spring multi trac schedule

Find us on the HIGH 5 REVIEW!

2010-09-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

heyo,

Quick update on this blog.... and where to go in the future for updates.....

As of today, this blog will remain here to redirect people and as an archive, but we won't be updating it anymore. We are happy to announce the building of our new online arts-paper --- The High 5 Review (www.high5review.org). There will be a TRaC section in the newspaper that will pick up where this blog left off. Expect weekly posts about TRaC ongoings, TRaC reviews, event announcements, and much much more!

Events like first friday Pizza and a Movie Nights will continue to be announced on Facebook (become a fan of High 5 here) and the High 5 Review. Both will have updates for free tickets to shows, news about special TRaC events, and random posts about random arts opportunities for teens.

And if you're not on High 5's e-mail newsletter, you're missing out on new shows, reviews and event announcements every week! Sign up here to get the inside beat on all things art in the city: www.high5tix.org/mailinglist

We'll see you out there at the shows!
(and on the High 5 Review)

Apply for spring Multi TRaC

2010-02-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

Applications for spring Multi TRaC are now available for eligible high school students at www.high5tix.org/TRaC.

Come together with people from different backgrounds and schools who want to explore the arts and sharpen their critical eye. Imagine yourself and these 12 peers attending world-class performances, meeting professional artists and critics, and breaking it down in weekly two-hour workshops. All while improving your writing!

What else will you do in Multi TRaC?

Attend at least 5 shows and performances
Experience the NYC arts world with behind-the-scenes access
Learn from high-profile professional artists and critics
Expand your critical writing and dialogue skills
Publish reviews read by thousands
Meet like-minded peers from all over NY and NJ
Master New York City’s public transportation system
Discover more about yourself!

ArtsConnection/High 5 partners with the best of the best cultural organizations to bring you to world-class theater, dance, music and visual arts exhibitions from around the city. The Multi TRaC schedule is as follows* (subject to change):

TRaC Kickoff Party, 4:30 - 6:15, March 16

8 Classes on Wednesdays @ 520 Eighth Ave, 3rd Floor, 4:30 - 6:30

March 17, March 24, (off March 31 for Winter Break)
April 7, April 14, April 21 (off April 28 for Spring Break)
May 5, May 12, May19
+ the 5 or 6 performances and exhibitions TBD

The TRaC Finale, 2:00 - 4:00, May 22

Download a TRaC flier and application today at www.high5tix.org/TRaC. Or attend our Open House on February 25th to get more information. Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis. (Yes, all former TRaC participants may take another TRaC class. Yes, you must resubmit an application).

Applications are due on March 4th.

An Alvin Ailey classic and premiere

2009-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

ALVIN AILEY DANCE THEATER

This week we reconnect for class at the usual place and time followed by a performance this Friday (Negesti, are you ready???). We're be meeting at City Center at 7:40 to see performances by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (show starts at 8pm) of three works MEMORIA (26 minutes), the world premiere of Judith Jamison's AMONG US (PRIVATE SPACES: PUBLIC PLACES), and the classic and celebrated work REVELATIONS (38 minutes).

Audience entrances to New York City Center's Mainstage, Stage I & Stage II are on West 55th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues.

Dance TRaC class will also be attending the performance.

Fela!

2009-11-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

His Passion Ignited a Generation.
His Music Fueled a Revolution.
His Legacy Inspires the World.

This Wednesday we're in for a treat! Immediately after class we'll be heading to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre for the brand new Broadway Musical FELA!

To prepare you for the experience of the show, a little bit about the show, the man, and more, all from the show's website.....

What is Fela! about, you ask?

FELA! is a new musical directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones, with a book by Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones, in which audiences are welcomed into the extravagant, decadent and rebellious world of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. Using his pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies), FELA! explores Kuti's controversial life as artist, political activist and revolutionary musician. Featuring many of Fela Kuti's most captivating songs and Bill T. Jones's imaginative staging, this new show is a provocative hybrid of concert, dance and musical theater.

Who is Fela?

Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, a pioneer of Afrobeat music, a human rights activist and a political maverick. He is ranked among the world’s most influential musicians. Read a full bio of the man here.

Where is the theater and how long's the show?

The Eugene O'Neill Theatre
230 West 49th Street (between 7th and 8th Ave)
New York, New York
8pm - 10:45pm

Learn more about the show on the website: www.felaonbroadway.com

Here's some real footage of Fela playing, his dancers dancing....

Performa'09

2009-11-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

While we had originally planned to visit Kurt Hentschläger's ZEE at 3LD & Technology Center, circumstances at the show changed and we couldn't quite work things out.

Luckily, a new alternate plan has been hatched....

We'll be combining forces with the high school student residents at EYEBEAM Art and Technology Center to attend two shows being presented as part of the PERFORMA biennial in NYC.

The first stop is at EYEBEAM for "Postgravity Art :: Syntapiens" by the Slovenian artist collaborative of Dragan Živadinov, Dunja Zupančič, and Miha Turšič. Dragan will be expecting us, and will give us a private introduction to his work..... it is the abridged version of what he calls an "informance."

Here is Dragan (pictured left in Blue), performing in 1995 in zero-gravity conditions -- the first theatrical performance in such conditions in the history of the world!

BACKGROUND: In 1995 Živadinov dedicated himself to telecosmism, telelogy, and the 50-year projectile, Noordung, named after the Slovene space scientist Herman Potočnik Noordung (1892 - 1929) who wrote the book The Problems of Space Travel. The first show One Versus One opened on 20 April 1995 (pictured here), with restaging taking place every 10 years, the first one being on 20 April 2005. The show will play until 20 April 2045. During the fifth and final reprise in 2045, cosmonaut Dragan Živadinov (trained at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Centre, Star City) will use a spacecraft to send 14 satellites into geostatic orbit, where they will transmit signals representing the roles played by each of the deceased performers (yes, the deceased) to Earth, and at the same time send high-resolution 3D projections of their faces into deep space. As images of cosmonauts, or "space sailors", they will continue the act of searching for eternal truth.

Check out the EYEBEAM blog to learn more about the installation and the man!

So, that's the first show.

Next we'll be heading to X-Initiative to see Everything, Nothing, Something, Always (Walla!), an open-ended theatrical performance in the form of a time-based installation that takes the form of a one-act live theatrical play looping for three hours, varying slightly with each repetition and simultaneously acting as a performative “sculpture” in the center of the exhibition space, visible from all angles. (Did you get all that??) Here's more: http://performa-arts.org/blog/emily-mast/

A little about the artist, Emily, from her bio on the PERFORMA website: Emily Mast is endlessly inclined to consider the nature of nothingness. She works primarily with performance, installation and writing. She has had solo shows at Samson Projects in Boston, The Paris Project Room in Paris and the Roski Gallery in Los Angeles. She has collaborated with numerous actors, dancers, writers, composers, choreographers, musicians and visual artists in Paris, Mexico, Portland and Los Angeles. She was a resident artist at Skowhegan in 2006 and participated in the Mountain School of Art in LA and United Nations Plaza in Berlin in 2007. In 2008 she curated the show “Egoesdayglo” at Five Thirty Three Gallery in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in 2009 from the University of Southern California. She is currently working on a children’s play that examines innocence and arson.

Free popcorn will be served.
What more could we want???

Garth Fagan Dance

2009-10-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

We've been given an amazing opportunity to see the legendary Garth Fagan Dance at the Joyce Theater this Tuesday (October 27th) and 7:00 in the evening. The show begins at 7:30pm and runs 2 hours and 10 minutes. Expect to be out by 9:40.

Here's a little about the show.

The New York City premiere, Mudan 175/39, was choreographed to traditional Chinese music played by the Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet, with a composition by Tan Dun (wrote music for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). We also have some new faces onstage, one being Vitolio Jeune, a 5th season dancer from So You Think You Can Dance......

check out the photo:

Watch a Garth Fagan Dance video preview here: http://www.joyce.org/calendar_detail.php?event=259&theater=1

SUBWAY DIRECTIONS to the JOYCE THEATER
175 Eighth Avenue (at the corner of 19th Street)

Take the A, C, E, to 14th St.
OR take the L train to Eighth Avenue
OR take the 1 train to 18th Street (& 7th Ave.)
View map

See you guys Tuesday!

Ba Da Chui, Percussion Quartet (hosted by Wu Man)

2009-10-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

The second show is this Saturday, starting at 3pm. Make sure you're there by 2:40!

Ba Da Chui
Ba Da Chui means "eight great hammers," and this percussion quartet straight from China promises a feast of exuberant sound. Inspired by the Beijing opera tradition, this foursome will wield drums, cymbals, gongs and woodblocks to weave complex patterns into compelling music.

This show is part of Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A City-Wide Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture.

Acclaimed pipa virtuoso Wu Man will introduce the group.

WHERE/WHEN
We'll be meeting at the University Settlement Society of New York, 184 Eldridge Street (at Rivington Street) at 2:40pm. map.

Subway options
F, V to 2nd Avenue B, D to Grand Street
N, R, W to Prince Street
6 to Spring Street

BusM15 to Delancey Street

The Emperor Jones

2009-10-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Our first show is on Saturday, October 17th. 2:40pm sharp!

Eugene O'Neill's

The Emperor Jones

@ Irish Repertory Theatre

Address: 132 West 22nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenue.

Directions: The closest subway is the 1 to 23rd Street. Walk south on 7th Avenue to West 22nd Street, then east to the theatre.

Eugene O'Neill's groundbreaking play is the story of Brutus Jones, an African American man who sets himself up as monarch of a Caribbean island following a prison break in the United States. When the natives rebel after years of exploitation, Jones's mesmerizing journey into darkness becomes a terrifying psychological display of power, fear, and madness. With his demons in heavy pursuit and tom-toms beating, the Emperor is forced to confront the mortal sins of his past in search of forgiveness and salvation.

Multi TRaC begins!

2009-10-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

And we're kicking it off with a bang. After introductions we'll be opening up a copy of Time Out New York and walking down to the Chelsea District to check out some galleries. Remember, you can do that anytime! Gallery hopping is free; it's one of the most cost effective ways to find out what's going on in the contemporary art world.

Take, for example, this piece by Anselm Reyle, which is installed at Gagosian on 24th Street:

Yes, we will go check this out.

Then we're going to go up on the High Line, a public park built on a 1.45-mile-long elevated rail structure running from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street on Manhattan's West Side.

It used to look like this:

You'll see what it looks like now.

So that's our first day! Here's directions so you know where to go for your workshops every week.....

DIRECTIONS to the new High 5 HQ:
520 Eighth Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018
map it here.

The easiest way is to take the A, C, or E train to 34th Street, then walk up 8th Ave to building #520. We're inbetween 36th and 37th Street. Look for the revolving door. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor and head to Studio A. (From week 3 on, we'll be in studio C!)

The building looks like this:

...but that's kind of what all old New York buildings look like, so just look for the number and the revolving door.

Happy first day!

Verdict's in. It's ZINN!

2009-05-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

92ND STREET Y:
HOWARD ZINN AND GUESTS:
A YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY
(05/13/09 @ 8:00 P.M.)

Award-winning actors Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption, Bull Durham), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Nim's Island), and Stanley Tucci (Big Night, The Devil Wears Prada) and a cast of readers will perform excerpts from historian, playwright, and social activist Howard Zinn's A Young People’s History of the United States.

Discover the extraordinary history of ordinary people who created the movements that made the U.S. what it is today. By giving public expression to rebels, dissenters and visionaries from our past and present, this program seeks to educate and inspire a new generation working for social justice.

Actual ticket price: $27

1395 Lexington Ave., Manhattan
4, 5 or 6 train to 86th St.

Find out more at www.92y.org.

Talking with Eisa Davis

2009-05-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Eric invited Eisa to talk with us about her recent play, "Angela's Mixtape."

And Theater TRAC invited themselves.

Two TRACs!

Chelsea gallary-hop this Saturday, 5/9, 1pm

2009-05-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, May 9th, Multi TRaC will head to the Chelsea district on Manhattan's westside to check out some contemporary artists and gallery hop around the district for about two hours.

Where to meet: outside the Gagosian Gallery, located at 522 West 21st Street and the corner of 10th Avenue, at 1pm sharp!

How to get there: Take the C or the E train to 23rd street and walk towards 1oth Ave.

At the Gogosian Gallery, we'll see an exhibition entitled "Picasso: Mosqueteros" featuring hundreds of the late works by the famous Pablo Picasso! (All of the work in this show was completed when he was in his eighties in the 1960's and 1970's.)

He wrote of his work: I enjoy myself to no end inventing these stories. I spend hour after hour while I draw, observing my creatures and thinking about the mad things they're up to. --Pablo Picasso, 1968

"Picasso: Mosqueteros" is the first exhibition in the United States to focus on the late paintings since "Picasso: The Last Years: 1963-1973" at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1984. Organized around a large group of important, rarely seen works from the collection of Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, as well as works from The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Museo Picasso Málaga and other private collections, "Picasso: Mosqueteros" aims to expand the ongoing inquiry regarding the context, subjects, and sources of the artist's late work.

Listen to this excited madman critic promoting the show:

Check out more about this exhibit on the Gagosian website. Google 'Picasso: Mosqueteros' to find reviews of the work and to learn more before we go!

After we spend some time with Pablo, we'll head out and see one or two other galleries in the hood. There's hundreds in the area, so we'll have to decide which together....

See ya'll on Saturday!
~eric

ANGELA's MIXTAPE y'all!

2009-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Get ready for our show on Wednesday, April 22nd, immediately following class!

ANGELA's MIXTAPE

By Eisa Davis

Directed by Liesl Tommy

With Kim Brockington Denise Burse Eisa Davis

Ayesha Ngaujah Linda Powell

Designers: Clint Ramos, Jane Shaw, Sarah Sidman, Jessica Jahn
Production Manager Mark Sitko
Production Stage Manager Ryan Radeuchel
Assistant Stage Manager Danielle Teague-Daniels
Props Johnson Henshaw
Associate Producer Anna Hayman
Casting Paul Davis/Calleri Casting
Press Jim Baldassare

“On this mixtape, style will dictate, we bounce back and forth in time…”

Using the rhythms of music and memory, Eisa tells the story of a radical upbringing on the dividing line between Oakland and Berkeley, California-- in a family that includes her aunt, professor and activist Angela Davis.

Time shifts between the 70s, 80s, and 90s as smoothly as a DJ fading from song to song. Each track, each memory, has a built-in switch to the next, for theatrical momentum that keeps on building.

The music crosses styles and decades, but it's hip-hop and a b-girl stance that keeps the piece bouncing in the present.

Click here for Angela's Mixtape Sneak Peek Video.

More info about the show is on the MIXTAPE Blog, here: http://angelasmixtape.wordpress.com/

Do some research on Angela Davis before the show!
This will be also behelpful before you go into the show....

All mixed up? A short glossary of terms.

Back to the Future The most popular film of 1985 features Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a teenager who travels back in time from 1985 to 1955 and accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, putting his own existence at stake. Ronald Reagan quoted the film in his 1986 State of the Union Address.

Communism As codified by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, communism is the ultimate result of socialism, a process occurring only after capitalism has collapsed in on itself. In this stage of social evolution, the working class, bourgeoisie, and the ruling class can no longer exist. From the Manifesto: “Communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of society; all that it does is to deprive him of the power to subjugate the labor of others by means of such appropriation.”

Davis, Angela Y. American political activist and professor of philosophy. In 1970, at age 26, Davis became the third woman and the 309th individual to appear on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List. A target of then-California Governor Ronald Reagan and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover’s Cointelpro policies, she was first fired from UCLA for her activism and membership in the Communist party, then charged with murder, conspiracy, kidnapping, and interstate flight after a gun registered in her name was used in an attempt to free the Soledad Brothers, political prisoners for whom she had sought justice. She went underground for two months before being arrested in New York City, and was acquitted of all charges in 1972. John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s song “Angela” and the Rolling Stones’ “Sweet Black Angel” advocated for her release. In the 80s, Davis ran for Vice President on the Communist Party ticket. Currently Professor of History of Consciousness at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Davis speaks nationally and internationally with a focus on the eradication of the prison industrial complex. Aunt of American playwright and performer Eisa Davis.

Flint’s Bar-B-Q Oakland, CA. Mmm, mmm!

Grenada An island nation peopled mainly by descendants of Africans in the southeastern Caribbean sea. A peaceful socialist revolution in Grenada toppled a dictator in 1979, then President Ronald Reagan and the United States invaded the country in 1983 in response to the government’s close ties with Cuba. Grenada’s population was approximately the same at the time of the invasion as it is now: a whopping 90,343.

Hip-Hop Theater As delineated by the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, live theater written by and about the hip-hop generation. Often using elements of hip-hop culture (including MCing, DJing, hip-hop dance, graffiti, spoken word), hip-hop theater tells urgent stories seldom represented on stage, through language that embraces hip-hop’s multi-literate and poly-lingual vitality.

Macrobiotic From the Greek “macro” (large, long) and “bios” (life), is commonly known as a dietary practice based on the principles of yin and yang. Meals often include whole grains, legumes, vegetables (from earth and sea), and fermented soy. A macrobiotic lifestyle encourages living in balance with nature by eating local, seasonal and organic foods with the belief that this will lead to world peace.

Mixtape Also known as a mixed tape. A compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto a compact audio cassette, it generally reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, which can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by theme or mood, to a highly personal statement tailored to the tape’s intended recipient. Notable subgenres include the romantic mix and the break-up mix.

New York Women’s House of Detention Built on the site of the Jefferson Market Prison that succeeded Jefferson Market at the corner of Sixth and Greenwich Avenues in Manhattan. Mae West, Billie Holiday and Black Panther Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac, were some of the women arrested and held there before Angela Davis’s arrest. Believed to have been the world’s only art deco prison, it was demolished in 1973 and replaced with a garden and library.

the New York Times coverage of REASONS....

2009-04-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

3 things of interest:

THE FIRST is the New York Times review of the show, which is very positive. I thought this paragraph was interesting, as we touched on this in our discussion in class:

It’s telling that Kent, the play’s most vulgar character, is the one who speaks most easily, whipping out clichés and malapropisms as if they were pistols. The others wrestle awkwardly with language, and “reasons” is filled with instances of misinterpreted words and of people groping for mots justes that never arrive.

Read the full review here: http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/theater/reviews/03reas.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

THE SECOND is the profile in the New York Times Magazine that I read from in class. That's here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/magazine/29LaBute-t.html

THE THIRD I find the MOST interesting. It's a presentation called The Sell: ‘Reasons to Be Pretty.’

Drew Hodges, the CEO of SpotCo, a Broadway advertising agency, narrates a slideshow of some of the rejected poster art for "reasons to be pretty" and talks about how they came up with the concept for the final ads. It involves putting out an ad on CraigsList and asking over 250 people to come in and tell their own stories about their bodies AND photographing them.

Check it out here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/22/theater/20090222_REASONS_INTERACTIVE.html

SHOW #3 REASONS TO BE PRETTY

2009-03-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

We'll be heading to the Lyceum Theater at 149 West 45th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues immediately after class on Wednesday, March 24th to see Neil LaBute's new play REASONS TO BE PRETTY. The show starts at 8pm is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes. (Bring $$ or food so you won't be hungry during the show!)

The website url is www.doesthisplaymakemelookfat.com
Check it out for more information!

Here's Neil LaBute talking about beauty with Time Out New York theater critic (and past TRaC guest speaker) David Cote: the interview

Here's the short film from the REASONS TO BE PRETTY website:

Pictures of Us in Different Places at Different Times Doing Different Things

2009-03-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

Ask Your Mama! 3/16/2009

Backstage at Carnegie Hall.

Oh my god, it's ?uestlove!

This was scary.

Writing on the Street 3/18/2009

This does not look awkward in any way.

There was probably a horn honking at the moment.

important TRaC announcement

2009-03-18T09:36:00.001-07:00

Important safety video up on the Main TRaC Blog! Make sure to check it out....

www.High5TRaC.blogspot.com

Have a safe day.

~eric

ASK YOUR MAMA at Carnegie Hall (8pm)

2009-03-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ask Your Mama! Music by Laura Karpman, on a text by Langston Hughes

"Hot jazz, German lieder, cha-cha, and Afro-Cuban drumming come together in this collaboration between four-time Emmy-winning composer Laura Karpman and five-time Grammy-winning soprano Jessye Norman, based on Langston Hughes’s epic poem, Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz. A heady mixture of intersecting cultures, Ask Your Mama! brings together the collective memories of America and the hope for its future in a compelling tapestry of orchestral music integrated with technology and sound samples drawn from a dozen traditions."

Go to this site to download/read the Langston Hughes poem and listen to Laura Karpman, the composer, talks about ASK YOUR MAMA.

The ASK YOUR MAMA blog.

Here's info about the show and video on the Carnegie Hall website.

Carnegie Hall
Monday, March 16, 2009 at 8 PM
by Subway:
A, B, C, D, or 1 to Columbus Circle
N, Q, R, or W to 57 St./Seventh Avenue
E to Seventh Avenue

Peck vs. Moody

2009-03-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the complete critique of Rick Moody's book, The Black Veil, ranted and argued by Dale Peck. You know, the one that started, "Rick Moody is the worst writer of his generation."

Here's a very long, but worthwhile, response written in The Believer Magazine.....basically, it's all about 'SNARK'.

The flamewar started by that review made it into every literary circle. Even the New York Times Magazine weighed in on the issue.

All of this for us to think about. Basically, the debate is: What is the role of the critic? Everyone's got a different opinion. And everyone is right. And wrong. :)

Paul Taylor Dance Company at City Center

2009-03-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Paul Taylor (b: July 1930) is one of the foremost American choreographers of the 20th century.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company has represented the 'gold standard' of the modern dance world for more than 50 years. In the decades since the company's first performance, Taylor’s provocative choreography has not only won him accolades and acclaim, it has cemented his position as a cultural dance icon and one of history’s most celebrated artists.

Check out this interview with Paul Taylor.

Check out this little essay, written by PT, called Why I Make Dances.

Check out clips of Paul Taylor’s Piazzolla Caldera as depicted in Matthew Diamond’s 1997 motion picture documentary Dancemaker, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

Multi TRaC 2009 has begun!

2009-03-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Woop! Woop!

Multi TRaC class begins tomorrow at the Jacob Blaustein Building in midtown Manhattan. The Jacob Blaustein Bulding is located at 165 East 56th Street between 3rd Ave and Lexington Ave. (It's close to the corner of 3rd Ave.) You can take the 4,5,6 or E,V trains to get there. If you take the 4, 5, or 6 train, get off at the 59th street stop and walk south to 56th and make a left. If you take the 6, E, or V train, get off at the 51st Street Station and walk north to 56th and make a right. You will need a photo ID of some kind to get into the building.

It is imperative that you get to class by 4:30. I will be there to meet you in the lobby, then you we'll go up together to the conference room we're meeting in. If you are late, tell the security guards who you are and they will call meto come down and escort you up. Please be on time!

Any problems you can contact me at eost@high5tix.org.

NOTE: Your first show will be immediately following class tomorrow. We will leave class tomorrow a little early to walk over to City Center for the Paul Taylor Dance Company, which begins at 7pm. Bring some food and/or money for a snack on the way.

SAVE THE DATE! Our second show will be at Carnegie Hall next Monday, March 16th, at 8pm! Check out the show here: www.askyourmama.com

Dia de los Muertos pictures from Shea

2008-11-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, here are a couple of pictures I took at Arturo O'Farrill's show on November 1. What a fun night!

Ramo Rocks My Jam-o

2008-11-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

Heyyoo,
I hope everyone had a fun halloween!
Just to re-cap...
On Saturday we went to the Symphony Space to see Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra perform with many of Arturo's good friends and Latin dancers, who showed off their Mexican/Latin ethnicity through native dances.
The highlight of the night, I feel, was the first guitar solo by Michele Ramo (as Eric put it, the
whole night was worth is for just that solo). He played with such precision while creating this mass sound that blended together, and was able to play two separate beats and sounds at the same time.
All in all, it was pretty awesome.
SO:
This week, we're going to meet in a gallery in Chelsea, the info is to come!

See you then!
-Nicole
(I need one of those cool blogger/online names that doesn't actually reveal who I am even though you'll know its me...hmm...)

Nicole First Post WOOT!

2008-10-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hey there, fellow TRaCians,

This is my first post I hope you find these somewhat interesting/amusing/informative...

During this week's class at the Dance Theater Workshop we met with Dance TRaC's instructor Brian MrCormick who not only offered us great advice about how to approach a dance review but how to view art in general. We discussed:

*conceptual art/dance vs abstract art/dance vs literal pieces

* the different genre's of dance and how they relate

(ie ballet, which is very structured vs hip hop which is much looser, but still has technical terms and the same basis as any other kind of dance).

* how to (attempt) to discuss a piece without a bias

* in reviewing most arts, but particularly dance, description is essential because it is so abstract and not something concrete.

This week after class we saw the Broadway version of Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" at the Cort theater (note my fancy picture posting). What was interesting about this performance was that the cast was made up of only four people, one of which was Sam Robards, or as many of you might have recognized, Nate Archibald's dad from Gossip Girl (omg did you watch tonight's episode? so intense.)

vs.

And some other cool people from the cast (the bald guy was Bilbo Baggins!) The 39 Steps was essentially about a man named Richard Hannay, who travels all around the world running from the police to figure out a secret that if released, could destroy the country. Originally a horror movie I'm assuming, as Hitchcock's movies are, the movie was transformed into a hilarious play with a cunning sense of humor with a bunch of allusions to other Hitchcock movies which were hilarious (really, I could hear Kat laughing the whole time she got most of them i only got the "psycho" one).

All in all the show was very entertaining. Go see it!

Ok so this post is altogether too long. Sorry guys.

I'll try to make it short and sweet but I get really carried away with this whole picture posting business.

**REMEMBER! Bring your revised copies of your review of the Pockemon Dance Crew, oui?

and I guess write another review for the 39 steps and bring them all in on Wed (a few copies of each) when we meet and SWITCH LOCATIONS TO :165 East 56th Street (between 3rd Ave and Lexington Ave).

AIIGHT?

peace and love,

Nicole

An Afro Latin Halloween

2008-10-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

We'll see you on Saturday, November 1st for Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra's Dia de los Muertos!

On Saturday, Nov. 1st, the whole Teen Reviewers and Critics program will come together along with over 100 other High 5ers to celebrate la Dia de los Muertos with Arturo O’Farrill's Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, a Grammy-nominated ensemble, melding rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz harmonies from the United States. The concert features the world premiere of the Day of the Dead Suite, the extraordinary Aztec Suite and special guest performers including Folkloric Dancers.

Before the concert, Arturo O'Farrell is holding a High 5 exclusive workshop on Afro-Latin Jazz, so we'll be heading over to the show by 6:30 p.m. Come prepared to jump on stage and learn first-hand what it takes to be a Afro-Latin Jazz All-Star....

WHEN: Saturday, November 1st. 6:30 - 10:15 p.m. (with two intermissions)

WHERE: SYMPHONY SPACE at 2537 Broadway and 95th Street in Manhattan

DIRECTIONS: Take the 1, 2 or 3 subway to the 96th Street stop. Exit train and walk south on Broadway. Symphony Space will be on your right-hand side. OR Take the B or C subway to the 96th Street stop and walk west until you hit Broadway.

Costumes
are
optional.....

:)

see ya'll on Saturday, muertos!

~eric

REMINDER!

2008-10-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Class this week is NOT at the Dance Theater Workshop.

From now on, Multi TRaC will meet at the Jacob Blaustein Building. The address is 165 East 56th Street (between 3rd Ave and Lexington Ave).

View Larger Map

That's on the east side, not too far from the High 5 offices.

From uptown, you can take the N,R, W, or F trains to 57th Street OR the 4, 5, or 6 trains to the 59th street train stop and walk down Lexington Ave to 56th Street, then make a left.

You can also take the E, V, or 6 train to the 51st Street and walk up Lexington Ave to 56th Street and make a right.

The building has a glass revolving door. You head in and tell the guy behind the glass you are there for Multi TRaC and he'll let you through and tell you which floor to head to.

Pockemon Crew - Saturday, October 18, 2pm!

2008-10-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

For our first performance, we'll have the privilege of seeing one of France's top hip-hop dance ensembles, the Pockemon Crew, a group that mixes traditional Arabic music and cabaret with a modern urban sensibility. This year's show is titled "That's Life!?"

What: Pockemon Crew

When: Saturday, October 18, 2pm

Where: Florence Gould Hall, 55 E 59th Street between Park and Madison.

Subway: 4, 5, 6 to Lexington/59th St - or - N, R to 5th Ave/60th St.

For more information, click here.

Fall 2008 Multi TRaC begins!

2008-10-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

Make sure to think outside the box....and the lines.... and rules.... and pre-conceptions.
Open your mind!

and enjoy.

~eric

(for more BANSKY - the graffiti artist who painted the above - click here.)

Last Day of Summer TRaC '08

2008-08-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

*cue music*
MEMORIES!!!!
ALL ALONE IN THE MOONLIGHT!!!!........

2008-08-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Our last class together! We got off to a sugary and hyper start and the sugar from the cupcakes and (beets?) made it through everyone’s system; this sparked a very insightful and awkward discussion about the muscle definition of the lead dancer at Battleworks. As we sat in perfect symmetry, Eric and I, the only men present in the room were dumbfounded by everyone’s supposed lack of words in describing the dances. Then Patrick came in to liven the conversation up with his ridiculous accents and satire of a certain unnamed NYT dance critic. We ended the meeting with a sudden frantic and crazy shout out to Spring Awakening through Emily and Brian’s little exchange, but it was a great way to end the last meeting at the Jacob Blaustein Building.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

The New Museum provided an experience that was nothing short of new. We went to see the After Nature exhibit but got stock surrounding the woman writhing on the floor creating her own art. As many of us chanted “What’s inside is just a lie,” over and over again, we tested the limits to her movement forcing the guard to come over and order us to move. Riding the green elevators after observing a replica of the Unabomber’s house wasn’t too bad of an idea (except for when people started to get on with us). The cookies downstairs didn’t seem to bad but the pizza was slightly price at $4 a slice. We exited the building and our final experience with art together ran to us from across the street. As we closed in for a group hug, the finality of the act became clearer and we smiled for our last couple of pictures in summer TRaC. For the last time Eric asked, “Does anyone need directions?” We all went our separate way but this doesn’t mean its the end. Its never the end. Lose an hour. Gain an hour. Lose your mind. Take it back. Its never over, and we’ll meet again (pizza and a movie anyone?). The dude abides, and this dude named Sahil signs off summer TRaC. Over and out.

2008-08-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
On this day,
-Before class, we saw Monica Bill Barnes and Company at the Robert F. Wagner Junior Park.

In class,
-We read our two line reviews, and some of us read our responses to the Battleworks show.
-We had a guest, Brian McCormick, who co-wrote Taking Up the Modern Dance Cause.

Thursday, August 07, 2008
Today,
-We gave Eric about a thousand gifts! (I hope you enjoyed them!) =D
-We went to the New Museum.

Guys, I’m gonna miss you all so much!!!

But, it’s most definitely NOT the end!!!

See you next week!!! 0=D

LAST DAY OF SUMMER TRaC 2008 ever.......

2008-08-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

Our big finale is tomorrow and what better place than the Bowery to finish up our time in the city together. Can I get a "Hell, Yes!"?

We're meeting up at THE NEW MUSEUM at 235 Bowery Street from 4:30-7pm. (We were there. You saw it. Here's the website: http://www.newmuseum.org) The stated mission of the New Museum is as follows:

Our focus is going to be the exhibition After Nature, though you can of course check out the whole place - and you should! From the website: "After Nature surveys a landscape of wilderness and ruins, darkened by uncertain catastrophe. It is a story of abandonment, regression, and rapture—an epic of humanity and nature coming apart under the pressure of obscure forces and not-so-distant environmental disasters. Bringing together an international and multigenerational group of artists, filmmakers, writers, and outsiders, the exhibition depicts a universe in which humankind is being eclipsed and new ecological systems struggle to find a precarious balance."

Sounds uplifting, doesn't it??? Perfect for our last adventure.
Before we go, take a look at the online exhibition here.

And, as this is more like a party than a class, feel free to invite any and all friends to come along. Just be there by 4:30 so we can go in!

Directions by Subway:

From the East Side of Manhattan
Take the downtown 6 train to Spring Street. Exit the station and walk one block north on Lafayette Street to Prince Street. Turn right and proceed until Prince Street ends four blocks later at Bowery.

From the West Side of Manhattan
Take the downtown 1 train to 42nd street and transfer to the downtown R or W trains on weekdays or the N or R train on weekends, downtown to Prince Street. Exit the station and proceed east on Prince Street for six blocks to Bowery. You may also take the downtown B or D trains to Broadway/ Lafayette. Walk three blocks east to Bowery and turn right two blocks to Prince Street.

From Brooklyn
Take the Manhattan-bound F or V train to 2nd Avenue. Exit at Houston Street, and walk one block west to Bowery. Turn left, and proceed one and a half blocks south to Prince Street.

From Queens
Take the Manhattan-bound F or V train to 2nd Avenue. Exit at Houston Street, and walk one block west to Bowery. Turn left, and proceed one and a half blocks south to Prince Street.

pic of the week

2008-08-03T19:37:00.001-07:00

Joy at the Joyce.

(w/Classic-Alysa-Pose bonus!)

Midnight Monday deadline and Monica Bill Barnes in the Financial District at 1pm (optional - if you miss it you're crazy!)

2008-08-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned at the Joyce after the incredible Battleworks show, we need some more dance in our lives! If you can make it downtown a little bit early on Tuesday, Monica Bill Barnes will be treating the public to a FREE performance. She's fabulous and this is a brand new work. Everyone who can come, should. Feel free to bring along anyone you like. (Twin sisters included;) Details follow your assignment......

2 Assignments for Tuesday's class:

Free Response to Battleworks. (minimum 500 words. It can be as long as you like...)
Write a creative response to the show in whatever form you want. Again, like the last round of free responses, bring us physically into your piece with rich details about the moment(s) you describe. Having trouble? Find an entrance to the piece. Maybe a moment that transported you. Maybe it was something Robert said. It's up to you. Just don't forget a title!!! And include a word count at the end.

A two-line review of Battleworks. (Two sentences only!)
Imagine that we need a snappy quote to put under the picture on the poster outside the Joyce. You are not trying to advertise the piece - meaning, you don't have to write a promotion or an ad. Write your two-line review. As in, you have two sentences to tell a friend what the show was. See what you can do!

Email both assignments to me by midnight on Monday. Bring THREE copies to class. Email me if you need copies. 24 hours till deadline!!!! Go and write!!!!! (after you read the message below, of course....)

***SPECIAL SUMMER TRaC BONUS****

For the optional dance show this Tuesday, meet at 12:30 downtown in the financial district at Robert Wagner Jr. Park. Email eric if you plan on coming! The show will be a little over a half an hour. Afterwards, we'll go our separate ways until we meet again for class at 4:30. If you'd like to come back up to High 5 in-between the show and class, you are all more than welcome.

MONICA BILL BARNES presents Game Face
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's
Sitelines 2008 Series

Come see Anna Bass, Monica Bill Barnes, Deborah Lohse, Lindsey Kelley, Mindy Upin and Mary Ann Wall dance and sweat under the summer sun at Robert Wagner Park. Grab your lunch and sun block and enjoy this free event. If all goes well, you, too may be able to join in the fun and sing along.

"Monica Bill Barnes injects some fun into the stock market. And while it may be hard to have a sense of humor in the Financial District these days, Barnes is sure to bring a smile to even the most cynical faces." The Village Voice

Directions to Robert Wagner Jr. Park (click here for map): Take the 4 or 5 train to the Bowling Green stop. The park is located across from the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Walk west from the Bowling Green subway stop and look for an observation deck which frames the Statue of Liberty. (If you need help with directions call me in the morning on Tuesday or write me an email.) Remember to email me if you are coming!!!!

See you all tomorrow.....
2 more days left of Summer TRaC!!!!

And, Yes, there are going to be baked goods. Don't ask me how this happened. I just accept it with joy. Who am I to ask questions???

Tuesday and Thursday, July 29 and 31, 2008

2008-08-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

On this day,
-We read our “Explode a moment”’s aloud, except for Lucy, who read her free-writing assignment about how she was feeling. (Our 10-minute free-writing was either about that or a description of the room/ our surroundings.)
-We heard some thoughts, learned some things, and shared some laughs. =D

Thursday, July 31, 2008

-We went to see Battleworks at the Joyce Theatre.
-We had a talk-back with Robert Battle.

Highlights of the Night:

-Ketchup’s reaction: It had the greatest affect on me. I texted my friend during intermission and said, “Tomorrow, we have to dance.. We just have to.”

-Asking Eric random interview questions.

His favorite color is blue. He used to have a ponytail when he was younger. And, for the record, some of his shirts ARE made of 100% linen!!! Hopefully, he’ll wear a linen shirt next Thursday, the last day of class. Feel free to join in the linen-wearing party!

PS. Lucy’s going to be bringing in delicious baked goods on Tuesday. I will bake cupcakes. What’s the occasion? We don’t know! =D

Have a great weekend!

Assignment: Check e-mails to find out about our soon-to-be-due creative response.

The Battle Tomorrow

2008-07-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

BATTLEWORKS DANCE COMPANY

@ the Joyce Theater

See Robert Battle's Reel Time, a collaboration with composer John King that explores social interactions through a deconstruction of traditional folk dance. Juba, a company premiere, will feature a live rendition of John Mackey's propulsive string and percussion score. Completing the evening will be two new solos, Ella and In/Side, and the perennial favorite Overture.

Regular Ticket Price
$34; Joyce Members $26

Your Ticket Price
FREE!

WHERE TO GO and WHEN TO GET THERE....

The Joyce Theater
175 8th Ave. (at the corner of 19th St.)
New York, NY 10011

By subway:
A, C, E, to 14th Street OR the L train to 8th Avenue OR the 1 train to 18th Street (& 7th Ave.)

Be at the Joyce Theater no later than 7:30pm!

Your assignment:
A little pre-show research. (Research is such an...academic word. Sorry.) Check out Robert Battle, The Battleworks Dance Company, and The Joyce Theater. Read over their websites, look at their organization missions, browse Robert's biography. There are Battleworks videos on YouTube and reviews of their work available if you just drop the company name in a Google search. Come with some understanding of what you're going to see - and maybe with a few questions you'd ask Robert!

See you at 7:30 tomorrow evening!

Summer TRaC at Deitch Projects

2008-07-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

OS GEMEOS
TOO FAR TOO CLOSE

June 28 — August 09, 2008
18 Wooster Street, New York

In Too Far Too Close, Os Gemeos will be transforming the gallery into a fantastical cityscape with houses, doors, and passageways, all brought to life with their signature style of imagery. Building upon a group of artworks created for the Museum Het Domein in the Netherlands, this show features new paintings, sculpture, and installation bringing all the magical moments of their work together in one tightly knit dream world of an exhibition.

Meat Love

2008-07-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned....

Jan Švankmajer (born 4 September 1934 in Prague) is a Czech surrealist artist. His work spans several media. He is known for his surreal animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, The Brothers Quay and many others.

Švankmajer has gained a reputation over several decades for his distinctive use of stop-motion technique, and his ability to make surreal, nightmarish and yet somehow funny pictures. He is still making films in Prague at the time of writing.

I posted a Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat film montage on the TRaC Facebook page, too, if you want to check that out.

Tuesday and Thursday, July 22 and 24, 2008

2008-07-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
At our third class, we
-Free-wrote about a fly, watching our writing process, for about 20 minutes. Then, some of us shared.
-Got into pairs to discuss an article of Whisper and of Passing Strange in The New York Times.
-Got into other pairs to review each other’s work.
-Got a revised copy of “Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start to Write About a Performance.”

Thursday, July 24, 2008
We went to
-The Drawing Center to see the works of Frederick Kiesler in the Main Gallery.
-The building across the street to see the Drawing on Film exhibit. This exhibit was entrancing and hypnotizing.. literally!
-Deitch and were awe-struck by its colorfulness, the last ten minutes it was open. It was a really fun place to hang out! (“The Love Shack” and “The Dance Club”)
-See the recreation of Keith Harring’s Houston and Street and Bowery Mural.

-We got/ collected handouts from the museums.

Espo: I was the only one that signed the guest books. 0=]

Assignments
1) Send Eric any revised drafts of your work.
2) Let him know if you want particular feedback on anything.

The Drawing Center tomorrow!

2008-07-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Bärbel Neubauer, "Roots," 1996. 35mm film, 3:44 min. © Bärbel Neubauer. Courtesy Center for Visual Music. (Film still.)

Tomorrow, we go downtown to the only non-profit institution in the country to focus on the exhibition of drawings: aptly named, THE DRAWING CENTER. It was established in 1977 to "demonstrate the significance and diversity of drawings throughout history, to juxtapose work by master figures with work by emerging and under-recognized artists, and to stimulate public dialogue on issues of art and culture."

We'll be seeing one of their current exhibitions (on its last day!) called "Drawing on Film." From the website: "Drawing on Film will survey the practice of “direct film”—the process of drawing, scratching, or otherwise manipulating film stock to create images without a camera. The exhibition will present works spanning from the late 1930s to the present and will highlight an overlooked facet of experimental film. Many of the works to be exhibited are seminal films in the history of the genre—including Len Lye's A Colour Box and Norman McLaren's Blinkity Blank—while other, more contemporary works are being screened for the first time."

Leading us through the exhibition will be one of the curators of the show, Joanna Kleinberg! (What is a curator, you ask? Click here, I say.)

WHERE AND WHEN TO MEET:
(You have two options.)

EITHER: come to the High 5 office by 3:45pm and a group of us will head downtown together. We're leaving as soon as everyone who is coming to meet us gets there. Write eric an email if you are coming to High 5 at 3:45.

OR: meet us at The Drawing Center at 4:20pm, sharp! The Drawing Center is located at 35 Wooster Street in Manhattan. You can take nearly every train to get there.....

If you are traveling on the line, take the subway to Canal Street. Walk west to Wooster Street and turn right. Walk one and a half blocks to The Drawing Center. If you are traveling on the line, take the subway to Canal Street. Walk east to Wooster Street and turn left. Walk one and a half blocks to The Drawing Center.

Plan ahead, and be on time.
Do some research about the show on the The Drawing Center website.
And don't forget your little notebook + pen.

See you tomorrow!

The Bunny Is Watching...

2008-07-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 15, 2008
Our second meeting as a group at the Blaustein building on 56^th street went quite smoothly. We were honored to have Eisa Davis with us who answered our questions and described many aspects of our life to us. She was amused when we showed her the interview we had used to get some background information about her found here. Once she left, a mini-writer’s workshop began as we discussed our experiences writing the review for Whisper and Passing Strange.

Wednesday July 16, 2008
Pizza and a movie night! We watched THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Anyone who hasn't seen this movie should go ahead and find it!

Thursday July 17, 2008
We took a trip to two places on Thursday. First, we headed over to PS1 in Long Island City to see a beautiful but slightly creepy exhibit. The quiet and serenity of the bunnies still drives chills down my spine. We then headed over to Robert Lazzerini's studio in Brooklyn to talk to him and discuss his art, his life and what it means to be an artist in today's world.

blocking foot traffic in front of PS 122

2008-07-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesday and Thursday, July 15 and 17, 2008

2008-07-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
-Today, Eisa Davis from Passing Strange came to visit us! We got to interview her and listen to what it’s like to work with the cast and crew. Eisa, a Harvard-graduate, is currently a successful actress, playwright, and singer-songwriter.

Thanks for your time, Eisa, and break a leg on your final performances!

-We discussed the challenges of our writing.

Thursday, July 17, 2008
-We went to P.S. 1/ MoMA
-We visited Robert Lazzarini's studio.

Assignments 1 & 3 (Email to eric by Sunday!)
Assignment 2 (in your notebook before Tuesday!)

1) Using one [or two] of your reviews, bump up the word count to anywhere from 500-600. (Use the “Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start to Write About a Performance” sheet as your guide.) Bring two copies to class.

2) Set aside some time, free-write about the face of someone you love for minimum 15 minutes. Go as long as you can. Just don't stop in the time you set for yourself!

3) Write minimum 200 hundred word creative response about what impacted you the most at the MoMA/ P.S. 1. or Robert Lazzarini’s studio. Could be a play, an essay, a poem, a review.... whatever. Just make it powerful. Bring two copies to class.

[Thanks for posting this Espo! Note my changes in yellow......eric]

Discounted Theatre Tickets

2008-07-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Rush/ Lottery Information from Playbill.com

The TKTS link run by the Theatre Development Fund

ART in LIC. Queens, baby!

2008-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Week 2 outing: ART in Long Island City, Queens. 4:30 - 7pm

We're heading to PS 1 MoMA and Robert Lazzarini's studio tomorrow. First we'll see Arctic Hysteria and see what it means to be funded and shown by the most powerful modern art institution in the world; then we'll head to Robert's studio and speak with him about his work and how an artist lives in the NYC art world.

WHERE AND WHEN TO MEET:
(You have two options.)

EITHER: come to the High 5 office by 3:45pm and a group of us will head over together. We're leaving as soon as everyone who is coming to meet us gets there. Write eric an email if you are coming to High 5 at 3:45.

OR: meet us at PS 1 MoMA at 4:30pm. PS 1 MoMA is located at 22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave in Long Island City, Queens. Directions by subway, bus and metro north is linked here on the PS 1 website. The E, V, 7 or G train will work for you. Use http://www.hopstop.com to figure out the best subway route - and how much time it will take you to get there. Plan ahead, and be on time!

See you tomorrow....in Queens!

What's inside is NOT a lie.

2008-07-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

OUR FIRST WEEK!!!

Tuesday July 8th, 2008
Our first week has been quite and interesting and busy one. The first meeting at the Blaustein Building kicked off nicely with everyone’s amiable demeanor helping lighten the atmosphere and helping everyone get to know each other. Eric cleverly maneuvered the class into intriguing conversations about reviews and criticism, a perfect way to start out our summer as Teen Critics in TRaC. Surprising us with a spontaneous (but planned) visit to Tom Sachs’ Bronze Collection, the group got a chance to go experience each other’s company outside our conference room and in a setting that we have to get used to over the next few weeks.

Wednesday July 9th, 2008
Then came Passing Strange at the Belasco Theater. Our first theater experience together was delightful and as cheesy as this sounds, a magical one. Stew’s charm settles upon everyone reverberating all of the key elements of the musical in a unique but broadway-esque manner. We took a few pictures after the show and in general, everyone had an AWESOME time.

Thursday July 10th, 2008

On Thursday, we ended up at Public Space 122 for the peculiar but interesting proto-type performance, Whisper. A new take on the perception of reality, the shadows danced around for 50 minutes as many of our minds simply stumbled through keeping up and patiently listening to the incessant and powerful dripping of water. I might have a bit of a problem writing that review tonight. That’s all for this week folks!
---Sahil

Tuesday-Thursday; July 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2008

2008-07-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 8, 2008
At the Blaustein Building, we
-Introduced ourselves [while making use of nametags]
-Analyzed different types of advertisements/ front pages (magazines, newspapers..)
-Got into groups to read/ discuss articles, such as a concert review by a sportswriter
-Discussed the differences/ similarities between reviews and criticisms

At the Lever House Art Collection on Park Avenue, we
-Viewed sculptures, exhibiting the works of Tom Sachs
-Free-wrote for about 7 minutes (stream of consciousness)

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
-We saw Passing Strange at the Belasco Theatre. For a few of us, it was our second time, but for the majority, it was the first.
-We took pictures before and after the show.(One lady even decided to get in the picture with us!)
-Espo: “I stayed after to meet some actors, and I got to go ‘behind to gate’ with Eric and Eisa! ”

Thursday, July 10, 2008
At P.S. 122, we
-Got a handout
-Saw Whisper at P.S. 122
-Had a talkback w/ the actors, director, producer, and sound operator

Espo’s highlight of the night: I took the L the wrong way. Thank goodness Eric was there to save the day!

Sahil’s highlight of the night: Getting to really view up-close pictures of P.S. 122’s new show, Unpronounceable Symbol

Don’t forget!
1) Your two reviews, in no standard style or tone, are due today. (Passing Strange: 250 words; Whisper: 200 words)
2) Have at least five questions ready for Eisa Davis.

See you next Tuesday!

Passing... through our picture

2008-07-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

courtesy of Minerva's camera...

What a face.

WHISPER tonight

2008-07-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Proto-type Theater presents:
WHISPER
@ Performance Space 122 (a.k.a. PS 122)
150 First Avenue on the corner of East 9th Street

A blurb on the show from the PS 122 website:

WHISPER is a visually decadent, aurally immersive performance that asks the audience to question 'what is real' in a world of increasing technological sophistication. Each audience member is given a set of headphones through which they hear the voices of three live performers narrating a fictional walk through a fictional city. Obscured behind a cinematic screen, the performers are seen as shadows, silhouettes or in stark clarity, creating a fully immersive sound environment to accompany their narration.

Directed and Written by Peter S. Petralia; Performed by Alice Booth, Gillian Lees, and Andrew Westerside; Music and Sound Design by Philip Reeder. Lighting by Rebecca M.K. Makus

www.proto-type.org ( <---check out the theater company's website!!!!)
running time: 50 minutes

Remember your little notebooks, pens and find PS 122 by 7:30pm so we can all go in together at 7:45pm sharp!

DIRECTIONS: (click here for your hopstop link to use...)
Performance Space 122 is located at 150 First Avenue on the corner of East 9th Street in the heart of NYC's East Village. It is easily reached on foot or by taxi, train or bus.

Or rock these Subways:
L train to 1st Avenue
F/V train to 2nd Avenue
N/R to 8th Street
6 to Astor Place

A trusty map from the PS 122 website.

passing strange in the afternoon

2008-07-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

First class down, two thumbs up!
And we're just getting started.

Next on our summer agenda, we'll be Passing Strange.....

Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

Find the venue by 1:30 and make sure to be there by 1:45, the absolute latest. That's when we're heading in. After the show we'll do a quick sidewalk break-down before we split up.

The Belasco Theater
111 West 44th Street
(between Broadway and 6th Avenue)

Click here for Hopstop directions.

Check out more info on the Passing Strange homepage.

Don't forget your small notebooks and a pen for jotting down ideas, words, phrases, etc. during the show. Be discreet with them during the performance (no ruffling papers during quiet scenes!).

A few people asked about dress code. Anything you want to this show.

Oh, and one final thought for today on reviews vs. criticism. The key is not to simply say "this is bad" or "this is good." The interesting part - the core of we want to get at - is the WHY. Check out this TRaC post from last December: 2 questions to always consider....

Get it.
Is it starting to feel REAL????
We'll see tomorrow......

Critics Swap

2008-07-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Back in June in the British newspaper, The Guardian, the arts and sports critics swapped work for a day to see what would happen—a dance critic on horse racing, visual arts critic on football, theater critic on darts and a rock critic on cricket; a rugby columnist on the opera, a tennis writer on the visual arts, golf writer on classical music, and so on...

Arts Critics on Sports… http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jun/17/1

Sports Writers on the Arts… http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jun/18/art.pop

Take a look at these. It's going to be a lot like this for most of us. Fish out of water. Foreign territory. We're not experts. We're not supposed to be! We're just thinkers, out and about, open to new ideas and ways of seeing.

This should take the pressure off. Writing is writing. Doesn't matter if it's sports you focus on, or arts you love. If you write, you can write about anything....

See you all tomorrow!

Where do we meet?

2008-07-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

SUMMER TRaC will meet for the first class on Tuesday, July 8th from 4:30 - 7pm at the Jacob Blaustein Building, (not at The Public Theater).

The Jacob Blaustein Building is located at 165 East 56th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenue. The entrance is directly across the street from a store called Image Carpets. Check out the map below....

View Larger Map

You can walk there easily from the 59th STREET subway station (take the F, N, R, W, 4, 5, or 6) or from the 51st STREET subway station (take the E, V, or 6).

Go to www.Hopstop.com for the best, best, best website EVER to get around NYC. You put in your starting address and your destination address and it gives you detailed street and subway/bus directions. Did I say Hopstop.com was the best thing ever? It is. Use it and NYC is yours to explore.

SPECIAL NOTE :::: Bring an ID with you. Anything with your name on it.

Also, please bring a pen you like and pick up notebook (if you can by tomorrow). It should have approx 75 or more pages, and be at least 9" by 7." Something you could see yourself carrying with you everywhere you go. Mine looks like this beauty on the left.

Looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow!

July Pizza and a Movie

2008-07-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

High 5 HQ.
July 16.
5pm.

Check out details on the MAIN TRaC BLOG.... click here.
OR
RSVP to the FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE.

Either way, it's gonna be hot.

Come meet other High 5 Teen Reviewers and Critics, their friends and their friends' friends. All are invited.

Special Guest Artist: Ronnie Porto
He'll be watching the film with us, then telling you about working as a film screen-writer, a grip on TV and Movie sets (that's an electrician), and his upcoming world tour working on a new reality TV show.

SUMMER TRaC takes over!

2008-07-07T11:41:00.001-07:00

SUMMER TRaC will be rocking the Multi TRaC blog for the summer.

We'll be seeing all kinds of events - reviewing far and wide.

Keep up-to-date with what we're doing on this blog from July to August.

Stay cool.

Thanks for a great semester!

2008-05-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone.... Thanks for everybody who has sent revised reviews so far. They look great. Keep ’em coming. I want to get as many of them online as possible. What I've been doing is just reading them over, making a few edits, and then sending them back to you to look over and then forward on to Eric.

Maria just sent me a bunch of amazing photos of the STREB performance. I've picked out a few of my favorites and posted them here. I particularly love this one (above). For those of you who couldn't make it, this guy is trying to worm his way through a plexiglas box full of five other dancers. (Abigail described them, appropriately, as looking like “very flexible sardines”). Sweaty ones too! I hope they clean that box between performances.

So I'm really proud of all the great work you all did this semester. Thanks so much for hanging in there with the herky-jerky schedule and working on your writing despite all of your other commitments. David Cote, by the way, was really impressed with all of you. We both agreed that we were doofuses in comparison to you guys when we were in high school.

See you Wednesday!

Shea

Trampoline

2008-05-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

This piece was super cool. Just seconds after this spring-loaded picture was taken, the dancer flew out of the trampoline and then posed in the air before thudding down on the mat. Another dancer followed, and another, and another, each one suspended in the air for just one moment, stock-still. Hypnotic!

"Fly" by Maria Gindler

2008-05-19T08:01:00.001-07:00

I love the color on this one. I don’t remember it being so brilliant. The dancers are suspended by rappelling cables from the ceiling and “flying” down the wall.

One last photo.... "Roof"

2008-05-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

His master-of-the-universe pose belies the fact that he's buckled into a harness and connected to the ceiling with bungee cords à la Peter Pan. So don't worry, he's not going to crash down on her head (though she looks like she could take it, doesn't she?).

Thanks Maria!!

the story thus far

2008-05-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

the weather is warm!

since this is my first time doing trac in the spring (also, my first time doing trac and APs at the same time...eek) i've seen the weather get warmer with more show-seeing and review-writing instead of colder. yesterday abigail (my fellow new jerseyan) and i walked from the train to class without sweaters, and it was glorious. i remembered huddling together in groups down a much colder sixth avenue on our way to passing strange a month ago. the passing strange outing was, in particular, sort of a collection of everything that is trac: it was a free musical, a damn good free musical, and afterwards we talked to the cast, which included eisa davis, a past trac instructor.

yesterday in class we realized that next week is the last class. it came as sort of a surprise - we knew we were going to end soon, but next week? spring trac has slipped through our fingers and left us in a cloud of experienced dust, from the discussions in class, the writing, the editing, and of course, the art we saw itself.

This Friday, May 2 – STREB!

2008-04-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from Spring Break, MultiTRaC! We have a knockout performance coming up this Friday – STREB, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This should be a white-knuckle experience. According to the website, Elizabeth Streb's choreography intertwines “dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus, and Hollywood stunt work. The result is a bristling, muscle-and-motion vocabulary that combines daring with strict precision in pursuit of the public display of ‘pure movement.’”

Here's the 411:

What: STREB Slam Show 11

When: Friday, May 2, at 7pm (meet there at 6:45)

Where: S.L.A.M., 51 North First Street (between Wythe and Kent avenues), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 11211.

Directions: Take the L train to Bedford Ave. Get out of the train at Bedford and 7th Street. Walk six short blocks west to North 1st Street. Turn right and walk two and a half blocks to the theater.

Contact numbers: theater, 718-384-6491. Me: 718-812-8940.

"blog captain" here...

2008-04-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

i figured out how to post and enable cookies and other technical mishmosh so i can log in! yes! half the battle is over.

no class this week, but pizza on tuesday at high 5 hq. (yes, we have an hq, like the justice league and other important collectives of people.)

you know what this means? FREE FOOD. so be there or be hungry.

Check out this and other of Maria's photographs below

2008-04-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

Isn't this an amazing shot? Maria took it at the rehearsal of the Gallim Dance Group we attended last Wednesday. Scroll down for others....

Gallim Dance Group photographed by MultiTRaC's Maria Gindler

2008-04-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

I love this one. Eric Shapiro might appreciate the "UO" T-shirt -- I believe it stands for Urge Overkill, a seminal 1990s alternative rock band.

Another great shot by Maria

2008-04-08T10:58:00.001-07:00

This is Paul Lieberman, who later made a piccolo make sounds I never dreamed of.

Isn't this one so great?! Go, Maria!

2008-04-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here's one of Arturo O'Farrill, looking sharp!

Gallim Dance Group AND "Passing Strange" this Wednesday!

2008-03-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Brace yourselves — we have a HUGE day coming up this Wednesday, with not one, but TWO incredible cultural events.

First, from 4:30 to 6pm we will watch the Gallim Dance Group’s rehearsal “I Can See Myself in Your Pupil,” premiering April 10, and from 6 to 6:30 we’ll talk with the group's founder, Andrea Miller, about what we see during practice and her work as a choreographer.

Afterward, we’ll grab a quick bite to eat – pizza at Two Boots on Bleecker? – and then head up to the Belasco Theatre at 111 West 44th Street in Times Square for the 8pm performance of the Broadway hit musical Passing Strange, featuring Stew and TRaC’s own Eisa Davis. The show runs 2 hours and 20 minutes, so please let your parents know ahead of time that it will be a late night. But well worth it — this is a hot ticket!

So... we will meet at the Joyce SoHo Theatre at 4:30pm. Please don’t be late, as it will interrupt the dancers’ work. In fact, try to arrive by 4:15pm.

ADDRESS: 155 Mercer Street (between Houston and Prince), SoHo

SUBWAY: R or W to Prince Street (then walk one block west to Mercer and half a block north to the theater) or B, D, F, or V to Broadway/Lafayette (then walk one block west to Mercer along Houston, and half a block south to the theater). The theater’s phone number is 212-352-3101. You all should have my cell phone number.

Here’s a little snippet about Gallim Dance Group from their website:

“The mission of Gallim Dance group is to create – to play inside the imagination – to dig into the madness of the mind and the body and to find pleasure in all its capacities. Miller’s works are simultaneously explosive and intimate expressions of the self and its inner mosaic of needs, weaknesses, desires and struggles. Her use of extreme physicality – movement that seamlessly shifts between explosive power and contained tension – creates a choreographic vocabulary where dancers appear to exist on the edge of their limits, hanging between insanity and elegance.”

Also check out Passing Strange’s website for audio, video, and buzz about the show. And click here to read the recent New York Times profile of the supremely talented Eisa Davis.

Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra - March 27!

2008-03-27T06:54:00.001-07:00

Harkening back to the days when mambo was king, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra brings the power of the big band to hits such as Machito's "Mambo America" and the legendary Tito Puente's "Mas Bajo."

To learn what the New York Times has to say about the band, click here.

Tonight we'll see the band in all its booty-shaking glory and get to meet its charismatic leader, Arturo O'Farrill, in a special pre-show meeting. (Photographers: bring your cameras!)

When: 6:30pm

Where: Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway

How to get there: Take the 1/2/3 train to 96th Street, then walk one block south. We'll meet in the lobby at 6:15pm.

See you tonight!

Cai Guo-Qiang Wants to Believe

2008-03-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

The first Multi TRaC outing is to the Guggenheim Museum to see I WANT TO BELIEVE, an exhibition by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

Check out the online catalog of the show by clicking this link.

Pictured at the right is Inopportune: Stage One, 2004. (Materials: Nine cars and sequenced multichannel light tubes, dimensions variable.)

The Guggenheim Catalog states:

Cai's focus on sociopolitical issues, especially relating to acts of terrorism, has become a central feature of his work since 9/11. The most overt example, Inopportune: Stage One, simulates the trajectory of an exploding automobile tumbling through space, offering up the contradiction between a spectator's abhorrence of violence and attraction to the abstract beauty of some violent images.

There's a cool video about how they installed the cars here.

High 5 always has tickets for Guggenheim shows, so anytime you want to take some people there, just shoot us an email.

enjoy!

~eric

2008-01-08T09:08:00.001-08:00

New Museum Outing This Thursday!

2007-12-10T12:43:00.001-08:00

How did it get to be our last class already? This semester really whizzed by. And somehow it did so without our getting out to see some art -- visual art, that is.

So given everyone's hectic schedules, I've decided to schedule our final outing during our class time -- Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30pm.

We'll be going to the brand-new New Museum on the Bowery. This should be very cool. Not only will we be able to check out the critically acclaimed new building (see at right), but we'll apply our critical powers to a sculpture show called "Unmonumental: The Object in the 21st Century."

For the New York Times' review of the museum, click here.

2 questions to always consider....

2007-12-04T17:34:00.001-08:00

#1
What is the art trying to accomplish?

#2
Does it succeed?

Keeping the art in mind, you can never go wrong in your reviews. You will avoid the pitfalls: "i didn't like it. it was good. i liked it. it was bad..." blah, blah. The interesting stuff is in the WHYs and the WHATs! Why did it succeed in parts, but not as a whole? What was it (the dance, the play, the painting, the song) trying to accomplish? Did it do more or less? Are you cool with where it went?

And tell us what you think! A little interpretation/a little context (do some research!) is always nice for your readers. Remember to keep them - US, your readers - in mind.... Or, just write for you. I carry a small notebook with me everywhere I go. Writers write. You are all writers because you write. That's the only requirement. :)

Open hearts, open minds.
The most important thing I want you to take away from TRaC is to be open to things foreign to you. Crain your neck, your ears, your brain to understand. Get excited, and bring people along!

Art is communication and communion.
That's what makes this fun....

happy december.
~eric

Eleanor & Eleanor / Not About Everything

2007-11-25T18:54:00.000-08:00

Our next (and last) live performance will take place on Friday, at 7:30pm, when we go to see “Eleanor & Eleanor” by Beth Gill and “Not about Everything,” by Daniel Linehan at Dance Theater Workshop.

According to DTW’s website, “Eleanor & Eleanor” is “an assignment in aesthetics and a meditation on personal history and mythology,” and “Not About Everything” “is about the basics. It is about rhythm and change. It is about language and meaning. It is about action and inaction and supreme limitation.”

Sounds intriguing. But how are these concepts embodied physically in the work? And how do we put our own thoughts about dance into words? Dance TRaC instructor Brian McCormick – as well as, perhaps, dancer Danny Linehan – will come to our class on Thursday to give us some pointers.

We will meet on Friday at 7pm at the theater. It is located at 219 West 19th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in Chelsea. The closest subway stop is the 1 train stop at 18th Street. You can also take the A, C, or E to 14th Street and walk five blocks north and a half-block east to the theater. See you there!

The Brothers Size

2007-11-12T15:16:00.001-08:00

Gilbert Owuor and Brian Tyree Henry in The Brothers Size
(© Michal Daniel)

The Brothers Size on the Public Theater website is linked here! If you google the show, there's a lot of reviews out there.

Also, Eisa posted about the show on the Theater TRaC Blog. More cross-pollination. Check it out!

run time: 1hr. 15min.
no intermission

This Thursday - TONY Theater Critic David Cote!

2007-11-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

This Thursday we’re in for a real treat: David Cote, Time Out New York’s chief theater critic, is going to speak to us about his career path from director/performer to one of the most influential theater critics in the city. He’ll talk about the challenges of his work and discuss some particularly insightful and controversial reviews he's written, and answer your questions about the ups and downs of the reviewer’s life.

In addition to working for TONY, David has written for the New York Times, Maxim, Opera News and The Best Plays Theater Yearbook 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. He is a member of the New York Drama Critics Circle, a contributing critic on NY1’s On Stage, and the author of two books – Wicked: The Grimmerie, a behind-the-scenes look the Broadway musical Wicked, and a new book about Jersey Boys. David keeps a foot in the theater scene as well. In the 1990s, he was a performer and director, mostly in avant-garde productions below 14th Street by Richard Foreman, Richard Maxwell and others. Now he’s the Public Dramaturge for Montclair State University’s cutting-edge Peak Performance series. He received his B.A. from Bard College. He muses about theater, books, and religion on his blog, www.histriomastix.typepad.com.

This Thursday - Carnegie Hall!

2007-10-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Yuri Temirkanov (pictured at left). Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 8 PM.

The “sound ... seems to emanate out of the stage floorboards and throb.” Or so says the New York Times about the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Let's see for ourselves on Thursday. It's an all-Russian program, featuring Sviridov's "Small Triptych," Mussorgsky's "Songs and Dances of Death," and Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky." Click here for more about the music, the artists, and to listen to samples.

Thursday's itinerary: We'll spend class discussing the rest of the "Tings Dey Happen" reviews, and then talking about review structure and classical music criticism.

Then we'll walk over to the hall (at 57th Street and 7th Avenue) together after class for the preconcert talk at 7pm. (That won't give us much time to stop to eat, so bring a snack if you think you'll need one, or some money to pick up something quick.) The speaker is Simon Morrison, Professor of Music, Princeton University. The concert starts at 8pm and should be over by 10pm.

So what did everyone think of Danny's talk on Thursday? Did he say anything that made you view his performance, or your job as a critic, differently? Let's get some thoughts out here.

Tings, Dey Happening on Thursday

2007-10-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Dan Hoyle will stop by Multi TRaC!

A little about him...

Dan Hoyle is an actor and writer based in San Francisco. His first solo show Circumnavigator, directed by Charlie Varon, ran for three months at The Marsh in Fall 2004 before touring colleges throughout the country. His second solo show, Florida 2004: The Big Bummer, had a sold-out run in Winter 2005 before he had to leave for Nigeria. While in Nigeria on a Fulbright scholarship, Dan performed at the U.S. Embassy and at the University of Port Harcourt’s theater, The Crab. He has served as an artist-in-residence for San Francisco’s School of the Arts High School, and has been commissioned by the San Francisco Mime Troupe and the Aurora Theatre Company. In 2003 he graduated from Northwestern University with a double degree in Performance Studies and History. His essays have been featured in The San Francisco Chronicle and on Sports Illustrated.com and Alternet.org. He has also performed with his father, actor and comedian Geoff Hoyle.

To learn more about Dan, check out his website: http://www.danhoyle.net/

When you're writing your reviews, jot down questions you have about the show, his writing/acting process, his trip....anything. He'll be in class for an hour, at your disposal.
(oh, yeah, and we're going to videotape it, so be prepared!!!)

~eric

1st Class and show details!

2007-10-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hey Multi TRaC!

You get started this Thursday and will kick off the TRaC season with a show that night! Make sure to mark your calendars and plan accordingly ... meaning bring something to eat or a few bucks to pick up some food before the show.

Where and when to meet for class....
You meet every Thursday, from this one until the last class in December, from 4:30 to 6:30 (don't be late!) at the Jacob Blaustein Building at 165 East 56th Street on the corner of 3rd Avenue. **You are required to bring Photo ID.** (Please note: we are not always in the same room. Ask the guard behind the glass what room to be sure.) Take the 4, 5 or 6 train to 59th street and walk south down to 56th on Lexington and make a left. OR take the E, V, or 6 train to 51st street and walk north.

Immediately following class you will head down, as a group, to the Culture Project to see the one-man show, Tings Dey Happen, written and performed by Danny Hoyle.

Here's a little about the show from the Culture Project website:

Dan Hoyle tells the comic and profound story of Nigeria's oil madness in Tings Dey Happen, based on Hoyle's year in Nigeria as a Fulbright Scholar.

Media-savvy warlords, pacifist militants, Africanized Texas oilmen, and prostitutes turned anti-Chevron activists confront the audience with their stories of survival on the West African Oil Frontier.

Already supplying 10% of American oil, Nigeria and its surrounding Gulf of Guinea region has been targeted as the "new Middle East" of oil security.

However, militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta are blowing up pipelines, warlords are threatening rebellion, and oil company employees are being kidnapped with alarming frequency...

The show is at 8pm and runs about an hour and a half. The Culture Project theater is at 55 Mercer St. (between Broome St. and Grand St.). Click here to check out their website for directions.

If you get lost, contact Eric at High 5: 212-750-0555 ext.208 or ext. 200 (if there's no answer at 208) Print out this post or write this down.

And don't forget to bring a pen and notebook on Thursday!

enjoy
~eric