we just want to dance here, someone stole the stage
view from my kitchen window this morning:
The season of trying not to slip and fall on my ass has begun. Ice and slush cramp my jaywalking style.
This weekend was pleasant and, as always, too short:
Friday went with Nita to see Miguel Gutierrez perform at Dance Theater Workshop. Miguel's work is modern dance in a mostly post-modern kind of vein. He and his dancers demonstrate their virtuosity and grace, but only for phrases during the work. These boughts of "pure dance" are couched skillfully between segments of video, pedestrian-like movement (imagine people walking and moving in a much less graceful and intentionally unintentional way), and spoken word. There was full frontal nudity (Miguel himself), some Interpol music, these lovely sequinned dresses worn by women... and other things that become more difficult to describe out of context. I know, it all sounds a bit kitch and campy, but really, it was excellent to watch.
Saturday met up with Marta (just moved to NYC via Boston!) and her friend Jenna to travel to a mystery venue in East Williamsburg for a benefit concert. The band we were looking forward to hearing is The Feverfew, and as I suspected, they were performing in someone's loft apartment. I'm glad Jenna and Marta had the balls to ring the unmarked buzzers, cause I was ready to give up. We reached the right apartment and got in and discovered that the gathering was very informal -- it felt like we were crashing a party. Sadly, The Feverfew was not performing b/c Bethany (singer, guitar) is sick, but more people show up, we drink beer, listen to some good poetry and singing, and hang out for nearly three hours. We then ate some Thai food and hopped over to Pete's Candy Store which is a cool venue. Saw one act play -- they were an ok rockabilly type group -- and enjoyed the atmosphere of sitting inside a converted train car drinking beer. And Brooklyn Lager on tap was only $4. who-hoo!
and over the past two weeks....
1. saw Robert DeNiro while out to dinner with Minna and Alda; my best celebrity siting thus far
2. went to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner party with a few Columbia grad students and their friends: lots of food (seven desserts!), wine (more than 12 bottles = more than one per person), lots of cigarette smoking and even a bit of pot
3. saw a jazz (musicians) and tap (dancer) ensemble perform at the Joyce. yawn. Please remind me never to go to a tap performance again unless Gregory Hines has risen from the dead and is set to appear.
4. started my new job! first day = department leaving early to drink at a nearby bar in celebration of the holidays; so from 3p to 8p I was drinking and chatting with my peers, boss and boss's boss. not bad for a first day (conversation spanned from Brooklyn restaurants to Ukranian v. Russian accents to Civil War battles (apparently the Battle of Brooklyn was fought along my street -- Flatbush Avenue))
5. attended the S&P holiday party at Cipriani's on Wall Street; greeted by bellinis at the door, succeeded in circulating and socializing with HR peeps (old co-workers), my roommate Daria, and my friends Nilda and Evan, and my new co-workers in the crowd of approximately 1500 (it was balmy inside. ick); listened with dismay to the band (think elevator lounge) cover Nelly's "It's Getting Hot" (or whatever the actual title is); avoided dancing all night (not very inspired) until the very end, when Daria and I busted out our classical dance training and did jazz squares and the grapevine to "I Will Survive" to the amusement of onlookers; so fun!.... I also accidentally stabbed a girl in the foot with my very short heal; oops. sorry.
the holiday season has begun.
The season of trying not to slip and fall on my ass has begun. Ice and slush cramp my jaywalking style.
This weekend was pleasant and, as always, too short:
Friday went with Nita to see Miguel Gutierrez perform at Dance Theater Workshop. Miguel's work is modern dance in a mostly post-modern kind of vein. He and his dancers demonstrate their virtuosity and grace, but only for phrases during the work. These boughts of "pure dance" are couched skillfully between segments of video, pedestrian-like movement (imagine people walking and moving in a much less graceful and intentionally unintentional way), and spoken word. There was full frontal nudity (Miguel himself), some Interpol music, these lovely sequinned dresses worn by women... and other things that become more difficult to describe out of context. I know, it all sounds a bit kitch and campy, but really, it was excellent to watch.
Saturday met up with Marta (just moved to NYC via Boston!) and her friend Jenna to travel to a mystery venue in East Williamsburg for a benefit concert. The band we were looking forward to hearing is The Feverfew, and as I suspected, they were performing in someone's loft apartment. I'm glad Jenna and Marta had the balls to ring the unmarked buzzers, cause I was ready to give up. We reached the right apartment and got in and discovered that the gathering was very informal -- it felt like we were crashing a party. Sadly, The Feverfew was not performing b/c Bethany (singer, guitar) is sick, but more people show up, we drink beer, listen to some good poetry and singing, and hang out for nearly three hours. We then ate some Thai food and hopped over to Pete's Candy Store which is a cool venue. Saw one act play -- they were an ok rockabilly type group -- and enjoyed the atmosphere of sitting inside a converted train car drinking beer. And Brooklyn Lager on tap was only $4. who-hoo!
and over the past two weeks....
1. saw Robert DeNiro while out to dinner with Minna and Alda; my best celebrity siting thus far
2. went to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner party with a few Columbia grad students and their friends: lots of food (seven desserts!), wine (more than 12 bottles = more than one per person), lots of cigarette smoking and even a bit of pot
3. saw a jazz (musicians) and tap (dancer) ensemble perform at the Joyce. yawn. Please remind me never to go to a tap performance again unless Gregory Hines has risen from the dead and is set to appear.
4. started my new job! first day = department leaving early to drink at a nearby bar in celebration of the holidays; so from 3p to 8p I was drinking and chatting with my peers, boss and boss's boss. not bad for a first day (conversation spanned from Brooklyn restaurants to Ukranian v. Russian accents to Civil War battles (apparently the Battle of Brooklyn was fought along my street -- Flatbush Avenue))
5. attended the S&P holiday party at Cipriani's on Wall Street; greeted by bellinis at the door, succeeded in circulating and socializing with HR peeps (old co-workers), my roommate Daria, and my friends Nilda and Evan, and my new co-workers in the crowd of approximately 1500 (it was balmy inside. ick); listened with dismay to the band (think elevator lounge) cover Nelly's "It's Getting Hot" (or whatever the actual title is); avoided dancing all night (not very inspired) until the very end, when Daria and I busted out our classical dance training and did jazz squares and the grapevine to "I Will Survive" to the amusement of onlookers; so fun!.... I also accidentally stabbed a girl in the foot with my very short heal; oops. sorry.
the holiday season has begun.