In response to a Twitter query from @chewnchat, who wondered aloud where one might enjoy a good vegetarian meal after a visit to the 92nd Street Y, we surveyed some friends and colleagues. Among the many responses received, two restaurants were recommended again and again: Candle Cafe (or Candle 79), and Gobo Upper East Side.
They have been dutifully added to the Places of Interest Google Map which highlights, naturally, places of interest in the neighborhood when you visit 92Y. Visit the map online to view all the places highlighted so far.
If you have suggestions for vegetarian restaurants or other places of interest you would like you to see added to the map, leave them in the comments here!
Storm Update: Program Changes and Cancellations for 92Y and 92YTribeca
This bulletin will be updated with the latest available information, please check back often.
Update for Thursday, February 11:
As of 8pm Wednesday night, all 92Y and 92YTribeca programs will be taking place as scheduled for Thursday, February 11 unless noted below:
The May Center for Health, Fitness & Sport will open at 7am instead of 6am.
Stay tuned for more announcements concerning Thursday, February 11.
# # #
The following 92nd Street Y events and classes are cancelled for Wednesday, February 10:
All 60 Plus Classes
All Art, Dance & Music Instruction Classes
All Language Classes
“Find Your Perfect Colors” workshop and “Suspense, Mystery & Romance” reading series
The Musical Introduction Series Concert
All Parenting Center classes, the Noar Afterschool program, the Nesher program, the Nursery School, and all Children’s Classes and Teen programs
Shababa programs
All Poetry Center Classes including Poetry Thesis Workshop with Marie Ponsot, Playwriting with Han Ong, Fiction Workshop with Fiona Maazel and Poetry Tutorial with Grace Schulman. These classes will begin next week on Feb 17.
May Center for Health Fitness & Sport: Snow Schedule Changes & Cancellations for Wed, Feb 10:
Adjusted Hours of Operation 6am - 8pm
Pool Hours 6am - 8pm
Youth Recreational Basketball 1pm - 5:30pm
Children’s Classes and Programs: All children’s classes are cancelled except Super Soccer Stars and Yogi Beans. Limited makeup classes are available for those programs offered on multiple days. Check with your child’s instructor for availability and scheduling. GymStars Gymnastics Team practice and Flying Dolphins Swim Team practice are cancelled.
Adult Class Schedule: The following adult classes will be offered on Wed, Feb 10:
9am - 9:55am Intro to Pilates with Sandi Boerum
10am - 10:55am Weight Works with Suzanne Brown
11am - 11:55am Power Strength with Sam Lopez
12:15pm - 1pm Aqua Fusion with Bettina Curtis
6:15pm - 7pm Spinning with Michael Hughes
6:30pm - 7:25pm Intro to Pilates with Kerry Shea
7:05pm - 7:55pm Latin Low with Michael Hughes
All other May Center adult fitness and aquatics classes (including Beginner Swim Group) are cancelled.
The May Center will open at 7am on Thursday, February 11.
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92YTribeca:
92YTribeca’s Writing Motherhood Class has been rescheduled for February 12 & the presentation of Gosford Park will be postponed until February 23. 92YTribeca’s photography classes will be rescheduled.
We plan to run some scheduled daytime adult learning classes on Wednesday, but are preparing to cancel evening classes (if need be). Students will be telephoned if those classes are cancelled.
Celebrating 75 Years Of Dance at the 92nd Street Y
Photo: 92Y Afro-Caribbean Faculty Dancers and guests celebrate 75 years of dance on stage
For 75 years, the 92nd Street Y has supported, presented and taught dance, creating a home for everyone from Martha Graham to your own child. Our legendary past, starting with a commitment to modern dance in 1935, rubs shoulders with our future and our present, as avant-garde choreographers and high-school dance students create and show work in the same studio where Graham taught. That’s why the theme of Harkness Dance Center’s 75th anniversary year was Past-Future-Now. To celebrate, over 200 dancers and choreographers will perform over the next year.
Photo: Foreground L-R: Emma King, Aneyn O’Grady. Background L-R: Sarah Botero, Kai Monroe in New York Export: Opus Jazz by Jerome Robbins
The Gala performance on Nov 5 featured work by Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Alvin Ailey, David Parsons, Monica Bill Barnes and Doug Varone and links our past to our present and future with our teen dance troupe performing excerpts from Jerome Robbins’ NY Export: Opus Jazz. Dance Educator Martie Barylick said of the performances: “...it was one of the most beautiful evenings of dance of my life!”
Photo: Jody Gottfried Arnhold and Martin Rabinowitz
Renata Celichowska, the Director of the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, says: “What’s important is not just that dance has had a place at the 92nd Street Y for 75 years. It’s that we continue to embody the vision and meet the high standards we set for dance in the 1930s by being an unparalleled resource for everyone who cares about dance - from professionals to kids to teachers to audiences.” The Dance Center is part of the 92nd Street Y School of the Arts (Robert Gilson, director), which offers programs in visual arts (fine arts, jewelry, ceramics and more) and music (classical and popular; classes, lessons and ensembles) in addition to dance.
We took to the streets this past Sunday for the 92Y Street Fest, and thanks to all who braved the morning rain to come out! Continuing the Share Your Story video series, we set up our video booth to capture your stories. Featured in the video above is Melissa, who attended class at 92Y as a child. She still has the trophy she was awarded for winning a relay race while a student here. Melissa, if you’re watching, we want to see that trophy!
As part of the 92Y Street Fest, we offered a coupon good for a 10% discount on classes and events. We would like to extend that offer to our blog readers through Oct 30, 2009. Use discount code FALL when ordering event tickets online or by phone. Please note: When purchasing classes, you must order by phone: 212.415.5500, to utilize the discount code. We can not accept the discount code for classes online.
Regular prices vary. Discount cannot be combined with any other offers and does not apply to prior sales. Not Applicable toward Health & Fitness memberships. Restrictions apply. Offer valid through 10.30.09. Discount is valid for first time enrollment only for the following 92nd Street Y programs: Noar Afterschool, Connect Jewish Afterschool, Private Music Instruction, 60+ membership or Parent Center Membership.
Offer is not valid for subscription tickets nor is it valid for Summer Camp, Flying Dolphins Swim Team or Gymnastics Team registrations.
10% discount not valid for online class registrations.
The 92nd Street Y Street Festival on Sunday, on Lexington Ave between 79th and 94th Street, is going to happen rain or shine – we’ll have our information booths and other activities out on the street, a farmer’s market, International Way, and lots more (barring an actual monsoon… or whiteout, depending on the temperature)! BUT… since we’re guessing there may be more “rain” than “shine,” we’re bringing our FREE ENTERTAINMENT indoors. So if you need a place to hide out or dry out, here’s the schedule:
For EVERYONE…now in our Kaufmann Concert Hall!
12:00 – Swiss Accordion Player Christoph Grieder
12:15 - Swing Dance with Myrna Caceras
12:40 – Social Dance with the Sandra Cameron Dancers
1:00 – Tango with Karina Romero & Dardo Galletto
1:15 - Adult Flamenco Class with JoDe “La Chispa” Romano & Students
1:40 - 92Y Dance 75th Anniversary Performance Highlights
2:00 – Rock duo featuring guitarist Chris Bergson
2:30 - Americana/Rock singer Ann Klein with Alison Cornell
3:00 – Salsa Dance with Jose Rosario & Yvonne Vasquez
3:30 - Middle Eastern dance with Blanca
3:45 – DJ Peter Borenstein
4:25 – Gregorio Uribe Big Band (Colombia)
FOR PARENTS AND KIDS…The WONDERPLAY Stage moves to Warburg Lounge (off the lobby) - Sponsored by Stonyfield
12 - Sing & Shout with Karina Zilberman
12:30 – SoundGarden demo by Jessie Murphy
12:50 – Musical IQ
1:20 - Sing & Shout with Karina Zilberman
1:45 - Hop on Stage and Dance with Mari Lopez
2:15 – Musical IQ
2:45 - Swiss Accordion Player Christoph Grieder
3:00 – DJ Peter Borenstein
3:40 - Sing & Shout with Karina Zilberman
4:10 - 92Y Teen Tap Team with Juli Greenberg
And don’t forget to take advantage of rain-or-shine Street Festival specials:
10% Off tickets and class registration from Sunday through Friday, Oct 23
$0 Down on May Center memberships – Sunday through Tuesday, Oct 20
New fitness, art, music and dance classes start in October and November at the May Center and School of the Arts (shorter, more economical sessions)!
The 92nd Street Y will be redesigning their website and would like your help. Your thoughts on the existing design will help guide our improvements to the new site. Please take this short survey and for your efforts, you will be entered to win a pair of tickets on JetBlue Airways, good for round trip travel to any JetBlue destination. (Some restrictions apply).
Go above and beyond and get a $100 92Y CERTIFICATE! Can you meet onsite at 92Y to give us direct feedback on our web plans? If interested, just fill out the questions at the end of the survey and we will contact you. (Some restrictions apply).
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center Showing Events Live From 92Y
Ann Nyberg, Trustee of the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, CN has posted a letter on their website announcing the opening of the newly renovated center, originally opened in 1911. “The new web site,” she wrote, “goes live on August 10th...”
That’s today. Congratulations to everyone at the KHCAC on your new center!
Above is the new logo for the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (click through for full size version). It is of course in Katharine Hepburn’s favorite color, red. In addition to the scheduled events including arts & culture, hometown fun, and more, “The Kate” as they would like to be called, considers their schedule of 92nd Street Y events, broadcast live via satellite from New York City, a selling point. And they are not the only ones excited to be broadcasting Live From NY’s 92nd Street Y programming. We’re blushing, and hope that Katherine Hepburn would be pleased to know this as well.
We were happy to report (via Twitter, of course!) on our class montage video created for the launch of our fall season class schedule— and some people were excited to see it. So watch the video above and see away! If you’re feeling adventurous, leave a comment and tell us your thoughts.
There is, literally, something for everyone. Enrollment is now open, and some of those classes fill up very quickly, so browse the list and make your choice.
You may have heard that the 92Y library (as it currently exists) is closing on July 31. You may also have heard rumors about what that means, and we want to set the record straight. The reality is that this is one of many actions the Y is taking to cut costs because of the recession. We’re committed to offering library services, and many of the books will be available in other locations around the building. We’re also working on building a ground-floor reading room where people can relax, read, use their laptops (there will be free wi-fi) or one of our computer terminals. If you want to know more, you can read about why we’re making the changes and what our plans are in this letter from our executive director, Sol Adler.
Tony Bennett Surprises Jazz in July Crowd Last Night at 92Y
Tony Bennett surprises the crowd by taking the stage last night at Jazz in July / Photo Credit: Cory Weaver
Last night, Bill Charlap pulled off one of the biggest surprises in Jazz in July history – a totally unannounced and unexpected appearance by the legendary Tony Bennett who sang the concert’s two closing numbers in his first-ever appearance at the 92nd Street Y.
The concert was the second night of the Jazz in July summer festival, and it was a sold-out presentation of A Helluva Town: New York Jazz.
The show opened with A Helluva Town from On The Town by Bernstein and Comden and Green, featuring Bill Charlap, trumpet Byron Stripling, guitar Bucky Pizzarelli, bass Jay Leonhart and drums Lewis Nash. The second half featured Gershwin – as Charlap said, “You can’t have a concert about New York without some Gershwin – and the band played I got Rhythm. Charlap also pointed out that it wasn’t “I’ve got Rhythm,” but “I got Rhythm.” Ah, New Yawk-speak.
And then for the finale, all the musicians came out on stage for Broadway by Billy Bird, Teddy McRae, and Henri Woode. The instrumentalists were passing the tune around, when suddenly, totally without warning, out from the wings strode Tony Bennett. It took several seconds for the audience to recognize him, and even then the ovation was restrained. Bennett began to sing and everyone definitely believed what they were hearing. The air instantly electrified.
Singer and band jammed back and forth, from player to vocalist to player, bringing this jubilant musical salute to the Great White Way – and the evening’s musical love song to New York City—to a bigger and bigger climax. When they finally finished with a flourish, the audience let out a roar and rose to their feet.
But Bill and Tony weren’t done with them yet. With Bill accompanying him, Tony immediately launched into the familiar opening lines of I Happen to Like New York. He was just teasing the audience, though, and smoothly segued into Rodgers & Hart’s I’ll Take Manhattan. It was a perfect rendition, as only Tony Bennett can give. Bill Charlap joined him on piano, and they were accompanied by bass Jay Leonhart and drums Lewis Nash. Then as Tony came to the end, the rest of the band joined in for a glorious, New York finish, and the entire cast came out for a bow in front of a cheering standing ovation.
Only in New York Kids. Only at the 92nd Street Y. And we have one more photo after the jump!
Bill Charlap and Jazz in July Leave New York Times “Breathless”
Photo Credit / Erin Baiano for The New York Times
“When he was a teenager, the jazz pianist Bill Charlap recalled at the 92nd Street Y on Tuesday evening, he met the composer Jule Styne and asked him for the secret to writing a good popular song. Mr. Styne, choosing his words carefully, replied that it had to be “melodically simple and harmonically attractive.
The concert’s most magnificent moment belonged to Mr. Charlap, who delivered an astonishing “Some People,” from “Gypsy.” After a “Flight of the Bumblebee”-like introduction, the song took off with a slingshot propulsion that carried it through furious, turbulent changes covering the entire keyboard; it left me breathless.”
Upcoming Jazz in July concerts include: Piano Jam: With Respect to Oscar on Jul 23, The Gerry Mulligan Songbook on Jul 27, It’s Jazz, Charlie Brown: The Music of Vince Guaraldi on Jul 28 and the Saxophone Summit on Jul 28.
John-Mario Sevilla, Director of Dance Education Laboratory at the 92nd Street Y has written a piece for Career Transitions (PDF). He reflects on making the transition from dance to arts administration and then returning to dance while pursuing a a career in education:
When I received a Career Transition For Dancers grant a dozen years ago, I had recently left Pilobolus. I had been the Dance Captain, but had entered that stage when the one-night gigs and transportation hassles, the physical demands, and my own waning passion coalesced into an inevitable, however fraught, decision to move on. A dancer from birth to earth, however, I was determined to stay in the field. I adored the wise, gracious teachers who had moved me in unexpected directions, so I ventured to become one of them.
The Dance Education Laboratory at 92Y is a professional development program for all educators and artists interested in developing their dance education curricula.
We will be having a DEL Open House on Nov 1, from 1:30 to 5 PM. Visit our facilities, meet our faculty and other members of the DEL community, and preview the courses for 2009-2010. You can call 212.415.5551 or email for more information.
How To Write a Blog Post About How To Make How To’s
Via Twitter we asked: “...if we made a how-to video, what would you like to see? How-to what? ‘How to be Anna Wintour?’ ‘How to swim laps?’”
Our followers, who we LOVE, responded with awesome ideas. @greenpointmom suggested a how-to live like Anna Wintour on a budget, how-to blow dry your own hair, tennis lessons, and how-to “make a Starbucks triple venti latte in your work pantry.” @Jawsh_E chimed in with: “how to make a how to video on making a how to video.” And @Chriz10 from the Netherlands suggested: “How to....lay on the grass in Central Park...”
We really want to make these videos. In the meantime...let’s see what we have here in our little box of keepsakes under the desk that might be similar.
Here’s Anna Wintour talking about what she looks for in employees. Beauty tid-bits from Why Smart Women Still Care About Their Looks. Our Maycenter Health and Fitness page has a video, and though we’ve no tennis courts here, we do have everything else under the sun, including handball, which is like tennis, right?
A “How-to make a latte” video might be right up food historian and author Francine Segan’s alley, who is a frequent guest here and has discussed the topic of coffee before. The “How-to make a how-to make a video” will be a fun one to make. As you may or may not know, we like to make videos.
Lastly, there was our favorite suggestion for a video on “How to....lay on the grass in Central Park...enjoying the view, the joggers and the people eating their lunch out of brown paper bags.” Again, a superb idea. We enjoy Central Park as much as the next person, and have some upcoming classed and events there. Such as a Watercolor in Central Park class, Gouache Painting in Central Park, and the Central Park in the Dark—Nocturnal Creature Tour. Clearly we will need to bring the camera along next time and do a quick how-to lay in the park video.
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And then for the finale, all the musicians came out on stage for Broadway by Billy Bird, Teddy McRae, and Henri Woode. The instrumentalists were passing the tune around, when suddenly, totally without warning, out from the wings strode Tony Bennett. It took several seconds for the audience to recognize him, and even then the ovation was restrained. Bennett began to sing and everyone definitely believed what they were hearing. The air instantly electrified.
