#WeeklyColumn | March 15 to March 21 | It’s In Queens!
BY QEDC It's In Queens
March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. Well in Queens, the month’s middle is jam-packed with events. Consider cheese mongering, Greek mythology, flamenco, German funk, Mexican and interpretive dance, a film festival, and the Blade Runner’s future.
March 15, Queens World Film Festival, March 25. Watch about 200 works from 36 distinct countries and all five boroughs. Plenty of post-screening discussions and opportunities to meet filmmakers, too. Movies are divided into 53 thematic blocks – including Family Friends, Nothing But Web, Culture Clash, Crimes Against Women, Emotional Punch, and Environmentally Speaking. Two locations in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District: Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., and Zukor Screening Room, 34-12 36th St.
March 15, Calpulli Mexican Dance, 6:30 pm. To celebrate the host’s 40th anniversary, Calpulli presents Sones Jalicienses, a festive dance celebrating Mariachi’s birthplace. Artistic Director Alberto Lopez provides historical and cultural background and leads a workshop. Free. Materials for the Arts, 33-00 Northern Blvd., LIC.
March 15, Nils Frahm: All Melody, 8 pm. Marvel at this accomplished composer, producer, and performer who works out of his Berlin-based studio at the renowned Funkhaus. Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave., Maspeth.
March 16, Random Access Music, 8 pm. An evening of color and imagery in music composed for cello, piano, and bass vocals. Program features Seth Boustead’s “Momentary Moments” and Claude Debussy’s “Sonate.” Sage Music, 44-02 23rd St., LIC.
March 16, Connected Cheese, 7 pm. Workshops on cheese-making and cheese-aging with time to explore the exhibits Bon Appetit and Connected Worlds. $15. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
March 16, Lauren Beirne Dance Works and Zehnder Dance, 8 pm (and March 17 at 8 pm). Beirne’s latest work focuses on the tribe of women and the idea of group-vs.-other. Zehnder premieres Bent Impulses, which explores connectivity. $15 online/ $20 at the door. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., LIC.
March 17, The Blade Runner Saga, March 18. Thirty-five years after its release, Blade Runner got new life this past year with 2049 and Final Cut. Watch Blade Runner 2049 on March 17 at 3 pm and March 18 at 6 pm and The Final Cut on March 18 at 3 pm. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
March 17, Performing Time, 2 pm. As the LiVEART.US Performance Art Initiative explores Japanese Butoh dance, guest artists present new works based on the notions of temporality, ephemerality, and/or cultural referencing. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
March 17, Straight From Your Heart: 800-Word Essay and Memoir Writing, 2:30 pm. Attendees explore their pasts and write memoirs and personal essays about race and immigration. New York University writing teacher Meera Nair leads. Lewis H. Latimer House Museum, 34-41 137th St., Flushing.
March 18, Bachata from the Dominican Republic, 4 pm. Bachata draws from Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Juan Soriano imparts his music with spirit and dance-ability. Lesson at 3 pm. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
March 18, The Lightning Thief, 1 pm and 3 pm. Theatreworks USA presents a children’s play about Percy Jackson, who’s about to be kicked out of boarding school…again. And that’s the least of his troubles. $14. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
March 18, Multicultural Celebration, 12:30 pm. Traditional music and dance from Jamaica, Romania, Bulgaria, Colombia, West Africa, Hungary, The Philippines, Greece, and Mexico. Free. Secret Theatre, 44-02 23rd St., LIC.
March 18, Kurt Weill Musicale, 2 pm. Multi-talented performer Evangelia Kingsley and pianist Chip Prince conjure composer Weill, whose career spanned from 1920s Germany to Hollywood musicals, opera, and symphonic works. He wrote “Mack the Knife.” $12. Volker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th St., Flushing.
March 18, Fertile Ground New Works Showcase, 7 pm. Five dance makers and a post-performance discussion. $13. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., LIC.
March 18, New Thinking for Ceramic Artists, 3 pm. Curator Margaret Mathews-Berenson moderates a discussion with gallery director Trey Holli and exhibition artists Ann Agee, Nicole Cherubini, and Joanne Greenbaum. Free. Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45th Ave., LIC.
March 18, Clean Water: Essential for Life, 2 pm. An Earth Day panel discussion, entitled “Sustainable Development Goal #6: Clean Water and Sanitation,” and the screening of the short documentary Water Warriors with a Q&A with Director Michael Premo. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
March 18, Farmers for America, 2 pm. This documentary traces the changes coming to America’s food system as consumers flock to farmers’ markets, embrace farm-to-table lifestyles, and insist on knowing where their food is coming from. Free. Quaker Friends Meetinghouse, 137-16 Northern Blvd., Flushing.
March 20, Coding Workshop, 7 pm. Stephen McLeod is an interdisciplinary artist based in Canada. His work is collaborative, socially engaged, and presented in shifting forms of code, interactive installation, performance, and video. He offers an intro to programming for those who don’t necessarily like computers. Free. Flux Factory, 39-31 29th St., LIC.
March 21, The 20 Best Birds I Have Seen, 8 pm. Blogger and field guide author Corey Finger, who has birded on four continents, shares photos and stories of his most memorable feathered friends. Free. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston.
March 21, Anna Sperber: Wealth from the Salt Seas, March 31. Vocalist and composer Gelsey Bell joins Sperber to mine the venue’s physical space for its poetic and emotional vibrations. Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm. $20. The Chocolate Factory, 5-49 49th Ave., LIC.
Ongoing from last week
Encuentro Flamenco, until March 25. Danza España performs with guest artists. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm. Sundays at 4 pm. $40 in advance/$45 at the door. Thalía Spanish Theater, 41-17 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside.
Beau Jest, until March 18. Theatre By The Bay presents a play about Sarah, a nice Jewish girl with a WASP boyfriend. She tells her parents that she’s dating a Jewish doctor, and they insist on meeting him. So, Sarah plans a dinner that results in surprises for everyone. Two remaining shows on March 17 at 8:30 pm and March 18 at 3 pm. Bay Terrace Garden Jewish Center, 13-00 209th St., Bayside.
Top image: Queens Theatre; Bottom image: Calpulli Mexican Dance
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