Dancing In The Ether

Dance Entropy Explores The Continuum of Time & Space

February 21, 2013 / Dance in Queens / LIC Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. I received a rare treat on Wednesday morning when I went to preview the dance performances planned for this weekend at Green Space in LIC. The weekend celebration includes five dance pieces, three of which are being premiered and two of which have been performed and perfected.

I was one of only a handful of people in the audience, as the dancers did one last rehearsal before their opening performance Thursday evening February 21, 2013. The photo above was taken at the dress rehearsal performance of Skimming the Surface by Dance Entropy at Green Space in LIC.

Click here for a short description of each performance and a slide show of Skimming the Surface by Dance Entropy at Green Space in LIC, as well as a bit longer exploration into one of the new pieces. The report also includes a couple of interviews with the dancers.

The Play For Rent Runs This Week

New Theatrical Production at LaGuardia in LIC

October 22, 2012 / LIC Neighborhood / Dance & Theater in Queens / Queens Buzz. I attended one of the dress rehearsals of For Rent last week at LaGuardia Community College in LIC. It was the second time I had seen the play and it gets better with each viewing. The play is a working project of the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center.

The play is set in modern day Istanbul, the thriving capital of Turkey, and quite possibly one the next members of the European Union. Istanbul has become the New York of its country - where extreme wealth resides side by side with extreme poverty. Rather than ignore or hide these people's plight, this play dives right into their midst; with all the violence, sex and fragility that permeates their impoverished lives. In the photo to your left is Sadik, the boss, with Ferhan the cheat in For Rent at LPAC in LIC.

Click here to read more about the limited engagement of For Rent at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in LIC. 

Finding Dr. Right - Doctors in Queens

Doctors and Healthcare in LIC, Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside & Queens

February 16, 2012 / Long Island City / Queens Buzz. I attended a community lecture put on by Mount Sinai Queens entitled Finding Doctor Right. It was hosted at the Avalon Riverview, which is located down on 2-01 50th Avenue near the East River in LIC.

When I arrived, I took note of the audience demographics which had a female / male skew of about two to one; and the ages ranged from starting a family to planning retirement. Our speaker was Dr. Nierman, VP of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, and one of the people responsible for hiring doctors at Mount Sinai Queens.

Click here to read our report and view photos about finding Dr. Right – doctors and healthcare in LIC and Queens.

NYC Marathon CANCELLED In Queens & LIC

November 2, 2012 / Long Island City Neighborhood / Queens Sports / Queens Buzz.

THE NYC MARATHON HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS ON POLICE, SANITATION, TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER CITY OPERATIONS.

The announcement was made by Mayor Bloomberg in a press conference, where he took some heat for waiting to make the decision to cancel it. Many runners who had already arrived in NYC were disappointed with the announcement.

The NYC Marathon is Sunday, November 4th.

Here is a link to our photo coverage in 2011. We found a number of good places to watch the NYC Marathon in Queens. Here is a link to our NYC Marathon in Queens section, providing you with photos and reports in prior years.

Click the photo to your left for a map showing the NYC Marathon route through Queens & Long Island City LIC. Or click here for a report on the best places to watch the NYC Marathon in Queens.

Kayaking On The East River

PS1 Warm Up Party

PS1 Warm Up Parties - LIC Long Island City Queens

Summers in LIC / Long Island City / LIC / Queens. PS1, a modern art museum in the Long Island City LIC neighborhood of Queens NY hosts Warm Up Parties during the summer season. The PS1 Warm Up parties are thrown Saturday evenings starting in the mid to late afternoon and run until sundown.

Click here to read our full report on PS1 Warm Up Parties.

No Angels At The Laughing Devil

New Comedy Club Opens Doors To Press & LIC

January 18, 2012 / Long Island City LIC / Performing Arts / Queens Buzz. I attended the Grand Opening night of the Laughing Devil Comedy Club in Long Island City Queens tonight. They had a full line up of comedians, who they had charged with lightening up the Queens NYC press corps, which wasn’t exactly a roomful of jokesters. Steve Hofstetter, one of the club owners, is shown in the photo to your left.

Steve was the first comedian on stage. I arrived shortly before he walked off stage and the next comedian, Moody McCarthy, quipped how Steve hadn’t exactly set the house on fire. But the night was young and the time soon began to fly as we were treated to a full barrage of laughing gas, some of which was delivered by comedians from Queens. Steve returned to do a second set, which turned out to be one of the more entertaining performances of the night.

Click here to view our full report about the Laughing Devil Comedy Club in LIC.

Photos - NYC Marathon Queens 2011

November 7, 2011 / Long Island City / Queens Buzz. It was a beautiful day for a marathon. The temperatures were in the low 60's and it was sunny and dry. About 47,438 runners came through Long Island City and we photographed quite a few of them, along with the crowd that gathered outside to greet them.

We plan to add quite a few more photos, but we thought you might be interested in browsing through over 100 photos we selected in a slide show.

Slick here to view our report and see the slide show containing photos of the NYC Marathon in Queens 2011. And have a nice week.

The Astoria LIC Film Festival

Film Festival Showcases Local Film & Musical Talent

October 16, 2011 / Long Island City Neighborhood / Fashion, Film & Music / Queens Buzz. I attended some of the weekend long second annual Astoria LIC Film Festival. The Astoria LIC Film Festival presented 54 new films, including documentaries, comedies, shorts and super shorts; and thirteen music videos. Dennis Cieri and Bonnie Rush are the founders and driving forces behind the event.

The opening and closing parties were held at the Z Hotel, which is one of the new hotels in Long Island City offering both a subterranean bar downstairs from the lobby, and a rooftop bar with a panoramic view of the city.

The films were shown several blocks away, at the Secret Theatre and the E-garage, which are in the same complex; as well as at the Variety Boys & Girls Club of LIC. I attended the music videos segment of the festival, which was curated and hosted by an LIC musician, Gus Rodriguez, Sunday night at the E-garage.

Click here to read the rest of our report on the second annual Astoria LIC Film Festival, including a review of many of the music videos, and excerpts from interviews with founder, Dennis Cieri and some of the festival producers, directors and actors.

Astoria LIC Film Festival

Second Annual Astoria LIC Film Festival Oct 14 - 16, 2011

September 30, 2011 / Long Island City LIC / Fashion Film & Music / Queens Buzz. On Friday, October 14th the second annual Astoria LIC Film Festival begins. The weekend long event opening night begins at 6 pm at the Z Hotel at 11-01 43rd Avenue in Long Island City [212.319.7000]. The opening night is a social with a cash bar that will last into the evening where film goers will have a chance to meet and talk with producers, directors, actors and actresses and writers.

Simultaneously there will be entertainment provided at another of the film festival venues, E-garage at 44-02 23rd Street in Long Island City. An open mic begins at 5.30 pm, followed by improv at 7.30 pm and comedy acts beginning at 9 pm. The graphic to your right is of one of the films being shown this weekend, a comedy / drama about what happens in Park Slope following a neighborhood kid's mother's death.

Click here to read our report on the Astoria LIC Film Festival 2011.