#WeeklyColumn | It’s In Queens! (Dec. 5 to Dec. 11)
BY QEDC It's In Queens
It’s certainly the holiday season in Queens, as special markets, wreath-making workshops, and annual rituals are in the air. But this jam-packed week also features lots of live music, Andean dance, theater, and Hello Panda fun.
Dec. 5, The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, Dec. 15. Ten shows of this Christopher Marlowe play about Faustus, who makes a pact with the Devil leading to his eternal damnation. Times are 7:30 with a matinee on Dec. 14 at 3 pm. The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23rd St., LIC.
Dec. 6, Hello Panda Festival, Jan. 26, 2020. This large international extravaganza showcases more than 120 lantern exhibits, 60 international food vendors, and such cultural experiences as live performances, modern art, a holiday market, and traditional crafts. Open 5 pm to 10 pm. Citi Field, 123-01 Roosevelt Ave.
Dec. 6, STEM College Fair, 5 pm. Learn about STEM programs, the application process, financial aid, scholarships, and other resources. College partners include Binghamton University, St. John’s University, and Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 6, Roberta Piket Sextet, 8 pm. This revelatory sextet shines a warm light on legendary jazz pianist Marian McPartland’s compositions. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Dec. 6, An Evening with Mariana Ortega, 7 pm. The artist discusses her book’s main tenets, including her conception of the self as liminal, its connection to the new mestiza, and her rigorous reading of the intermeshed construct of identification. Free, but RSVP is required. SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves St., LIC.
Dec. 6, Downtown 81, Dec. 15. Six screenings of this 1981 time-capsule film with writer and Warhol associate Glenn O’Brien, Swiss photographer Edo Bertoglio, and artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. They make a movie about bombed out bohemia in lower Manhattan with appearances by Fab Five Freddy, Debbie Harry, and Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Dec. 7, Hands on History: Make Your Own Scented Pomander, 1 pm. Only available during the winter, oranges were a special fruit for 18th and 19th century Americans. Some were used to make pomanders, a spiced, scented ornament that decorated homes and filled them with a lovely aroma. Participants make pomanders in this workshop. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica.
Dec. 7, Wreathmaking Workshops, Dec. 8. Get in the holiday spirit with a handmade evergreen wreath. Material and teaching with festive tunes, cider, and cookies. Two-hour sessions on two Saturdays and two Sundays from 10 am to 1 pm. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Glen Oaks.
Dec. 7, Contract and Release, 1:30 pm and 3 pm. Brendan Fernandes, an artist who works at the intersection of dance and visual art, presents dance inspired by the rocking chairs that Isamu Noguchi produced for Martha Graham’s “Appalachian Spring (1944).” Dancers have to sit on them and remain balanced while working through a version of Graham’s famous “contract and release” exercise. The Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC.
Dec. 8, HollyTour 2019, 1 pm to 5 pm. Six historic Flushing sites hold open houses during this 32nd annual extravaganza. They host time-honored, family-friendly activities, performances, displays, and refreshments. Participants walk or take a dedicated shuttle to Bowne House, Flushing Town Hall, Kingsland Homestead, Lewis Latimer House Museum, Quaker Meeting House, and Voelker Orth Museum.
Dec. 8, Ecuadorian Winter Recital: Ñukanchik Sapi, 2 pm. Children from the Ecuadorian American Cultural Center present traditional Andean dance. The musical band Inti Andino and the adult dance troupe Ayazamana also take the stage. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 8, Christmas in the Garden, noon. Live music, photos with Santa (fee required), tree lighting, holiday crafts, face painting (fee required), and blowout sales. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
Dec. 8, Astoria Market, noon to 6 pm. Local crafters peddle everything from body care products to chocolate to jewelry. Event repeats on Dec. 15. The Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, 29-19 24th Ave., Astoria.
Dec. 8, Kwanzaa, 7 pm. A celebration of seven principles — Unity; Self-Determination; Collective Work and Responsibility; Cooperative Economics; Purpose; Creativity; and Faith — culminating in a feast and gift-giving. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave.
Dec. 8, Center of Attention, 3:30 pm. An open conversation on Isamu Noguchi’s “Contoured Playground (1941),” which is currently on display. The Noguchi Museum, 9-1 33rd St., LIC.
Dec. 9, Live Drawing with Models, 6 pm. Adults draw from a live nude model in a relaxing, non-judgmental environment. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Dec. 11, Jackson Heights Orchestra, 7:30 pm. A local ensemble offers a concert followed by a wine-and-cheese reception with the musicians. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 82nd Street and 34th Avenue, Jackson Heights.
Dec. 11, Monthly Jazz Jam, 7 pm. Celebrating Louis Armstrong’s legacy is the theme as musicians get together to have fun with the house band. Don’t play? Come listen. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Dec. 11, Once Upon A Mattress, Dec. 12. The Lexington School for the Deaf and the Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts present this play about a sad, lonely prince who is looking for love. However, his mother has very high standards. In American Sign Language and English, shows are at 7:30 pm on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 12, Anna Webber Septet, 8 pm. Reed virtuoso Anna Webber is one of the most exciting new arrivals on the New York avant-garde jazz scene. Presented as part of the ongoing 2nd Thursday Night Jazz program, her septet features several of the city’s most creative musicians. Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, 161-04 Jamaica Ave.
Last Chance
Tess Dworman: A Child Retires, until Dec. 7. Performance art that includes stand-up comedy, memoir, acting, and Irish step-dancing. Four 8 pm shows on Wednesday through Saturday. The Chocolate Factory Theatre, 5-49 49th Ave., LIC.
Images: Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (top); Hello Panda Festival/IW Group (bottom)