#WeeklyColumn | July 28 – August 3, 2016
BY Michael Gillen
There’s a “series of series” this week, as local venues host multi-day concerts, dance competitions, Shakespeare plays, outdoor movies, cocktail workshops, and even dancetherapy.
July 28, SummerStage Lyfe Jennings, 7 pm. This R&B star is expected to sing hits from his sixth album, Tree of Lyfe. Free. Queensbridge Park, vicinity of Vernon Boulevard and 21st Street, LIC.
July 28, Seinfeld Night, 6:30 pm. Three Seinfeld episodes and the theatrical premiere of the documentary They’re Real & They’re Spectacular: Seinfeld Super Fans and the Summer of George. Plus, giveaways and show-themed food options. Free. Hunters Point South Park, vicinity of Vernon Boulevard and Borden Avenue, LIC.
July 28, Spanish Visions, dusk. An outdoor screening of nine shorts from Spain, Cuba, USA, and Brazil, as per the Queens World Film Festival and Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association. Free. Kissena Corridor Park, Main Street and Elder Avenue, Flushing.
July 29, SummerStage: Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 7 pm. Former Queens Poet Laureate Paulo Javier and current title-holder Maria Lisella recite poetry. Free. Queensbridge Park, vicinity of Vernon Boulevard and 21st Street, LIC.
July 29-31, Artest Foundation Summer Classic, times vary. A top tier AAU basketball tournament with four divisions: Boys 17u, Boys 16u, Boys 14u, and Girls 17u. Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, 21-12 30th Rd., LIC.
July 29, Shadow Puppet Slam, 7 pm. A sampling of the ancient art form of shadow puppetry with the luminous, the laughable, the shady, the digital, and the ancient. $10. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
July 29, The Nutcracker, 8 pm. Queens Theatre shows a film of a Lincoln Center performance of Tschaikovsky’s iconic ballet, which transports audiences to a world of wonder where mischievous mice are foiled by toy soldiers and ballerinas reveal the enchanting Land of Sweets. Free. Festival Lawn, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
July 29-31, Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Powwow, times vary. NYC’s oldest and largest powwow features three days of Native American dance competitions and a large selection of art, crafts, jewelry, and food. $11 per day/$16 per weekend. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Floral Park.
July 29, Sunnyside Community Concert Series, 7 pm. This night’s focus is Turkey with Mustafa Demirci, Kanun, and Academician. Free. All Saints Episcopal Church, 43-12 46th St., Sunnyside.
July 29, Flushing Night Out, 6 pm to 11 pm. Food, fashion, and music. Free. Flushing High School, 35-01 Union St.
July 29-31, In-Sight Dance Company’s Suite Summer Festival, times vary. This seventh annual festival offers two distinct programs over three days. The site-specific pieces invite the audiences to rove around and participate in an immersive dance experience. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.
July 29, As You Like It, 7:30 pm. Hip to Hip Theatre Company continues its tenth season with a Shakespeare comedy about love, family and identity that is full of wit, music, and gender-bending fun. Children’s pre-show starts at 6:30 pm. Free. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing.
July 29, Orquesta Afinke, 6 pm. As part of the SummerSounds series presented by Kupferberg Center for the Arts and the Queens Parks Department, Orquesta Afinke plays Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz. Free. C.C. Moore Park, vicinity of Broadway, 82nd Street, and 45th Avenue, Elmhurst.
July 29, Cape Fear, dusk. A screening of a film starring Nick Nolte and Robert DeNiro as part of A Better Jamaica’s Classic Film Fridays. Nolte plays a lawyer who withholds evidence that would acquit a sex offender of rape charges. The convict, played by DeNiro, seeks revenge after his prison term. Free. Rufus King Park, vicinity of Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street, Jamaica.
July 29, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 7 pm. Stanley Kubrick’s epic kicks off the See It Big! Series. The same films shows on July 30 at 3 pm and July 31 at 3 pm and 7 pm. $15. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District.
July 30, SummerStage: Stefanie Batten Bland, 7 pm. This choreographer performs along with jazz band Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber. Plus, Karisma Jay, a dancer/actress/singer, teaches a master class. Free. Queensbridge Park, vicinity of Vernon Boulevard and 21st Street, LIC.
July 30, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Midnight Release Party, 10 pm. Have fun while waiting for the release of J.K. Rowling’s new script. Costume contest, tea leaves, trivia contest, butterbeer, etc. Astoria Bookshop, 31-29 31st St.
July 30, Jamaica Dance Festival, 7 pm. Sonali Skanden and Jiva Dance perform dynamic works based on Bharatanatyam, the classical dance form of South India. Free. Rufus King Park, vicinity of 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica.
July 30, ¡Oye Corona! Corona Loves Arte and Libros, 1 pm to 7 pm. This free monthly celebration of art, music, and exercise includes local and global acts. This day features Uni Project, which provides pop-up reading rooms; art-making with Renzo Ortega; Dancetherapy; Ratas en Zelo, an all-female, accordion-based punk band; and Ñukanchik Llakta Wawakuna, an Andean folkloric group. Free. Corona Plaza, 103rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Corona.
July 30, The Cat Came Back: Stories and Songs with A Jazzy Twist, 10:30 am. Teaching artist April Armstrong, Mario Sprouse (piano), and Napoleon Revels-Bey (drums) add a new spin to favorite folktales and nursery rhymes, including Chicken Licken and Old Mother Hubbard’s Blues. $13. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
July 30, Botanical Cocktail Making, 4 pm. Learn simple cocktail recipes that are tasty and healthy. $25/$65 for series. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
July 31, SummerStage: Jazz-infused Family Day, 4 pm. Post-Bop jazz pianist Marc Cary, award-winning actor, dancer, and poet Joseph Monroe Webb, WBGO Kids Jazz featuring rising singer Brianna Thomas, and The Jazz Travelers. Free. Queensbridge Park, vicinity of Vernon Boulevard and 21st Street, LIC.
July 31, Bring Your Own Bike World’s Fair History Ride, 11 am. Trained docents lead a leisurely ride to more than a dozen World’s Fair sites. Free. The Unisphere, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
July 31, Thana Alexa Project, 4 pm. This jazz group performs as part of the Summer Sundays in the Park series. Free. Travers Park, 78th Street between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard, Jackson Heights.
July 31, The Moonlighters, 5 pm. The Katz Concert Series presents a beloved Motown band. Free. O’Donohue Park, Seagirt Boulevard and Beach 17th Street, Far Rockaway.
July 31, Transformer 5 Miler, 9 am. This Queens Distance Runners race honors Peter Tran, an extremely giving QDR member. $25/$30 on race day. A two-loop, out-and-back route that encompasses the Unisphere side of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Aug. 2, DIY Nature Journals, 1 pm. The Garden Creativi-TEA series offers workshops and iced tea on consecutive Tuesdays through Aug. 9. This date’s activity involves nature journals. $3/$6 per family. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing.
Aug. 2, Generations, 7 pm. This classic rock band jams as part of the 2016 Juniper Valley Park Summer Concert Series. A National Night Out Against Crime program starts at 5 pm. Free. Public space at 80th Street and Juniper Boulevard North, Middle Village.
Aug. 2, Live at the Gantries: Tony Demarco, 7 pm. Enjoy live Irish fiddle music and a spectacular view of Midtown Manhattan as part of a summer series. Free. Gantry Plaza State Park, between 49th and 50th avenues along the East River, LIC.
Aug. 3, Girl Asleep, 7 pm. An outdoor cinema series presents an Australian look into the depths of a teenage mind. Greta Driscoll’s bubble of wallflower-like lonerism is burst when her parents throw her a surprise 15th birthday party and invite the whole school. Plus, Aussie food from Thirsty Koala and music by The Hot Rutabagas. Free. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.
Aug. 3, UP, 7 pm. A screening from the Movies on the Green series. Free. The Shops at Atlas Park, 80-00 Cooper Ave., Glendale.
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