati Art Museum and Harry N. Abrams, Inc., with essays written by 25 international experts in Nabataean art and history.  The beautifully illustrated volume will discuss Nabataean religion, language, art, and trade, as well as Petra’s architecture and its rediscovery by Europeans in 1812.  The American Museum of Natural History will offer public programming in conjunction with the exhibition, including lectures, panel discussions, workshops, performances, and family programs. 

October 20, 2003, the editor

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg & Governor George E. Pataki
Cordially Invite You To the 2nd Annual Let Freedom Run
As a tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2003.

LET FREEDOM RUN! by joining in 
on Saturday September 13, 2003

Space for this 4 mile fun run, which begins at Pier 84 (44th St.) and ends at Battery Park, is very limited. Applications for this race are available by contacting the New York Sports Commission at +1 212.487.7120

Race Date:
Saturday, September 13, 2003

Check In:
7am at Pier 84
Race begins at 9am

Distance:
4 miles

Course:
Let Freedom Run is a four-mile run to remember and honor all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The run will begin at Hudson River Park's Pier 84 (44th Street and the Hudson River)and will finish in Battery Park. Runners will travel along the Hudson River on the West Side Highway, past the World Trade Center Site and finish in Battery Park, where they will enjoy an inspiring view of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Race Fees and Deadlines
Let Freedom Run - 4 Mile Run - $25 through Sept. 1; $30 after Sept. 1

Post-Run Activites:
Post-run activities will include a ceremony, live music, food and beveragesand much more!. All post-run activities will be held in Battery Park.

August 13, 2003, the editor

Isabel Toledo

the second National Design Triennial: Insider Design Now

at

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
2 East 91st Street

For mere mortals we can only gasp at the ingenuity of the designer.  If you love the look and feel of modern design, the second National Design Triennial is a must.

It's your chance to wander through a series of rooms and gaze longingly at a range of objects, most of which you would want in your home and/or office.  And many of which you could only wish to have the imagination to conceive.

Of course, not everything was to my taste, but a good percentage fell neatly into the category of 'I want it!' and a few slipped into the category of 'how do I get it out of here un-noticed and in one piece?'.

Futurefarmers

If your style falls into the category 'traditional' this exhibit may not be your first choice...... but there is something to be said that on a beautiful day a visit to the museum and a quiet, serene relaxing moment in their garden is a 'must do' Manhattan experience.

There's a lot to see.  I managed to cram the two into a couple of hours, but a more leisurely agenda would be preferable.

I definitely now want to live in a house designed by Stanley Saitowitz, and I was VERY entertained and in awe of the creativity of David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and their video of the sets from the 2001 movie 'The Royal Tenembaums'.  And there's always the designer futuristic/retro car....this time a product of the Ford Motor Company which I could always park in the backyard!.

The eighty designers selected from the US are the best of breed, and they fall into a number of categories including From the Practical to the Visionary, Function and Technology, and Domestic Interiors Redefined.

Target Corporation

So this exhibit doesn't stop at just design but it moves neatly into graphics, animation, mobile, DNA and much more.......  

Blu Dot

Or you can just look at the furniture.....

As a follower of fashions and design, I cannot imagine visiting New York anytime between now and January 25, 2004 and not dropping in on this exhibit. 

And roll on 2006 for the next triennial and we can review the progress of today's cutting-edge trends and future horizons in the fields of design practice, from architecture and interiors to product design, graphic design, fashion, and new media.

It may sound lie a lot to cover in one shot, but this exhibit goes a long way to summarize contemporary design.

Geoff McFetridge

Location
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is located on Museum Mile, at the corner of 91st Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City.  The precise address is 2 East 91st Street New York, NY 10128

Transportation
Public transit routes include the Lexington Avenue 4, 5, and 6 subways (86th or 96th Street Stations), and Fifth and Madison Avenue buses.

Hours etc.
Tuesday–Thursday: 10 am–5 pm Friday: 10 am–9 pm Saturday: 10 am–6 pm Sunday: noon–6 pm Garden entrance on 90th Street open May through September (weather permitting). Closed Mondays and federal holidays.

Dennis Wedlick

Special events at the museum in the summer of 2003 include:

Cocktails at Cooper-Hewitt
Thursdays  June 19, July 17 and August 21 from 6:30-9:00 PM

Members $30, non-members $35.
Tickets available at the door.
Pre-registration is available for Cooper-Hewitt members.
For more information, call +1 212.849.8340 or download postcard invite.

Concerts at Cooper-Hewitt
Six weeks of spinning designers and DJs in the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden
DJ Dance Parties Fridays 6:00-9:00 PM from July 11-August 15

Free for members or with admission to the museum. |
For more information, call +1 212.849.8380 

July 11 Ebenezer D. Luxx, co-owner of LUXX, an electro clash club in Williamsburg. D Luxx also heads up the industrial design firm, Triple Helix Design.David Holland produces and spins at the DJ Connection evenings for De La Guarda. David was recently voted by Urb Magazine as one of the "Next 100" upcoming artists.
July 18 Edwin Roses is a partner in the firm Superhappybunny currently featured in The National Design Triennial:Inside Design Now. His Deep House sound is frequently heard around L.A. Ben Butler, manges the music label K7 and spins his smooth sound weekly at the Tribeca Grand in NYC.
July 25 Neil Aline is a regular at the NYC Club The APT when he isn't jetting off for a gig in Europe. Camella Ehlke, aka dj cute is the Founder and Creative Director of the amazing hip hop clothing line Triple5Soul.
August 1 Ward, directs the editorial styling vision for the hair masters Bumble and bumble. David Holland produces and spins at the DJ Connection evenings for De La Guarda. David was recently voted by Urb Magazine as one of the "Next 100" upcoming artists.
August 8 Thunderball, Sid Barcelona & Steve Raskin are designers specializing on album/CD graphics, a business that developed out of their musical production and djing. Ben Butler manges the music label K7 and spins his smooth sound weekly at the Tribeca Grand in NYC.
August 15 Karim Rashid, aka DJ Kreemy is a well known industrial designer whose work is part of the Cooper-Hewitt collections. DJ Mikey Mike is by day a producer for MUZAK the music branding firm. By night he runs a weekly party in Charlotte, North Carolina as part of the East coast party scene between NYC and Atlanta.

June 29, 2003, the editor

photo D. De Rosa

The Hampton Classic Horse Show

August 23 -31, 2003

in
Bridgehampton
NY

One of the nation’s premier show jumping competitions, returns to Bridgehampton, NY for its 28th year with an expanded calendar of events and equestrian competitions. The Classic is a benefit event for Southampton Hospital.

In collaboration with the Long Island Wine Council, the Classic will kick off on Saturday, August 23 with Wine Spectator’s Long Island Wine Classic—a one-day event featuring an afternoon tasting of wines from twenty-four Long Island vineyards and an evening paired-wine dinner and auction. Both events benefit three East-End hospitals and are open to the public who purchase tickets in advance.

_{Eric Striffler} 

Opening Day Ceremonies presented in the Grand Prix Ring will feature the horses of the Smithtown Hunt and for the second year in a row, the Adequan® Little Classic dog agility competition. Last year nearly 40 dogs and owners participated in the Adequan® Little Classic.

Officials of the show also announced a new Opening Day show jumping competition in the Grand Prix Ring—the $20,000 David Yurman Time Challenge. This marks the first time that show jumping will be held on the Classic’s Opening Day and was made possible by David Yurman—the Official Jewelry and Timepiece Designer of the Hampton Classic.

The Hampton Classic has contributed more than $1,000,000 to its beneficiaries since its inception and with competitors from the US, Canada and abroad including up-and-coming riders, Olympic veterans, World Cup and World Championship riders plus the leadline class which features riders as young as three years old, this is truly an event for everybody!

Once again the Classic’s weeklong schedule will conclude with the excitement of the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix, on Sunday, August 31. Among the nation’s top show jumpers expected to compete in qualifying classes leading up to the Prudential Financial Grand Prix are members of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team — Nona Garson, Margie Goldstein-Engle, Lauren Hough and Laura Kraut — as well as other former Olympians Norman Dello Joio (1980 and 1992), Anne Kursinski (1988, 1992, and 1996), Joe Fargis (1984 and 1988), Leslie Burr Howard (1984 and 1996) and Peter Leone (1996)

_{Eric Striffler} 

Friday, August 29, is Fiesta Day presented by Hoy, the New York-based Spanish language daily newspaper. Hoy, now the second largest Spanish daily newspaper in the U.S., will be the presenting sponsor of the Classic’s third annual Fiesta Day, an event devoted to the celebration of the culture and tradition of its Latino participants and the growing Hispanic community on Long Island.  Fiesta Day 2003 will be a day filled with fabulous ethnic food, great music, and special riding demonstrations paying tribute to the gaucho and charro traditions of South and Central America.

Friday’s show jumping competition will be highlighted by the top riders of the sport, competing in the $30,000 Adequan® Fiesta Day Grand Prix, the qualifying event for Sunday’s $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix.

Saturday, August 30 is a family friendly day and features free admission for children under 12 as well as an array of activities sure to please kids of all ages. Kids Day competition is highlighted by the $25,000 Sally Hansen Grand Prix, the $15,000 W.G.H.R. Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, as well as the $2,500 Children's Jumper Classic and the $2,500 Pony Hunter Classic for junior riders under the age of 18.

Sunday, August 31, is Hampton Classic Grand Prix Sunday and will once again bring out sporting enthusiasts, celebrities, and dignitaries from around the country to participate in a day that is often called “the end of the summer season in the Hamptons!” Competition on Grand Prix Sunday will include the $30,000 Young Jumper Championship Finals and the $25,000 Calvin Klein Show Jumping Derby for riders under the age of 21.  And at 2:00 p.m., the thirty best riders will compete for the biggest prize of all at the Classic, the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix, which is the first event determining which United States show jumping riders will qualify to ride in the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) Show Jumping 2004 World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Prudential Financial Grand Prix is a member event of the King Shavings/U.S. Grand Prix League (USGPL).

Admission Information

Competition runs from Sunday, August 24 to Sunday, August 31, with a break in competition on Monday, August 26. Admission is $5 per person or $15 per carload, with children under 6 admitted free. Reserved grandstand seating for Sunday, August 31 is $15 per person (in addition to $5/person or $15/carload admission) or $25 per person in the special Premium Seating center sections. Parking is free throughout the show week.

For more information on the Hampton Classic call +1 631-537-3177

An artist's rendition of the new
Irma and Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life

The Hall of Ocean Life

at

The American Museum of Natural History

re-opens May 17, 2003

On April 16, 2003, the plastic wrapping was stripped away to reveal the remade and repainted 94-foot-long great blue whale model, one of the most beloved icons of the American Museum of Natural History.

One of New York's most beloved grand spaces, the Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History, has re-opened after its major renovation.

Home for more than three decades to one of the Museum's most celebrated icons, the 94-foot-long blue whale model, the 29,000-square-foot Hall has been transformed - through current scientific research and cutting-edge exhibition technology - into a fully immersive marine environment with video projections, interactive computer stations, and new ocean dioramas.

Since its installation during the last major renovation of the Hall of Ocean Life in 1969, the monumental blue whale model has become one of the Museum's star attractions. Under the redesign, the beloved giant, which has enlightened and amazed millions since it was first unveiled, will float in a “virtual ocean,” immersed in the dynamic and magnificent life of the ocean through dramatic effects created by lighting, video, and sound.

Visitors can now gaze up at the whale to see the Hall's restored original skylights, gently illuminated by computer-controlled artificial lighting. 

Accompanied by the songs of whales, an array of shimmering blue lights placed behind a skylight  adds to the visitor experience of being submerged in the depths of the sea.

And you can watch a really great short 7 minute video which sums up the following:

“We still know more about the dark side of the Moon than we know about the depths of the ocean,” said lead curator Melanie Stiassny, Axelrod Research Curator in the Museum's Division of Vertebrate Zoology. “The ocean is the 'last frontier,' wild and amazing, but even there we see our species' signature. From over-fishing to coastal pollution, the web is beginning to untangle. We must act now to help bring the marine realm into public focus.”

Other highlights of the renovated Irma and Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life will include:

A complete overhaul of the two-story Andros Coral Reef diorama located on the west end of the Hall. The lower-level re-creation of the extraordinary diversity of sea life around the coral reef, originally completed in 1935, will be cleaned and outfitted with new lighting, and visitors will be able to truly appreciate all the vibrant original colors of the diorama. In addition, the mezzanine-level depiction of life above the Andros coral reef, which has been partially concealed from public view for the last 30 years, will be uncovered and restored, including the background painting of the Bahamian sea and sky by noted artist Francis Jacques.

Renovation and restoration of 14 dioramas on the lower level, including the popular depictions of elephant seals on Guadalupe Island, a school of leaping porpoises, and northern sea lions from Alaska's Pribiloff Island. All the dioramas will be cleaned and will receive new lighting, new exhibit text reflecting the latest information available, and in some cases, new background paintings.

Restoration of the arches and supportive piers on the mezzanine level, re-create the original Hall's architectural “rhythm.” New displays will be created for several of the arches, focusing on major marine ecosystems, including estuaries, mangrove forests, the polar seas, continental shelves, colorful coral reefs, kelp forests, the deep water column, and the deep sea floor. Many of the specimens in the Mollusks and Our World exhibition hall (now closed to the public) will find new homes in the different ocean habitat displays on the mezzanine level of the new Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life. Video screens mounted in the upper half of each arch will feature high definition images of each marine ecosystem.

An exhibit highlighting the history of life in the primordial oceans will feature three of the Museum's historic dioramas depicting life in the oceans of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic periods. The exhibit will also feature an ancient seafloor slab, a fossil of the first-known life form to emerge in the sea 3.5 million years ago, and an animated presentation that will illustrate how the oceans have been displaced over time.

Two new “Spectrum of Life” walls flanking the entrance to the Hall will highlight the extraordinary diversity of marine life. One wall will depict vertebrate life including fishes, reptiles, and amphibians, while the other will showcase a profusion of invertebrates and plants. Each wall will feature an array of more than 100 models covering everything from microscopic marine life to giant hammerhead sharks. Interactive computer stations in front of each wall will provide details about the biology and taxonomy of certain organisms, as well as information about their “place” in the ocean.

The Hall Restoration Reflects the Museum's Current Marine Research:

The Paul and Irma Milstein Hall of Ocean Life will educate the public about current research into the oceans' vital role in the life of our planet. This information will expand on themes developed in other permanent exhibition halls at the Museum, such as the oceans' impact on shaping weather patterns and climate, and mankind's threat to the health of the oceans, topics explored in the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth and in the Hall of Biodiversity.

Much of the Museum's outstanding original marine research is being spearheaded by the Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC), founded in 1993. The CBC's work includes a Madagascar-based project that is using remote sensing and geographic information system analysis to track humpback whales in one of their major breeding grounds in the Southern Hemisphere. Research led by the CBC has resulted in passage of the first law governing ecotourism and whale watching in the Malagasy waters off the west coast of Africa.

CBC scientists are also conducting research on the world's third-largest barrier reef, near the Bahamian island of Andros, where the local government recently initiated one of the world's first reserve networks to protect tropical marine ecosystems. This project seeks to develop conservation management strategies based on what scientists learn about the physical, biological, and cultural processes affecting barrier-reef populations.

Photo M.Carlough/AMNH

A Brief History of the Hall of Ocean Life

Construction began on the Hall of Ocean Life in 1922 and was completed in October 1924. The Hall's famous dioramas were built and assembled from 1924 to 1933. The Hall of Ocean Life opened to the public on May 2, 1933, and the two-story Andros Coral Reef diorama was finally completed in 1935. The original exhibition space, including an expansive skylight, was designed in a Beaux-Arts style that harked back to Victorian exposition halls, such as the Crystal Palace in London. Suspended from the ceiling were skeletons of a sperm whale, finback whale, narwhal, and gray whale, and models of a pygmy sperm whale, various porpoises, a giant squid, and a killer whale. Along the upper level were vitrines containing more than 15,000 specimens of mollusks. The original Hall reflected the 19th-century concept that nature and all its resources existed to serve humanity. Thus, many of the early exhibits in the Hall emphasized this particular viewpoint by demonstrating some of the ways in which man used natural resources, as in a collection of whaling murals and a diorama on pearl divers.

The Hall of Ocean Life closed in May 1962 and underwent a major renovation that took several years. A newly redesigned Hall of Ocean Life and Biology of Fishes opened to the public on February 26, 1969, featuring a 94-foot-long, 21,000-pound blue whale model sculpted in fiberglass and polyurethane and suspended overhead—the largest model of the largest creature that has ever lived on Earth. The Hall's exhibit on the phylogeny, or evolutionary relationships, of fishes displayed more than 400 models—the most comprehensive of its kind in the world at that time.

The restoration of the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life is made possible by the generosity of Irma and Paul Milstein. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the City of New York, the New York City Council, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Borough President of Manhattan.

useful info..........

Suggested Museum admission, including the new Rose Center for Earth and Space is $12.00 adults, $7.00 children, $9.00 students and seniors. Admission is free for Museum members

Entrances: The Museum is located at 79th Street and Central Park West and is easily reached by public transportation. The main entrance to the Rose Center for Earth and Space is located at 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Museum entrances are on Central Park West, 81st Street, and 77th Street.

Transportation By Subway: Take the B (weekdays only) or C to 81st Street. Two blocks west of the Museum, the 1 and 9 trains stop at Broadway and West 79th Street

I

MT&R 2003 Television Documentary Festival

at

The Museum of Television & Radio

25 West 52 Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)

April 23 - May 4, 2003

From its start television has been a vital producer and underwriter of documentaries. To salute this long and rich association, in 2000 The Museum of Television & Radio inaugurated an annual Festival devoted to the art and history of the television documentary. Building on its success, this fourth Festival will feature screenings of both premieres and distinguished recently seen works, and will also include a retrospective, Vietnam Vérité.

Selections include profiles of literary lions Kurt Vonnegut and Gore Vidal; an exploration of Latino culture and its rich heritage; a biography of Marilyn Monroe drawn from previously unknown recordings; a chronicle of a writing workshop led by Eve Ensler in a maximum security prison; and a film based on the remarkable autobiography of Holocaust survivor Edith Hahn. The Festival will also include a retrospective look at the Vietnam War and our ongoing youth documentary showcase Docu-Jam.

In addition, we are introducing two new elements to the Festival: a workshop devoted to the art of the documentary pitch, and a special "classic" documentary presentation: the newly restored Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in association with BowieNet.

Each Festival screening will be introduced by the filmmaker and followed by a dialogue between the audience and the production team that will explore issues crucial to the craft and content of the television documentary.

The Vietnam Verite Retrospective screens six documentaries in which the narrative structure and political tone are shaped by the lives, deaths, hopes, and fears of the soldier subjects.  Admission to these screenings is free with general admission.

The Student Films Docu-Jam: A Youth Documentary Showcase returns for a third year on Friday, May 2 at 4:30 p.m. This year's Festival spotlights eight documentary shorts by young media producers exploring themes such as cultural identity, family, and community life, and other issues central to the lives of young people. The young filmmakers will present and discuss their films, creativity, and future media plans. Presented in association with Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV). This event is free to students with valid ID.

And a new addition to the Festival, The Att of the Documentary Pitch: How to Turn an Idea Into a Reality takes place on Saturday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. In this workshop, cosponsored by the International Documentary Association, veteran producers will discuss the process of developing a documentary, simulating situations that novice filmmakers face in trying to sell a nonfiction concept. Several up-and-coming documentarians will be preselected to make public pitches to the panelists, who will evaluate their proposals for uniqueness and viability. Invited panelists will also take questions from the audience.

The Schedule:

Members Only:

April 23 at 6:00 p.m. Guns & Mothers

Festival Schedule

Journeys with George
In person: Alexandra Pelosi

April 24 at 6:30 p.m. Journeys with George

April 25 at 6:30 p.m. What I Want My Words to Do to You: Voices from Inside a Women's Maximum Security Prison

April 26 at 2:00 p.m. The Art of the Documentary Pitch: How to Turn an Idea into a Reality

April 26 at 4:00 p.m. Kurt Vonnegut: American Made

April 30 at 6:30 p.m. The Nazi Officer's Wife

May 1 at 6:30 p.m. American Masters: The Education of Gore Vidal

May 2 at 4:30 p.m. Docu-Jam: A Youth Documentary Showcase

May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Visiones: Latino Art and Culture

May 3 at 2:00 p.m. Marilyn on Marilyn

May 3 at 4:00 p.m. Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
In person: D.A.Pennybaker

A question-and-answer session with the filmmaker and production team will follow each screening

Vietnam Vérité

April 26 at 12:30 p.m. Basic Training

April 27 at 12:30 p.m. The Mills of the Gods The Anderson Platoon

May 3 at 12:30 p.m. Vietnam: It's a Mad War

May 4 at 12:30 p.m. I Am a Soldier The World of Charlie Company

Ticket Information and Prices

Members of The Museum of Television & Radio Admission charge for each event is $8. Series Price (any 3 events): $18. Please have Membership number ready when buying tickets. Members of the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, the International Documentary Association, and DocuClub may purchase tickets at the Museum Members price.

General Public Admission charge for each event is $10. Series Price (any 3 events): $24.

Students (with ID) Admission charge for each event is $5. Series Price (any 3 events): $12.

Retrospective screenings are included with general Museum admission.

To Buy Tickets: Please call +1 (212) 621-6600 Mondays to Fridays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST

Location:
The Museum of Television & Radio 25 West 52 Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) Tickets available at the Front Desk of the John E. Fetzer Lobby during regular Museum hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 12:00 to 6:00 p.m., Thursdays until 8:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

And call +1 (212) 621-6699 for up-to-the-minute information on panels and events.

Matisse Picasso

MoMA QNS,
The Museum of Modern Art
Long Island City
Queens

February 13 to May 19, 2003,

Picasso dans son atelier de la rue des Grands-Augustins,
devant Guernica (1937)
by Dora Maar. Paris, musée Picasso
© ADAGP © RMN-Franck Raux

Matisse Picasso examines the complex relationship of the two artists through almost 140 works of painting and sculpture that span half a century. The exhibition features rarely lent masterpieces from all over the world as well as works from MoMA's unparalleled Matisse and Picasso collections. Unique to the MoMA showing are eight important juxtapositions from every period covered in the exhibition. Matisse Picasso demonstrates a dialogue between the two giants of twentieth- century art, who in spite of their lifelong rivalry came to see each other as true equals. The exhibition is co- organized by The Museum of Modern Art, along with Tate Modern, London, and the Réunion des musées nationaux/Musée Picasso, Musée national d'art moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

© 2003 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Background

Matisse and Picasso are seen as the acknowledged twin giants of modern art. They appear as polar opposites, but complementary; between them having originated many of the most significant innovations of twentieth century painting and sculpture.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Tate, the Réunion des musées nationaux/Musée Picasso with the Musée national d’art moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.  As a result 'Matisse Picasso's journey to all three cities started in London where I first saw the exhibit at Tate Modern. 

Matisse Picasso Exhibition Catalogue
© Tate

Don't be deceived.  One Hundred and forty works of art may not seem like a large exhibit, but when each one is a masterpiece in itself and the relationship between the two artists are explored in such depth, this exhibit is indeed a marathon journey through the life of the two   men.  It requires time and when you are allocated one-hour museum time to race through the exhibition - as you were in London - don't even consider being a minute late!

I left the exhibit knowing Matisse a lot better and ultimately preferring his work.  A surprise.....  as I am a great Picasso fan! 

But it is up to you to judge and the trip to Queens will be all the more worthwhile as this is the first time since its opening that MoOMAQNS will be 'seriously put on the map' of the New York skyline.

The exhibition focuses primarily on painting but there are also sculptures interspersed throughout, and a section dedicated to works on paper.  The two artists are seen together in over thirty groupings of works revealing the affinities, but also sometimes the extreme contrasts, between them. The works shown are carefully selected to be comparable in both scale and quality. The artists’ relationship is traced from its beginnings in Paris in 1906, when they first began to meet regularly in the studio of Gertrude and Leo Stein.

From 1906 to 1917 there was open rivalry and intense innovation, when between them they produced some of the greatest art of the twentieth century. This period forms the densest part of the exhibition. Among the revealing and exciting pairings are Picasso’s monumental Boy Leading a Horse of 1906 and Matisse’s Le Luxe 1 of 1907; Matisse’s celebrated Blue Nude and Picasso’s relatively little known, aggressively primitivist Nude with Raised Arms, both of 1907; and, in a stunning sequence of paintings of women, Matisse’s great portrait of his wife of 1913 and Picasso’s majestic Woman with a Fan of 1908. Other sections are devoted to still life and landscape. A key section shows Matisse responding to synthetic Cubism in his Moroccans and Piano Lesson, both of 1916. Picasso in turn responded to Matisse’s interpretation of Cubism by producing a new, more decorative Cubism of his own, as for example, in Three Musicians of 1921.

Henri Matisse
by Walter Carone (1950)
© Paris Match/Walter Carone

In 1917 Matisse moved from Paris to Nice, and the two artists grew apart as Picasso became increasingly involved with the Surrealists. Yet they continued to study each other’s work and during the 1930s their sheer fame, and their commitment to art based in reality, drew them together once again.

During the Second World War Matisse was isolated in Nice, while Picasso remained in difficult circumstances in occupied Paris. But they managed to exchange works and increasingly drew support from one another. After the war Picasso moved to the South of France and their relationship entered its final and closest phase, reflected in the section featuring Matisse’s Large Red Interior 1948 and Picasso’s The Studio at Cannes 1955. In a dramatic climax, the final section of the exhibition concentrates on the acrobatic swimmers, dancers and nudes that they both produced throughout their careers, and reveals the remarkable cross-over between Picasso’s late sculptures, which became increasingly flat and pictorial, and Matisse’s great late cut-out paper collages.

In spite of their initial rivalry, each came to acknowledge the other as his only true equal; and in old age they became increasingly close personally, and increasingly important to each other artistically.  After Matisse’s death in 1954 Picasso paid tribute to him in his work, both directly and indirectly. Of his series of variations after Delacroix’s Women of Algiers, painted in 1955, he said “when Matisse died he left his odalisques to me as a legacy”.

Autoportrait devant l'homme accoudé (atelier de la rue Schoelcher, Paris), 1915-1916
Paris, Coll. Part. Cliché RMN. © Succession Picasso 2001

blue man grouptheatre

footnote

"How to Get to MoMAQNS?" 

But Wegman believes another is the best
Take the No. 7 subway and do your own test
just a short ride to MoMA QNS'

blue man group

at
astor place theatre
Manhattan

new york

Blue Man Group is dedicated to creating exciting and innovative work in a wide variety of media.

Blue Man Group is best known for its award-winning theatrical productions which critics have described as "ground-breaking", "hilarious", "visually stunning" and "musically powerful." These performances feature three enigmatic bald and blue characters who take the audience through a multi-sensory experience that combines theatre, percussive music, art, science and vaudeville into a form of entertainment that is like nothing else.

The blue man show - which I had the opportunity to see 'Las Vegas style' was a surprise.  Although I knew that it was a mix of performance art, stunts, music and special effects, I did not know that the show also included a touch of philosophy which really DID make you think.

Three blue men juggled instruments with paint, dance, music and special effects.  The backing band was fabulous and although at times you might consider that you may have dropped off into a kiddies show, the performance always brought you back with a thump when along came yet another  incisive reality check.

I thoroughly recommend the show as a unique, one off experience - even if you are not big fans of mime or in some respects 'pantomime'.  The performance taken as a whole is clever, thought provoking and visually stunning entertainment.

Blue Man Group has been running in New York for a number of years and for something different, it's well worth a visit!

Regular Performance Schedule:

tuesday - thursday: 8.00pm
friday: 7.00pm, 10.00pm
saturday: 4.00pm, 7.00pm, 10.00pm
sunday:  2.00pm, 500pm, 8.00pm

Astor Place Theatre
434 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10003

Tickets
+1 212-254-4370

An American Legacy, A Gift to New York

Whitney Museum of American Art
Emily Fisher Landau Galleries, Floor 4
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
New York, NY 10021

ends January 26, 2003

An American Legacy, A Gift to New York is exactly what it says.   It is a gift of a superb modern art from the museum's Board of Trustees. 

This exhibit is a one-off as the works of art in the exhibit  will find themselves - after January 26, 2002 - absorbed into the permanent collection of the museum.

This is officially classified by thenewyorkseason as a must see!

On display are an enormously important group of gifts generously presented to the Whitney by Members of   the Board, and focusing on the formative works of artists who achieved national acclaim during the 1950s and 1960s.

The exhibition   begins with the spontaneous, painterly gestures of Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, and the luminous Color Field paintings of Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko. Popular imagery from the 1960s finds expression in the paintings of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and in the everyday subject matter of Claes Oldenburg’s sculpture.

The innovations arising from these two decades have exerted powerful influences on succeeding generations of artists. Luminaries such as Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly continue to work today; and their recent works in this exhibition demonstrate the breadth of their development over the course of more than five decades.

Roy Lichtenstein, Girl in Window (Study for World’s Fair Mural), 1963 Oil on canvas, 68 x 50 in. (172.7 x 127 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of The American Contemporary Art Foundation, Inc., Leonard A. Lauder, President.  2002.254 © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein. Photograph by Ellen Page Wilson ____________________________ Claes Oldenburg, Giant BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich), 1963 Vinyl, kapok and wood painted with acrylic, 32 x 39 x 29 in. (81.3 x 99.1 x 73.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of the American Contemporary Art Foundation, Inc., Leonard A. Lauder, President  2002.255. Photograph by Ellen Page Wilson

And book early - if you are in town - for a public lecture, "An American Legacy: Between Abstraction and Figuration Tuesday, on January 14, 2003 at 7 pm, when you will be able to eavesdrop on a discussion investigating the relationship between abstraction and figuration and modernism’s engagement with everyday objects in the 1950s and 1960s. 

In conjunction with An American Legacy, A Gift to New York, the conversation between Michael Lobel, assistant professor of art history, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and Margaret Sundell, critic and art editor of Time Out New York should bring the exhibit to life in a way only the experts know how!

Admission: $8; members, senior citizens, and students with valid ID $6. Reservations are required.

2880 CANS - Every Drop Counts  (Vollmer Associates)
The drop and its ripple effect was built from 2880 Starkist Tuna Cans and stands 6' tall with a 10' span ripple.

CAN see CAN do

'CANstruction'

through November 27, 2002

at

the New York Design Center
200 Lexington Avenue

Between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday through Saturday

CANstruction is a rare opportunity to see architects and engineers recognized in the same way as many other traditional artists.

CANstruction - the construction of structures using cans of food - is a part of New York's annual awards calendar.

And the exhibits - which are judged by a selection of talented jurors - can be seen on display at 200 Lexington Avenue during office hours.

This year finds Stanley Tucci - Broadway star of Frankie & Johnny - in his role as national spokesperson for CANstruction - a charity which benefits food banks.

Joined by a group of fellow celebrity judges, Mr Tucci  swept through most of the 15 floors of the New York Design Center building to reach the undisputed decision that the best of 2002 Canstructions was ....

(tin-can drum roll)

2880 CANS - Every Drop Counts  (Vollmer Associates)

Vollmer Associates' design of the drop and its outward ripples represents a powerful symbol in the fight to end hunger. The drop demonstrates the idea that every single effort made in the struggle to mitigate this pressing social need makes a difference. Its outward ripples suggest the drop as a catalyst for future change.

According to the designers, "our challenge was to use the cans to create subtle and fluid forms. The label colors were carefully selected to create a dynamic and realistic shaded effect, lending form and presence to the image".

2880 CANS - Every Drop Counts stood out amongst other structures, including a fabulous motorbike, an animated-looking serpent and a Barbie Wedding Cake, to win best of show.  The structure crystallized the effectiveness of simplicity in combination with the use of a single canned product to create an inCANdescent 'moving', single image.  But its real strength - as recognized by the judges - lay in the ability for it to communicate different messages to different people.   Truly the definition of art itself!

Awards were given out in a number of categories by the 'talent' - i.e. the jurors including Eddie Falco, Aidan Quinn, Julianne Moore and industry specialists.

You too can see all the 33 exhibits on display just by visiting 200 Lexington Avenue (32nd Street) which is open to the public for the period of the exhibition.  And a tip.  It takes a while to get round this one because you also get to see the design showrooms at the same time.

And just to remind you, this exhibit helps feed 1.5 million people in New York alone.  Entry by tin can (or monetary equivalent). 

Selection of
National Winners for contests 
held prior to the New York event

Jurors' Favorite and Most Patriotic
"AmeriCan Espresso"
Butler Rogers Baskett Architects, P.C.
New York, NY
A stunning American Eagle, made entirely of silver, 
red and blue illy espresso coffee cans, ala the U.S. Quarter, 
perched on a branch with tail fanning out the back. 
Jurors' comments: 
"Wow! This is it! The best! Best holistic. Best structure. 
It sets a new design standard for the competition."

Honorable Mention
"Breakfast is King"
McClure Engineering
St. Louis, MO
Photograph: Arttech Imaging
A complete breakfast that included a giant box of
Life cereal, milk carton, glass of orange juice and breakfast plate
piled with bacon, pancakes, egg over easy,
a banana on the side, knife + fork.
Jurors' comments:
"A well-balanced composition
combining many different elements of the competition."

Honorable Mention
"The Big Apple CAN!"
IBEX Construction
New York, NY
Photographer: Kevin Wick
Two sections of New York's Big Apple.
One section held the NY Skyline with the World Trade Center towers
and the other section held the American Flag.
Jurors comments:
"Visually self-explanatory, symbolic, structurally interesting.
The structure speaks for itself."

Most Cans - 11,000 cans
"Firefighter Helmut"
DeBiasse & Seminara, P.C.
Newark, NJ
Photographer: Alchemy

CANstruction is an International Community Service Project 
of the Design and Construction Industry.

Its mission:  CANstruct a World Without Hunger

Trademarked by the Society of Design Administration, 
and working in tandem with the American Institute of Architects 
and other members of the design and construction industry, 
CANSTRUCTION® is making a significant contribution 
to the fight against HUNGER. 

CANSTRUCTION® combines the competitive spirit 
of a design/build competition with a unique way to help feed hungry people. 
Competing teams, lead by architects and engineers, 
showcase their talents by designing giant sculptures made entirely out of canned foods. 
At the close of the exhibitions all of the food used in the structures
is donated to local food banks for distribution to 
pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, elderly and day care centers.

A visual feast for the eyes, you will not want to miss 
the fifty CANSTRUCTION® Competitions 
scheduled to occur in 2002-2003 in the US and Canada.

CANSTRUCTION®, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit 
Foundation of the Society of Design Administration. 

Anyone wishing to sponsor an event 
must receive express permission to do so.

And for the international visitors, 
there is every opportunity to set up your own national CANstruction event.

The Shisedo Studio

at

155 Spring Street

in Soho

They say that nothing in life is free, but the Shisedo Studio in Soho proves that there are some free rides.

A visit to the Shisedo Studio is certainly value for money, whatever the price. I made an appointment to join a small group of males and females in a class to learn how to select products for my skin type, age, sex, and how to apply them, combining it with massage techniques.

I discovered how not to drag the skin around my eyes; how to apply moisturizer whilst applying pressure to key stress points; and how to relax and enjoy the art of beauty products.

If I'm going to avoid the famous laugh lines, I found out in one easy free lesson how to do it.  And then, I booked myself in for a free facial massage to find out how wonderful and refreshed I could feel after applying Shisedo products using massage techniques.

If you want to take advantage of this fabulous courtesy service take a friend, or better still your partner, so that you can experiment with your new found skills at home!

Maybe, if everybody took advantage of the sensational Shisedo service there would be no more arguments between couples once they knew how to make each other relax, feel good and look great.

This is not only retail therapy, it's also the art of ‘feeling good’ therapy, and although you should plan ahead (since booking in advance is a must), I recommend everybody takes at least one free class at the Shisedo Studio while they are in New York.

And you also get a free full facial massage for the same price.

I'm a new person since I took my class. By applying moisturizer with the right fingers in the right direction, I now have the skills to look years younger for years longer.

If you want more, here's the official 'rap' which describes it so much better than I can:

"Based on the philosophy of Omotenashi or ultimate hospitality, Shiseido Cosmetics (America) Ltd. has set a new standard in the beauty industry. In December 1999, a revolutionary concept was unveiled—Shiseido Studio, a non-retail storefront space, created for consumers to test, try, sample and explore the world of Shiseido products and services. Ultimate hospitality services (facial massage, treatments and makeup application), in addition to seminars on skin care, cosmetics and wellness are provided at Shiseido Studio each day, free of charge.

Shiseido Studio defies normal retail standards in that nothing is for sale. With Shiseido Studio, Shiseido created the ultimate venue to allow consumers a pressure-free environment for beauty exploration.

Shiseido Studio is an interactive learning center for guests, who are encouraged to sample products. Extending beyond the realm of external beauty, Shiseido Studio provides educational seminars that promote well-being and balance, in addition to those that feature the art of makeup application and skin and body care. These daily seminars are led by Studio Guides, trained experts in the field of beauty. To further supplement Studio offerings, experts in industries complementary to Shiseido philosophy—"live well, and live beautifully"—frequently team with Shiseido to conduct courses on-site in nutrition, yoga and stress management, among others.

"Shiseido Studio opens your mind to endless possibilities. It is a space that has transformed our corporate philosophy into a reality for each consumer," notes Michelle Torio, Manager, Shiseido Studio in SoHo. "And, because we are located where beauty trends emerge, we are quickly able to capture these ideas in the art of application, passing them on to our consumers through one-on-one consultations and classes.

Providing the most advanced technology available, Shiseido Studio offers several interactive devices for experimentation, including Beauty Navigator Petite, computerized Information Kiosks and an Aromachology Station. Each of these unique stations promotes an informative, engaging beauty experience, specifically developed for education and to help direct consumers to the products that would benefit them the most.

Shiseido is a global skin care and beauty authority celebrating 130 years of experience. The Japanese cosmetics company is widely recognized for innovative products and trusted services."

For appointments call: +1 212 625 8821

Photos courtesy of Shiseido Cosmetics 

View North of 90 West Street and WTC Towers", 1988, (c) Camilo J. Vergara

The Twin Towers

Twin Towers Remembered: The Photography of Camilo Jose Vergara

at

The New York Historical Society

at

2 West 77th Street at Central Park West

Ends October 20, 2002

"View of Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry" 1985 (c) Camilo J. Vergara

One of the lasting memories of 9/11 is our personal recollections and experiences of The Twin Towers. 

For my part, I went through Cortland Street Subway Station every day for almost 2 years and visited the bar at the top floor on many occasions.  When you could se the Twin Towers, chances are that you faced South.  They acted as a compass reading.  More recently, just before 9/11, I went to a baseball game at the new diamond on Staten Island, never realizing that this would be the last time I would see that always memorable skyline.

Mr. Vergara, an internationally acclaimed documentary photographer, photographed the World Trade Center over a period of 31 years beginning in 1970, when the complex was still under construction. A long-time New Yorker, over the years he photographed the towers from countless perspectives, at every time of day, during all four seasons.

The exhibition includes photos from far-off neighborhoods in New Jersey and the outer boroughs, from ferry boats on New York Harbor, from “below” on the plaza, and from within the Twin Towers themselves. What emerges in The Twin Towers Remembered is a comprehensive index of the myriad ways (emotionally, geographically, intellectually) that the people of greater NYC and their visitors defined themselves in relation to the city’s most prominent landmark.

Vergara calls his exhibition "my personal reaction to the tragedy" of September 11, 2001.

The Editor, September 2002

Open:Tuesday - Sunday 1..0am - 6.00pm

Admission: Adults $6; concessions;
and chidden under 12 go in free if accompanied by an adult.

tel: +1 212 873 3200

	Highlights from
Gauguin in New York Collections: The Lure of the Exotic

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

June 18 – October 20, 2002

The Robert Lehman Wing

A visit to the Met is always a surprising experience. 
Why don't I visit more often.

Among the summer's special show this season is a wonderful exhibit of some of my favorite artist's most vivid works. "Gaugin in New York Collections: The Lure of the Exotic" is an instant reminder of the unique inspiration of the artist.  After his first voyage to Tahiti (1891 - 1893), Gaugin came to agree with Van Gogh that 'the future belongs to painters who depict the tropics'.   And many artists have followed suit.

This smallish exhibit is beautiful in it's depiction of color and makes a  trip to the Met a pure pleasure.

The many highlights of the exhibition not only include major works such as Ia Orana Maria, Two Tahitian Women, and Young Man with A Flower, but we are also invited to enjoy the pleasure of works on paper, including Tahitians, Gaugin's pastels including Martinique Women with Mangoes, and ceramics such as the stoneware Vessel Decorated with Goats and a Girl from Martinque, plus a panel inscribed with Te Fare Amu.

This major exhibition marks the first occasion in more than 40 years that Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903) has been the subject of a major monographic show in New York City, and the first time that the Metropolitan Museum has displayed its entire collection of the artist’s work. Approximately 120 works drawn from New York public and private collections—including more than 60 from the Met's own holdings—are on view in the exhibition comprising paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints. The exhibition features works from every important stage of the artist's career and from each of his outposts in Brittany, Provence, Martinique, Tahiti, and the Marquesas Islands. The Metropolitan Museum acquired its first Gauguin in 1921, and in the intervening years his work reached an ever-widening public audience through the concerted efforts of prominent New Yorkers and local institutions. Thanks to pioneering acquisitions and the generosity of donors, the Metropolitan and other museums in the state—from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo—have afforded generations of viewers a vivid sense of Gauguin’s genius. Shown together, these purchases, gifts, and bequests to public museums, combined with the holdings of discerning private collectors, many of which have hitherto never been on public view, provide a rich overview of Gauguin’s fascinating career and a telling account of the reception of his works on this side of the Atlantic.

Andy Roddick and James Blake, 2002

Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day

at the
National Tennis Center

on

August 24, 2002

One of the most fun days of thenewyorkseason is Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day”.   Last August, Ricky - our diarist got a taste of the healthy outdoors, and I quote:

"As qualifiers played for last minute selection for the US Tennis Open, I enjoyed one of my favorite annual events - “Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day” at the National Tennis Center.  

Surrounded by tennis stars - including Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Lleyton Hewitt all offering clinics for the kids who came out to play, I considered my options.  Swinging my tennis racquet with ex-bad boy John McEnroe or swinging my hips to the sounds of boy band “O-Town” and hip-hoppers “Li’l Bow Wow".  An easy decision!"

Of course, we never did find out how Ricky chose to spend the day, but now it's your turn to participate in a celebrity packed great day out as part of the build up for the US Open.

The last time I spoke to two of the great young talents on the US team was at the the USA Tennis Rock & Rally at Rock Center, in Manhattan.  The stars were out to play and they included US Davis Cup team members Andy Roddick and James Blake.

Billie Jean King, Women's US Federation Cup Captain and Patrick McEnroe, Men's US Federation Cup Captain took the podium to discuss the best of young talent in US tennis today and initiatives for developing new players.

Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is a terrific opportunity to get close-up and personal with the big stars and find out how to make the most of one of my favorite sports - as both a 'hopeless participant' and an avid spectator.

Andre Agassi, Olympic Gold Medallist/TV personality Summer Sanders, Mario, (identified for a long career along the lines of Usher, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and other young sensations that came before him. Check out his smash single, "Just A Friend 2002"), Serena Williams,  MTV VJ Quddus, BBMak and Andy Roddick headline this year's World's Largest Family Music and Tennis Extravaganza.

The seventh annual day-long festival of kids' tennis activities ­­- including interactive games, musical entertainment, free clinics and the World TeamTennis finals - take place Saturday, August 24 at the USTA National Tennis Center, in Flushing, N.Y. Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is the official kick off event for the US Open that runs August 26 -September 8

"Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is about perpetuating the legacy of Arthur Ashe and his appreciation and concern for young people," said Pierce O'Neil, Chief Business Officer, USTA. "It's a great way to introduce tennis to kids and their families in a fun and entertaining way."

Gates open for Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at 9 a.m. on August 24 (rain date: August 25). The Arthur Ashe Kids' Day stadium show will take place from 12-1:30 p.m. and be broadcast nationally by CBS on Sunday, August 25, from 12-2:00 p.m. (EST).  Tickets cost $20 and general admission promenade tickets cost $10.

Arthur Ashe Kids' Day benefits a variety of youth oriented charities and USA Tennis NJTL (National Junior Tennis League), a program founded by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder in 1969 to provide tennis opportunities to economically disadvantaged youngsters.

The USTA owns and operates the US Open and selects and supports the teams that represent the United States in Davis Cup, Fed Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.  The USTA, the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States, is a not-for-profit organization with more than 660,000 members. It invests all its resources to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass roots to the professional levels.  For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com

Midsummer Night Swing 2002
The Fountain Plaza at Columbus Avenue and 63^rd Street

Dance Lessons: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Live Music and Dancing: 8:00 to 10:00 p.m

my most favorite event in nyc

Picture if you can an open stage with a backdrop of the Metropolitan Opera House.  Couples are swaying to the sounds of swing, salsa, tango and many more fabulous dances.  As the nights progress the sun sets and the sparkling lights frame the plaza of the Lincoln Center.  

Mailmen move to the music, dancing intimately with Upper East Side bankers; and lawyers have their arms round the waists of students from Harlem.  In a perfect world there is music and totally harmony.

The midsummer night's swing season encompasses the very best of New York events.

On the opening night of this year's season the new president of the Lincoln Center and his wife danced to the rhythm of the beat of David Berger conducting the Sultans of Swing. 

For the first time in its 14-year history, Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing pulsates to the "New York Sound," as a tribute to the diverse communities and cultures of New York City’s boroughs.  At Josie Robertson Plaza, during 24 evenings, Manhattan’s favorite outdoor dance club is in a New York state of mind,

I had the pleasure of partnering a fellow journalist during the dance class.  We did our best to pick up the basic steps during a very short, hour long lesson.  The real dancers weren't arriving until later, so alongside a few hundred other novices we attempted to keep in step.

Later, as the band played on, professional dancers demonstrated just how to do it, and hundreds of New Yorkers gathered under the New York starry sky, on a balmy night in Manhattan. 

The musicians and singers, dancers and teachers are the best on offer from around the 5 boroughs, and there is nothing more special than seeing the whole of New York represented on the dance floor every night of those 24 very unique evenings.

Truly a treat for everyone from rank amateurs to true professionals.

Curated by the innovative Limor Tomer, the program will bring a special emphasis on swing, Latin and music of the African Diaspora to Lincoln Center’s dance club under the stars. Dance lessons will be offered every night from 6:30 to 7:30, where ticket-holders can enjoy free lessons from specialized instructors; followed by live music performances and dancing from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Opening Night: Wednesday, June 26: Manhattan’s Sultans of Swing, David Berger, conductor

Ballroom, Swing

Acclaimed for their superior musicianship and a sound that is both sophisticated and earthy, the Sultans of Swing create a natural bridge from the great bands of the 1930s and 1940s to hip 21^st century jazz and swing audiences. In 1996, David Berger collaborated with choreographer Donald Byrd on the Harlem Nutcracker, a two-hour dance piece that expands the Tchaikovsky/Ellington/Strayhorn score into an American classic. The 15-piece band, with vocalist Aria Hendricks, continues to play classic swing and Berger originals for swing dancers all over the United States and Europe.

Lesson: Christian Perry, DanceSport

Thursday, June 27: Issac Delgado

Cuban Salsa, Son, and Timba

The premier voice of the red-hot timba sound, Issac Felipe Delgado Ramirez was born in Havana, Cuba on September 11, 1962. An accomplished vocalist and band leader, he was founding member and lead vocalist in the group NG La Banda. Since breaking out on his own, Delgado has garnered passionate support in his home country, the United States and Europe for his sizzling contemporary sounds of Cuba. This performance marks his triumphant return to Lincoln Center, where NG La Banda performed at Lincoln Center Festival ‘97.

Lesson: Stephen Dane, Manhattan Ballroom Society

Soukous, Mbalax, Makossa

African Blue Note features a line-up of some of the best musicians from the African countries with the hottest dance traditions. Five of the band’s six members have served tenure with some of Africa’s biggest names in music, including Fela Kuti, Papa Wemba, Youssou N’Dour and others. At Midsummer Night’s Swing, they will tour the most infectious African dance rhythms: soukous from Congo, mbalax from Senegal, makossa from Cameroon and more.

Lesson: Lesley Berson

Saturday, June 29: Everybody Swings—An Afternoon of Dancing for Kids
4:00-5:30

Free For All Ages!

Jump into our annual treat for the entire family! Pierre Dulaine of American Ballroom Theater Company teaches some of greatest dances to kids of all ages. Described as "dancer and teacher extraordinaire" by the New York Times, Dulaine has taught at the School of American Ballet and The Juilliard School for many years. From ballroom to tango, every member of your family will have a chance to join in the swingin’ spirit of dance.

Classic Cuban

Comprised mostly of former musicians from the historic group "Son De La Loma," Los Soneros De Oriente maintain a distinctive Cuban Son style, deriving its name from the region of Cuba that is most famous for Son Montuno. Los Soneros represent the lifelong commitment to traditional Cuban music of the late Cuban-American percussionist and bandleader Armando Sanchez, who formed the band in the mid-1970s because he wanted to play "the real son"—a Cuban folk style that forms much of the basis of modern salsa. This is old-fashioned Cuban country music—the sounds of the countryside and the mountains.

Lesson: Pierre Dulaine, Pierre Dulaine Dance Studio

Palladium-style Mambo

The Machito Orchestra was established in 1941 in New York City and has been fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz ever since. Over the years, its illustrious roster has featured Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Tito Puente and Jon Faddis. In 1975, Machito’s son, Mario Grillo took over the leadership of the band and has toured the Orchestra extensively in the United States, Europe and the Far East earning three Grammy nominations and winning a Grammy for Best Latin Recording in 1982.

Lesson: Tony Meredith and Melanie La Patin, Dance Times Square

Wednesday, July 3: From the Bronx, Los Pleneros de la 21

Bomba, Plena

Formed in the South Bronx, Los Pleneros de la 21 is a group which has spanned three generations of Puerto Rican musicians, dancers, and artisans dedicated to performance of bomba and plena, two styles of Puerto Rican music springing from deeply rooted African traditions. The name evokes the place of origin of its members, Parada 21 (Bus Stop 21), a predominantly Black neighborhood in the Santurce municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico that produced many of the island's most accomplished interpreters of bomba and plena. Widely admired as the premiere practitioners of the genre, Los Pleneros was the first New York-based Puerto Rican bomba and plena group to perform at world-renowned Carnegie Hall.

Lesson: Juan Usera Falcon

Midsummer Night Swing celebrates Independence Day with a double-bill featuring Roy Ayers and his band Ubiquity followed by a DJ set of disco with Bobby Morales.

Well-known for his hit "We Live in Brooklyn, Baby," Roy Ayers and various permutations of Ubiquity have built an extraordinarily profile, recording 20 albums for Polydor in 12 years and carving out a reputation for a sense of keen experimentation. Whether playfully tweaking the vernacular, contemplating the essence of life or just plain crooning, they clearly flow with the currents of the Afro-beat spirit then and now. In the 1990s, they began to enjoy a worldwide renaissance as icons of the acid-jazz and smooth jazz movements.

New York-based DJ Bobby Morales has performed in clubs nationwide, most notably at the International Hustle and Salsa Competition 2000 in Miami, the Hustle Dance Club, the Stepping Out Ballroom and Latin Dance Studio in New York. He was the official DJ for the Hustle USA Dance Championships and was recently nominated to the World Disco Classic Hustle Dance Hall of Fame.

Lesson: Diane Lachtrupp, Stepping Out

Friday, July 5: Tabou Combo

Compa

"Rhythm is the essence of Tabou Combo," says drummer Herman Nau. The infectious rhythm of Haiti's national dance music, Compa has propelled the country's preeminent dance band around the world. The 12 members of the band have covered many territories since relocating to New York City in 1971. By that time, Tabou had already established itself as Haiti's number one group, and as the "Ambassadors of Compas." Tabou Combo delights fans and followers from London to Paris, Holland, Switzerland, Japan, South America, throughout the Caribbean and in North America.

Lesson: Antonie L’Homme and Christian Ruart

Saturday, July 6: Manhattan’s Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Swing

The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO), composed of many of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center (J@LC) resident orchestra for more than 10 years. Under the leadership of Music Director Wynton Marsalis, the LCJO performs a vast repertory spanning the history of jazz, from masterpieces by composers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, and Charles Mingus, to newly commissioned works by Benny Carter, Joe Henderson, Jimmy Heath, Chico O'Farrill, members of the LCJO, and others.

Lesson: Janice Wilson and Paolo Lanna, Dance Manhattan

Tuesday, July 9: The multi-borough Gerard Carelli Orchestra

Ballroom, Swing

The Gerard Carelli Orchestra is one of New York's most sought-after swing and ballroom orchestras, with its ability to play a wide range of music that "gets everyone up and dancing, even perennial wallflowers." The 10-piece orchestra features many talented "young lions" from New York City, where the orchestra makes its home. On a typical evening, Gerard and his orchestra feature the music of Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Louis Jordan, Count Basie and Fred Astaire.

Lesson: Sandra Cameron, Sandra Cameron Dance Studio

Dessert Night, Wednesday, July 10: Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra

Swing

Founded in 1987 after Hermlin visited Midsummer Night Swing and vowed to return to the Plaza with his own ensemble, the Orchestra has evolved into Germany’s most important and successful swing band. In addition to numerous appearances on radio and television, the Orchestra has thrilled audiences throughout Europe and the Far East with its dedication to authenticity: from the instrumentation to the arrangements to the microphones, outfits and stands, each element evokes the spirit of the 1930s. The repertoire covers the songs made popular by the orchestras of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Glenn Miller and other luminaries of the swing era. For this performance, the Orchestra will design a program featuring songs about New York City.

Lesson: Tony Meredith and Melanie La Patin, Dance Times Square

Thursday, July 11: Manhattan’s Viento de Agua

Plena, Bomba

Viento de Agua is a Puerto Rican phrase used to describe the charged, damp air that precedes a heavy storm. This original young band fuses traditional Afro–Puerto Rican rhythms of bomba and plena with other Afro-Caribbean rhythms and some jazz to create a fresh new style and an explosive sound guaranteed to keep the dancers moving.

Lesson: Mariana Parma and Rodney Lopez, Dance Manhattan

Friday, July 12: Manhattan’s Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks: The Cotton Club Revisited

Swing

Vince Giordano performs in the Roaring Twenties style, using many of the original arrangements from the likes of Fletcher Henderson. His attention to the authenticity of transcribing arrangements from old recordings, his insistence on precision, and his love of re-creating the music transformed his Nighthawks into the one of the most sought-after jazz bands in New York City. Their numerous appearances include bookings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Rainbow Room, the Carlyle Hotel and "21." This program is dedicated to the Cotton Club, concentrating on tunes associated with the Cotton Club, its personalities, and the music it spawned.

Lesson: Pierre Dulaine, Pierre Dulaine Dance Studio

Son, Merengue

Led by Juan "Coco" de Jesus, a native of the Dominican Republic, Coco Merenson fuses two important sounds and styles from the Caribbean: son, with Merengue, the dance rhythm of the Dominican Republic. This Bronx-based band’s frequent appearances at festivals and concerts have earned it recognition as New York’s leading ensemble combining traditional roots and contemporary sounds.

Lesson: Ricardo Urena

Tango

Formed in 1987, Tanguardia includes pianist Bob Telson—Pulitzer and Tony-nominated for his work on "The Gospel at Colonus" and "Chronicle of a Death Foretold"—and the highly regarded Argentine bandeleon player Hector "Tito" Castro. The band specializes in traditional tango, but its repertoire also includes more modern tango music. Tanguardia has been a favorite of tango dancers at Midsummer Night Swing for a number of seasons and has performed concerts at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Lesson: Mariela Franganillo and Pablo Pugliese, Dance Manhattan

Wednesday, July 17: Manhattan’s Dick Hyman with Jim Cullum’s Jazz Band

Swing

Dick Hyman is a definitive figure in New York City’s jazz scene. His work as a pianist, arranger, promoter and scholar is legendary. For this special evening, he will be joined by the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, an ensemble specializing in early New Orleans-style jazz. The program will be specifically tailored for dancers.

Lesson: John Knapp and Meredith Stead, Shall We Dance?

Thursday, July 18: Bronx and Brooklyn’s International Garifuna Band with Special Guest James Lovell

Punta

The Garifuna people from the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua are descendents of West Africans whose slaves ship capsized more than 360 years ago. Punta Rock is the contemporary expression of this Central American Garifuna community. Traditional Garifuna drums and turtle shells figure prominently with electronic keyboards, bass and guitar. The band comes with its own instructors for Punta, a dance form banned in parts of the Caribbean because of its sensual nature.

Lesson: Felix Gamboa and Miriam Suazo Moore

Friday, July 19: Manhattan’s Jimmy Bosch

Salsa Dura

A Midsummer veteran, and the best-loved New York City-based "Salsa Dura" proponent, Jimmy Bosch has enjoyed an illustrious career as a leader, trombonist, and musical director with such artists as Ruben Blades and Son Del Solar, Marc Anthony, Eddie Palmieri, Cachao, Celia Cruz, La India, Ray Baretto, Fania Allstars, Oscar DeLeon and many more.

Lesson: Paul Pelicoro, DanceSport

Nigerian Highlife, Makossa, Soukous

Floxy Bee was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and has been based in New York City for more than a decade. She specializes in dance rhythms from Africa, especially Nigerian Highlife, makossa Soukous and traditional Nigerian tribal dances. Regularly appearing in various festivals and venues, from S.O.B.’s to NJPAC, she has received wide recognition. Her Midsummer Night Swing program will be geared toward beginner African dancers and partner dancing, and her band will feature a pair of dancers who will perform during her set.

Lesson: Lesley Berson

Disco, Hustle

A lot has happened since original members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards initially joined forces as Chic in 1977. So for fans of feel-good music, friends of the groove and those with the urge to merge with a dance enhancing beat, there's no better news than the return of one of the planet's most perfect practitioners of pure fun, Nile Rodgers. In short, Chic is back. The Chic groove brought together an irresistible mix of sophisticated soul, streetwise rhythms and urban pop to create an innovative, completely original sound. That sound helped spawn the dance music explosion of the late 1970s, and now, reverberations from that explosion are being felt again as recent retro-disco trends sweep the global dance floor. All of which creates the perfect setting for the return of the band that started it all.

Lesson: Maria Torres, Dance Times Square

Swing

One of the most anticipated new projects on the New York jazz scene, the 15-piece Billy Strayhorn Orchestra debuted this spring in a special event sponsored by the Ellington Society. Directed by Michael Hashim—one of New York’s leading swing-era jazz performers—the Orchestra is dedicated to new and reconstructed arrangements of the Billy Strayhorn repertoire. Reviving music that has been obscure for decades, the Orchestra is leading the rediscovery of Strayhorn as one of the most important architects of big band music—his music represents a "modern" (meaning 1940s vs. 1920s style) approach to big band. This evening will feature some of Strayhorn’s best-loved dance tunes, including "Lush Life" and "Take the A Train."

Lesson: Jennifer and Stanley McCalla, Chelsea Fred Astaire

Cuban Funk

Harnessing the city’s musical multiculturalism— fusing Afro-Cuban/Latin Rhythms with hip-hop, funk and soul—Yerba Buena "reminds people that the roots of Latin Music come from African rhythm." Under the leadership of Andres Levin, the collective has already garnered rave reviews, as well as attracting the attention of The Dave Matthews Band—which invited Yerba Buena to open a series of their shows this spring.

Lesson: Sy Bonarti, Mimi Diaz, West Side YMCA

Brazilian Partner-style Samba

Astoria-based Grupo Saveiro was named "the best Brazilian band in the United States" by the Brazilian International Press Association in 1998 and 2001. Founded in 1995, the group is hugely popular in the Brazilian community in New York, and specializes in a pagode—a lively and joyful dance style featuring traditional instruments along with western pop instrumentation.

Lesson: Marcos Leite, Samba Society

Swing

Hailed by Leonard Feather as "one of the five greatest saxophonists in jazz history," Illinois Jacquet catapulted to international fame at the age of 19 with his explosive solo on "Flying Home" recorded with Lionel Hampton. Spawning a new big-toned, energetic style on the tenor saxophone, Jacquet created a blueprint that subsequent generations would follow. Jacquet has collaborated with the likes of Cab Calloway, Charles Mingus and Count Basie, recorded historic sessions for Apollo and Aladdin Records, and helped to launch Jazz at the Philharmonic. Jacquet was invited to play at President Clinton’s 1992 Inaugural Ball, where the president joined in on "C Jam Blues." In 2000, Jazz at Lincoln Center presented Jacquet with its Award for Artistic Excellence.

Lesson: Paul Grecki, Sandra Cameron Dance Studio

TICKET INFORMATION:

THE BASIC STEPS

Swing to the sounds of Midsummer Night Swing’s stellar bands anywhere on the Josie Robertson Plaza. But to cut it up on the dance floor—and perfect your steps with pointers from the dance experts—requires admission.

SINGLE TICKETS

$12: Admission to the dance floor and the lessons preceding the live music.

$35: Midsummer Night Swing Benefit: Dancing & Desserts (July 10; rain date: July 27), includes dessert tasting and dancing.

SWING PASSES

Purchase a Six-Night, a Ten-Night, or a Season Pass (or 23 admissions). Remember to act early because passes are limited.

Six-Night Pass $62

Ten-Night Pass $100

Season Pass $225

Three Ways to Buy Single Tickets and Swing Passes:

ONLINE
Single ticket sales begin June 24. For your convenience, purchase your tickets online. Please note: A limited number of advance tickets are available online. A per-ticket service charge ($5.50) applies for tickets. Pick up tickets at the Will Call booth on the Plaza.

ON THE PHONE

Call CenterCharge (+1 212 721 6500) to buy tickets via phone. Pass sales begin May 5 and single ticket sales begin June 24. A limited number of tickets are available, and a per-ticket service charge ($5.50) applies.

ON THE PLAZA

On the day of the performance, single tickets go on sale at the Josie Robertson Plaza at 5:45 p.m. for that night's performance/lesson only. Passes are also available for purchase on the Plaza each night of Swing. Cash only.

Dancing starts at 8:00 and runs for two full sets until 10:00. Your admission bracelet allows you to come and go from the dance floor all night long.

Dance Lessons are included with admission. New York City's best dance instructors take you through the moves from 6:30 to 7:30.

Rain Policy No show will be canceled before 8:30. If it is raining at 8:30 and the performance is canceled, ticket holders may return for a future evening of dancing or receive a refund via mail. If it rains at any time after the first set is completed, no refunds or exchanges will be made.

For a 2002 season Midsummer Night Swing brochure,
call the Swing hotline, +1 212 875 5766

Curated by the innovative Limor Tomer, the program will bring a special emphasis on swing, Latin and music of the African Diaspora to Lincoln Center’s dance club under the stars. Dance lessons will be offered every night from 6:30 to 7:30, where ticket-holders can enjoy free lessons from specialized instructors; followed by live music performances and dancing from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Opening Night: Wednesday, June 26: Manhattan’s Sultans of Swing, David Berger, conductor

Ballroom, Swing

Acclaimed for their superior musicianship and a sound that is both sophisticated and earthy, the Sultans of Swing create a natural bridge from the great bands of the 1930s and 1940s to hip 21^st century jazz and swing audiences. In 1996, David Berger collaborated with choreographer Donald Byrd on the Harlem Nutcracker, a two-hour dance piece that expands the Tchaikovsky/Ellington/Strayhorn score into an American classic. The 15-piece band, with vocalist Aria Hendricks, continues to play classic swing and Berger originals for swing dancers all over the United States and Europe.

Lesson: Christian Perry, DanceSport

Thursday, June 27: Issac Delgado

Cuban Salsa, Son, and Timba

The premier voice of the red-hot timba sound, Issac Felipe Delgado Ramirez was born in Havana, Cuba on September 11, 1962. An accomplished vocalist and band leader, he was founding member and lead vocalist in the group NG La Banda. Since breaking out on his own, Delgado has garnered passionate support in his home country, the United States and Europe for his sizzling contemporary sounds of Cuba. This performance marks his triumphant return to Lincoln Center, where NG La Banda performed at Lincoln Center Festival ‘97.

Lesson: Stephen Dane, Manhattan Ballroom Society

Soukous, Mbalax, Makossa

African Blue Note features a line-up of some of the best musicians from the African countries with the hottest dance traditions. Five of the band’s six members have served tenure with some of Africa’s biggest names in music, including Fela Kuti, Papa Wemba, Youssou N’Dour and others. At Midsummer Night’s Swing, they will tour the most infectious African dance rhythms: soukous from Congo, mbalax from Senegal, makossa from Cameroon and more.

Lesson: Lesley Berson

Saturday, June 29: Everybody Swings—An Afternoon of Dancing for Kids
4:00-5:30

Free For All Ages!

Jump into our annual treat for the entire family! Pierre Dulaine of American Ballroom Theater Company teaches some of greatest dances to kids of all ages. Described as "dancer and teacher extraordinaire" by the New York Times, Dulaine has taught at the School of American Ballet and The Juilliard School for many years. From ballroom to tango, every member of your family will have a chance to join in the swingin’ spirit of dance.

Classic Cuban

Comprised mostly of former musicians from the historic group "Son De La Loma," Los Soneros De Oriente maintain a distinctive Cuban Son style, deriving its name from the region of Cuba that is most famous for Son Montuno. Los Soneros represent the lifelong commitment to traditional Cuban music of the late Cuban-American percussionist and bandleader Armando Sanchez, who formed the band in the mid-1970s because he wanted to play "the real son"—a Cuban folk style that forms much of the basis of modern salsa. This is old-fashioned Cuban country music—the sounds of the countryside and the mountains.

Lesson: Pierre Dulaine, Pierre Dulaine Dance Studio

Palladium-style Mambo

The Machito Orchestra was established in 1941 in New York City and has been fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz ever since. Over the years, its illustrious roster has featured Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Tito Puente and Jon Faddis. In 1975, Machito’s son, Mario Grillo took over the leadership of the band and has toured the Orchestra extensively in the United States, Europe and the Far East earning three Grammy nominations and winning a Grammy for Best Latin Recording in 1982.

Lesson: Tony Meredith and Melanie La Patin, Dance Times Square

Wednesday, July 3: From the Bronx, Los Pleneros de la 21

Bomba, Plena

Formed in the South Bronx, Los Pleneros de la 21 is a group which has spanned three generations of Puerto Rican musicians, dancers, and artisans dedicated to performance of bomba and plena, two styles of Puerto Rican music springing from deeply rooted African traditions. The name evokes the place of origin of its members, Parada 21 (Bus Stop 21), a predominantly Black neighborhood in the Santurce municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico that produced many of the island's most accomplished interpreters of bomba and plena. Widely admired as the premiere practitioners of the genre, Los Pleneros was the first New York-based Puerto Rican bomba and plena group to perform at world-renowned Carnegie Hall.

Lesson: Juan Usera Falcon

Midsummer Night Swing celebrates Independence Day with a double-bill featuring Roy Ayers and his band Ubiquity followed by a DJ set of disco with Bobby Morales.

Well-known for his hit "We Live in Brooklyn, Baby," Roy Ayers and various permutations of Ubiquity have built an extraordinarily profile, recording 20 albums for Polydor in 12 years and carving out a reputation for a sense of keen experimentation. Whether playfully tweaking the vernacular, contemplating the essence of life or just plain crooning, they clearly flow with the currents of the Afro-beat spirit then and now. In the 1990s, they began to enjoy a worldwide renaissance as icons of the acid-jazz and smooth jazz movements.

New York-based DJ Bobby Morales has performed in clubs nationwide, most notably at the International Hustle and Salsa Competition 2000 in Miami, the Hustle Dance Club, the Stepping Out Ballroom and Latin Dance Studio in New York. He was the official DJ for the Hustle USA Dance Championships and was recently nominated to the World Disco Classic Hustle Dance Hall of Fame.

Lesson: Diane Lachtrupp, Stepping Out

Friday, July 5: Tabou Combo

Compa

"Rhythm is the essence of Tabou Combo," says drummer Herman Nau. The infectious rhythm of Haiti's national dance music, Compa has propelled the country's preeminent dance band around the world. The 12 members of the band have covered many territories since relocating to New York City in 1971. By that time, Tabou had already established itself as Haiti's number one group, and as the "Ambassadors of Compas." Tabou Combo delights fans and followers from London to Paris, Holland, Switzerland, Japan, South America, throughout the Caribbean and in North America.

Lesson: Antonie L’Homme and Christian Ruart

Saturday, July 6: Manhattan’s Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Swing

The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO), composed of many of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center (J@LC) resident orchestra for more than 10 years. Under the leadership of Music Director Wynton Marsalis, the LCJO performs a vast repertory spanning the history of jazz, from masterpieces by composers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, and Charles Mingus, to newly commissioned works by Benny Carter, Joe Henderson, Jimmy Heath, Chico O'Farrill, members of the LCJO, and others.

Lesson: Janice Wilson and Paolo Lanna, Dance Manhattan

Tuesday, July 9: The multi-borough Gerard Carelli Orchestra

Ballroom, Swing

The Gerard Carelli Orchestra is one of New York's most sought-after swing and ballroom orchestras, with its ability to play a wide range of music that "gets everyone up and dancing, even perennial wallflowers." The 10-piece orchestra features many talented "young lions" from New York City, where the orchestra makes its home. On a typical evening, Gerard and his orchestra feature the music of Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Louis Jordan, Count Basie and Fred Astaire.

Lesson: Sandra Cameron, Sandra Cameron Dance Studio

Dessert Night, Wednesday, July 10: Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra

Swing

Founded in 1987 after Hermlin visited Midsummer Night Swing and vowed to return to the Plaza with his own ensemble, the Orchestra has evolved into Germany’s most important and successful swing band. In addition to numerous appearances on radio and television, the Orchestra has thrilled audiences throughout Europe and the Far East with its dedication to authenticity: from the instrumentation to the arrangements to the microphones, outfits and stands, each element evokes the spirit of the 1930s. The repertoire covers the songs made popular by the orchestras of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Glenn Miller and other luminaries of the swing era. For this performance, the Orchestra will design a program featuring songs about New York City.

Lesson: Tony Meredith and Melanie La Patin, Dance Times Square

Thursday, July 11: Manhattan’s Viento de Agua

Plena, Bomba

Viento de Agua is a Puerto Rican phrase used to describe the charged, damp air that precedes a heavy storm. This original young band fuses traditional Afro–Puerto Rican rhythms of bomba and plena with other Afro-Caribbean rhythms and some jazz to create a fresh new style and an explosive sound guaranteed to keep the dancers moving.

Lesson: Mariana Parma and Rodney Lopez, Dance Manhattan

Friday, July 12: Manhattan’s Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks: The Cotton Club Revisited

Swing

Vince Giordano performs in the Roaring Twenties style, using many of the original arrangements from the likes of Fletcher Henderson. His attention to the authenticity of transcribing arrangements from old recordings, his insistence on precision, and his love of re-creating the music transformed his Nighthawks into the one of the most sought-after jazz bands in New York City. Their numerous appearances include bookings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Rainbow Room, the Carlyle Hotel and "21." This program is dedicated to the Cotton Club, concentrating on tunes associated with the Cotton Club, its personalities, and the music it spawned.

Lesson: Pierre Dulaine, Pierre Dulaine Dance Studio

Son, Merengue

Led by Juan "Coco" de Jesus, a native of the Dominican Republic, Coco Merenson fuses two important sounds and styles from the Caribbean: son, with Merengue, the dance rhythm of the Dominican Republic. This Bronx-based band’s frequent appearances at festivals and concerts have earned it recognition as New York’s leading ensemble combining traditional roots and contemporary sounds.

Lesson: Ricardo Urena

Tango

Formed in 1987, Tanguardia includes pianist Bob Telson—Pulitzer and Tony-nominated for his work on "The Gospel at Colonus" and "Chronicle of a Death Foretold"—and the highly regarded Argentine bandeleon player Hector "Tito" Castro. The band specializes in traditional tango, but its repertoire also includes more modern tango music. Tanguardia has been a favorite of tango dancers at Midsummer Night Swing for a number of seasons and has performed concerts at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Lesson: Mariela Franganillo and Pablo Pugliese, Dance Manhattan

Wednesday, July 17: Manhattan’s Dick Hyman with Jim Cullum’s Jazz Band

Swing

Dick Hyman is a definitive figure in New York City’s jazz scene. His work as a pianist, arranger, promoter and scholar is legendary. For this special evening, he will be joined by the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, an ensemble specializing in early New Orleans-style jazz. The program will be specifically tailored for dancers.

Lesson: John Knapp and Meredith Stead, Shall We Dance?

Thursday, July 18: Bronx and Brooklyn’s International Garifuna Band with Special Guest James Lovell

Punta

The Garifuna people from the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua are descendents of West Africans whose slaves ship capsized more than 360 years ago. Punta Rock is the contemporary expression of this Central American Garifuna community. Traditional Garifuna drums and turtle shells figure prominently with electronic keyboards, bass and guitar. The band comes with its own instructors for Punta, a dance form banned in parts of the Caribbean because of its sensual nature.

Lesson: Felix Gamboa and Miriam Suazo Moore

Friday, July 19: Manhattan’s Jimmy Bosch

Salsa Dura

A Midsummer veteran, and the best-loved New York City-based "Salsa Dura" proponent, Jimmy Bosch has enjoyed an illustrious career as a leader, trombonist, and musical director with such artists as Ruben Blades and Son Del Solar, Marc Anthony, Eddie Palmieri, Cachao, Celia Cruz, La India, Ray Baretto, Fania Allstars, Oscar DeLeon and many more.

Lesson: Paul Pelicoro, DanceSport

Nigerian Highlife, Makossa, Soukous

Floxy Bee was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and has been based in New York City for more than a decade. She specializes in dance rhythms from Africa, especially Nigerian Highlife, makossa Soukous and traditional Nigerian tribal dances. Regularly appearing in various festivals and venues, from S.O.B.’s to NJPAC, she has received wide recognition. Her Midsummer Night Swing program will be geared toward beginner African dancers and partner dancing, and her band will feature a pair of dancers who will perform during her set.

Lesson: Lesley Berson

Disco, Hustle

A lot has happened since original members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards initially joined forces as Chic in 1977. So for fans of feel-good music, friends of the groove and those with the urge to merge with a dance enhancing beat, there's no better news than the return of one of the planet's most perfect practitioners of pure fun, Nile Rodgers. In short, Chic is back. The Chic groove brought together an irresistible mix of sophisticated soul, streetwise rhythms and urban pop to create an innovative, completely original sound. That sound helped spawn the dance music explosion of the late 1970s, and now, reverberations from that explosion are being felt again as recent retro-disco trends sweep the global dance floor. All of which creates the perfect setting for the return of the band that started it all.

Lesson: Maria Torres, Dance Times Square

Swing

One of the most anticipated new projects on the New York jazz scene, the 15-piece Billy Strayhorn Orchestra debuted this spring in a special event sponsored by the Ellington Society. Directed by Michael Hashim—one of New York’s leading swing-era jazz performers—the Orchestra is dedicated to new and reconstructed arrangements of the Billy Strayhorn repertoire. Reviving music that has been obscure for decades, the Orchestra is leading the rediscovery of Strayhorn as one of the most important architects of big band music—his music represents a "modern" (meaning 1940s vs. 1920s style) approach to big band. This evening will feature some of Strayhorn’s best-loved dance tunes, including "Lush Life" and "Take the A Train."

Lesson: Jennifer and Stanley McCalla, Chelsea Fred Astaire

Cuban Funk

Harnessing the city’s musical multiculturalism— fusing Afro-Cuban/Latin Rhythms with hip-hop, funk and soul—Yerba Buena "reminds people that the roots of Latin Music come from African rhythm." Under the leadership of Andres Levin, the collective has already garnered rave reviews, as well as attracting the attention of The Dave Matthews Band—which invited Yerba Buena to open a series of their shows this spring.

Lesson: Sy Bonarti, Mimi Diaz, West Side YMCA

Brazilian Partner-style Samba

Astoria-based Grupo Saveiro was named "the best Brazilian band in the United States" by the Brazilian International Press Association in 1998 and 2001. Founded in 1995, the group is hugely popular in the Brazilian community in New York, and specializes in a pagode—a lively and joyful dance style featuring traditional instruments along with western pop instrumentation.

Lesson: Marcos Leite, Samba Society

Swing

Hailed by Leonard Feather as "one of the five greatest saxophonists in jazz history," Illinois Jacquet catapulted to international fame at the age of 19 with his explosive solo on "Flying Home" recorded with Lionel Hampton. Spawning a new big-toned, energetic style on the tenor saxophone, Jacquet created a blueprint that subsequent generations would follow. Jacquet has collaborated with the likes of Cab Calloway, Charles Mingus and Count Basie, recorded historic sessions for Apollo and Aladdin Records, and helped to launch Jazz at the Philharmonic. Jacquet was invited to play at President Clinton’s 1992 Inaugural Ball, where the president joined in on "C Jam Blues." In 2000, Jazz at Lincoln Center presented Jacquet with its Award for Artistic Excellence.

Lesson: Paul Grecki, Sandra Cameron Dance Studio

TICKET INFORMATION:

THE BASIC STEPS

Swing to the sounds of Midsummer Night Swing’s stellar bands anywhere on the Josie Robertson Plaza. But to cut it up on the dance floor—and perfect your steps with pointers from the dance experts—requires admission.

SINGLE TICKETS

$12: Admission to the dance floor and the lessons preceding the live music.

$35: Midsummer Night Swing Benefit: Dancing & Desserts (July 10; rain date: July 27), includes dessert tasting and dancing.

SWING PASSES

Purchase a Six-Night, a Ten-Night, or a Season Pass (or 23 admissions). Remember to act early because passes are limited.

Six-Night Pass $62

Ten-Night Pass $100

Season Pass $225

Three Ways to Buy Single Tickets and Swing Passes:

ONLINE
Single ticket sales begin June 24. For your convenience, purchase your tickets online. Please note: A limited number of advance tickets are available online. A per-ticket service charge ($5.50) applies for tickets. Pick up tickets at the Will Call booth on the Plaza.

ON THE PHONE

Call CenterCharge (+1 212 721 6500) to buy tickets via phone. Pass sales begin May 5 and single ticket sales begin June 24. A limited number of tickets are available, and a per-ticket service charge ($5.50) applies.

ON THE PLAZA

On the day of the performance, single tickets go on sale at the Josie Robertson Plaza at 5:45 p.m. for that night's performance/lesson only. Passes are also available for purchase on the Plaza each night of Swing. Cash only.

Dancing starts at 8:00 and runs for two full sets until 10:00. Your admission bracelet allows you to come and go from the dance floor all night long.

Dance Lessons are included with admission. New York City's best dance instructors take you through the moves from 6:30 to 7:30.

Rain Policy No show will be canceled before 8:30. If it is raining at 8:30 and the performance is canceled, ticket holders may return for a future evening of dancing or receive a refund via mail. If it rains at any time after the first set is completed, no refunds or exchanges will be made.

For a 2002 season Midsummer Night Swing brochure,
call the Swing hotline, +1 212 875 5766

The New York City Police Museum in the downtown area of New York is located into the historic 100 Old Slip Building.   Originally one of the first police stations, it has recently been converted into a museum housing exhibits detailing the history of the NYPD.

From its colonial beginnings to its official establishment in 1845 to the present day, the NYPD has played an important role in securing public peace, protecting life and property, and insuring all the rights and privileges guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. 

The New York City Police Museum captures and preserves the long and rich history of the department, as well as a present-day look at the world of law enforcement through the eyes of its officers.

It's a must for all visitors to New York and plays an important role in days spent exploring the downtown, historic Wall Street area.

Between June 6, 2002 and August 18, 2002, the museum will house a new exhibit, "Healing Spaces".

In response to the tragic events of 9/11 and the many members of the NYPD, emergency services and nations counted in the final tally of victims from the World Trade Center Disaster, children from around the world reacted by creating artwork as an expression of their response. 

In this exhibit, art in many different shapes and sizes - from honoring heroes to condemning the attacks, encapsulates the response from the kids, and will stand alongside the permanent displays which so effectively capture the long history of the police in the city.

Coordinated with the assistance of mental health professionals, "Healing Spaces" also includes a 'safe zone', defining the special and continuing role and relationship that the NYPD has with kids and in making children feel more secure in a changed world.

HOURS:MONDAY - FRIDAY 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M.

The New York City Police Museum
100 OLD SLIP
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10005
+1 212-480-3100

Ashley Harkleroad

USA Tennis Rock & Rally

The tennis stars come out to play as the USTA hosts a free "USA Tennis Rock & Rally" tennis and music festival at New York City's  Rockefeller Center.

The "USA Tennis Rock & Rally" event features on- and off-court tennis activities for players of all ages and skill levels, with music provided by rock band Sister Hazel and hosted by former MTV VJ and Revlon Model Daisy Fuentes. On and off court fun includes interactive games, clinics and a USA Tennis Skills Competition incorporating serving, groundstrokes and volley's.  

If you can 'rock and roll' and play tennis at the same time this is your chance to hit with the likes of tennis legend Billie Jean King, tennis star Andy Roddick, stalwart of the circuit  Patrick MacEnroe, and new to the circuit - James Blake and 16 year-old Kornokova look-alike, Ashley Harkleroad.

While you're there you'll be invited to learn more about USTA Tennis programs, "Rock and Rally" festivals and other activities in the New York area.

 

 
WHEN:Wednesday, May 1, 11am to 2pm
 
WHERE:  Rockefeller Center Skating Rink
and outside 30 Rockefeller Plaza

Prada

New York Epicenter

Located at the corner of Prince and Broadway, the first Prada epicenter was conceived as a laboratory where Prada could experiment with new forms of customer interaction.  In other words, It's a multi-dimensional, multi-purpose environment.  

Prada took over the SoHo Guggenheim location and to great effect!

As you enter the store you feel as if you are still in a museum, but a museum filled with beautiful clothes and shoes and leather goods.

The wall and floors are new millennium tactile; subtle but always in the best of taste. 

Unlike, many other high-end stores the ambiance is inviting and friendly and staff glide elegantly and almost invisibly around the store.

It's a unique shopping event for those with deep pockets and a wonderful form of entertainment for those wishing to experience the new vogue in shopping.

Check out the changing rooms.  Another new, state of the art feature to complete the all-round shopping event .   And this really is all round!  A magic mirror allows you to see yourself from every angle as you spin around.  Not good for those that suffer from claustrophobia, the changing room door turns opaque for total privacy, while high tech hanging racks tell you all the colors, sizes, etc. available for each of your selected items.

You just need to be sure that the technology can weather the enthusiasm of some of the clientele who are just there to look/see, and play with the new toys.

The fashion for spring/summer 2002 is exquisite.  Beautiful colors and fabrics are easy on the eye and obviously very flattering for the figure.

A much more approachable easy to look and wear collection, I was a big fan of almost everything.

Please don't miss out on the ultimate store in New York

Background: Prada’s dramatic growth required new strategies by which they could reinvent their retail experience. Scale alone seemed to demand an inevitable commercialization and endless repetition could alienate the very customers that made them so successful in the first place: customers who gravitated to Prada’s position on the edge of Italian fashion culture and supported experimentation in design and materials. That initial research project grew into the commission for the design of three big stores or epicenters, to be located in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. (A fourth epicenter in Tokyo was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron (who designed Tate Modern, London).) The epicenters provide locations of concentrated creativity while Prada’s familiar green boutiques will continue to stand as familiar outposts. The green stores provide a consistent image, while the scale and strategic placement of the epicenter stores allow them to accommodate more product, more variation and to be site specific.  At the heart of the epicenter concept is the notion that Prada should perpetually reshape, rather than enshrine, their image. In the new stores Prada could transcend shopping and engage public space and cultural programming. The New York epicenter spans a spectrum from the Public to the ultra-Private; the design of the store allows those boundaries to constantly shift. The Prada New York epicenter is a working experiment. The space is designed to support new forms of customer service, merchandising, and programming. It is a space that enables change: change in the configuration of the store itself, its surfaces, its function, the content on the display devices, and the way customers are serviced. It is a place, ultimately, where Prada can experiment with new conditions and continuously reinvent itself.The New York epicenter was designed by in collaboration with Architecture Research Office New York. The store occupies the ground floor of one building as well as the basement of section of basement. This condition spurred the central design gesture, a wave that manipulates the main floor of the space. Starting at street, large steps descend to the lower level: the trough forms the connecting element that unites the street level with the basement. The presence of the wave, formed from a continuous surface of zebrawood flooring, creates a series of spaces: entry hall, stepped shoe display/seating, stage and the display area towards Mercer Street. The wave creates an open space that can support a variety of program. The ascending part conceals an event platform within it, which unfolds mechanically. The shoe-display steps provide an auditorium for up to 200 people. Prada and the Prada Foundation have planned a number of cultural activities – from film programs and lectures to performance series – which will be hosted within the store. The merchandise throughout the ground floor is displayed in moveable volumes. This “hanging city” consists of a series of aluminum-mesh cages suspended from the ceiling which are configured to include hanging bars, shelving, and space for mannequins and other displays. The units are mounted on motorized tracks that allow them to be positioned differently throughout the store like inverted buildings or shopping addresses on a street. During events on the wave stage, the hanging city can be gathered together in a concentrated block at the back of the store, freeing the space for other activities.  A polycarbonate wall covers the original brick wall on the south side of the building and frames the main space. This translucent material blurs the existing conditions behind it: a pastiche of SoHo brick, construction markings, and original windows. The north wall is covered with custom wallpaper: its first manifestation is an enormous pattern of fragmented photographs. The theme and colors of the wallpaper will change with the seasons, providing both variety and an element of temporality. The entrance is dominated by the presence of a cylindrical glass elevator that provides access to the floor below. The 12-foot diameter cab contains a display of Prada handbags allowing patrons to shop as they descend to the lounge and accessories area in the basement. In this lounge customers can browse bags and leather goods while seated on plywood banquettes covered with gel pads. The main dressing rooms (which are described in detail in the technology section) of the store are behind a wall of Privalit Glass that switches from translucent to transparent. A black-and-white marble floor references the original Prada store in the Milan Galleria. The lower level also includes a cosmetics display area, designed by the Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima, more shoe displays, and a series of rooms formed by customized compact shelving units of the type used in libraries. These units can be combined or separated to create different special conditions depending on the volume of merchandise.

It's that time of year. Almost spring.
An as we move towards the longer days of sunshine and summer, what is the subject on the lips of many Sex in the City addicts.
Weddings of course!

If you are planning to get married, either in the near future....or sometime in the future, there's one event that's a must on your calendar. And it's for a good cause.

A bridal fair, affair sponsored by Tiffany & Co., offering brides-to-be (whenever) wedding planning advice, informal modeling of designer bridal fashions, entertainment, taste testing, and guest lectures. And this year for the first time, there is an added attraction - an A-Z Wedding Directory, which will give you an insight into the who's who of premier “wedding day” service providers in the greater metropolitan area of New York.

If you want o get married in the New York Style, make a BIG note in the calendar for Saturday, March 9, 2002. The Junior League of the City of New York (NYJL) will host its sixth annual Wedding Day event at the NYJL’s headquarters at 130 East 80th Street.

And by the way, there's a grooms' tent. And you never know, they may just bring along their friends!

So whether your getting hitched in 2002 or anytime in this millennium, just turn up for some great advice for a good cause.

The all day event generates funding for critical NYJL community service programs. You can either turn up as a guest or take out sponsorship. Anything from a six-line company listing in the A-Z Wedding Directory for $60 to a table at Wedding Day for $500 and much more.

A must!

so for more details contact +1 212 288-6220 by phone or fax +1 212 734-9364 or go to www.nyjl.org

Skating in the park

During the winter months you may think that the only place to skate in the city is Rockefeller Center,
but you would be mistaken.

Exchange the skyscrapers, restaurants, flags, and bright lights at Rock Center for something more like the countryside, and you can find yourself skating in
Central Park.

Surrounded by trees and more trees, it's a terrific way to keep warm and perhaps it makes for a good excuse to venture into the park in the winter, particularly under a bright blue sky.

The Wollman Rink is more-or-less at 62nd Street - but the closest street access is just west of the corner of Fifth Avenue & 60th Street. There's a park entrance there, and an actual road that leads right to the rink.

So sharpen those blades and you'll find at least one way to enjoy the ice in Manhattan.

Skating in the city

(Pictures: courtesy of "(c)NYCVB" )

The Genomic Revolution

ends January 1, 2001

Visit the unmissable
Genomic Revolution exhibit at
the American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West and 79th Stret
to really understand DNA.
It is probably the most entertaining and educational event and opportunity
to learn about something which will have the greatest impact on our lives in the 21st century. 
Don't miss out:

In June 2000, scientists triumphantly announced they had deciphered the human genome, the blueprint for human life. By laying out in order the 3.2 billion units of our DNA, researchers sparked a firestorm of discovery and ushered in a new age.

Hailed as the greatest scientific achievement since man set foot on the Moon, deciphering the sequence of all 3.2 billion units of the human genome was an astonishing accomplishment. Starting in the 1980s, both government and private genomic research teams invented new laboratory tools and techniques specifically to analyze vast amounts of information. Finally in 2000, researchers announced they had pieced together our DNA code—a first draft of the human genome.

To the untrained eye, this vast code of A's, T's, G's and C's is baffling. But a map of our genome offers boundless potential to scientists. Foremost are prospects in our health, ranging from discovering cures for cancer to changing or choosing our genes. We can also apply this knowledge to feeding the world's growing population, solving forensic mysteries and saving species on the verge of extinction. Truly, this is wondrous information—if we use it responsibly.

Putting the genome to work raises questions and dilemmas for us as individuals, families, nations and even as a species. We need to make decisions about our health, our food, our stewardship of the natural world and our responsibilities to the next generation. The genomic revolution is here—are you ready?

The basic skills needed to "read" the human genome are rooted in simple DNA analysis. The machines used for these tasks will undoubtedly change as computers get faster and smaller, but the five general laboratory steps remain the same: isolating, manipulating and sequencing the DNA followed by analyzing and storing the data.

Scientists today decode the genome by continuously running DNA segments through hundreds of sequencing machines and computers. Machines are often more visible in these laboratories than people.

Inside the DNA Learning Lab classroom, visitors and classes of students isolate and sequence their own DNA. They learn the same techniques that researchers use in the molecular laboratory at the American Museum of Natural History: isolating, manipulating, analyzing and storing DNA data.

And then go to the Genomic Learning Laboratory.  It's an online resource designed especially for students and visitors who have sequenced their DNA at the Museum's Learning Lab. Participants can view their own genetic information, use a cladogram to explore the links between genes and specific traits in mammals, or even compare their own DNA with that of another species.

Barbara Hearst, Roy Scheider, Mercedes Ruehl and Matthew Modine
© Patrick McMullan

"Stella by Starlight"

Legendary artists from the worlds of film and theatre will celebrate Stella and the lives and careers of those she continues to inspire.
*Honorary Chairman: Marlon Brando
*Chairmen: Mike Medavoy, Harvey Weinstein
*Co-Chairmen: Ellen Barkin, Zoe Caldwell, Roy Scheider
*Dinner Chairmen: John & Barbara Hearst

Peter Bogdanovich and Ben Gazzara
© Patrick McMullan

Reception at 6:30 p.m.
Entertainment directed by Gordon Hunt at 8:00 p.m.
Dinner at 9:00 p.m.

October 14 - 28, 2001

During a two-week citywide program of nearly 200 events the city will uncover the most exciting and compelling aspects of contemporary British innovations including visual and performing arts; and discover British fashion, food, film, design, technology, education, business and much more.

Dubbed "Great Expectations" the two-week exhibit - mounted by the UK's Design Council as an interactive showcase of contemporary British creativity and innovation - has been created to look particularly spectacular in this stunning location.

click here for more information
.......
and remember the majority of events are open to the public and free of charge

ACRONYM  DEFINITION: UKwithNY =
United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) with New York

British In New York Since 1770 exhibition

Ulster Orchestra Performances, New York premiere

MOMA’S Tribute to Film Four

Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s London Fashion

Sotheby’s US debut presentations of Beck’s Futures 2

Choreographer/dancer Akram Khan’s New York premiere performance

A Selection of the Venues:

• Rockefeller Center

• Asprey & Garrard

• Barnes & Noble   

• The Waldorf Astoria

• PS1
  

• Guastavino’s

• New York University
• Forbes Gallery