News From The Queens Tourism Council
Queens is the perfect place to discover Mumblecore this week. It’s also the right borough to learn about electroluminescence, Latin dancing, extreme environments and scientific research at Princeton University. The Queens World Film Festival also starts this week.
Here’s the rundown.
– Tonight (Thursday), Feb. 27, Latin Dance Lessons, 7 p.m. Queens Theatre kicks off a series of classes for all ages and all levels with renowned instructor Paul Ru Bao of Farrington Ballroom Dance School. After an hour lesson there is an hour of open dance. $10 single class/$45 for five classes. Skip the class and join one hour of open dance at 8 p.m for $5. First night is mostly informational. Queens Theatre in the Park, 14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.
– Friday, Feb. 28, New York, New York, 7 p.m. The Museum of the Moving Image (MMI) presents the See It Big: Musicals series featuring films with singing and dancing extravaganzas. Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York is an ode to classic MGM musicals and 1940s jazz with a celebration of the surreal artificiality of Hollywood. Liza Minnelli belts out the now-classic title song in a show-stopping finale. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Saturday, Mar. 1, Jameson’s Revenge, 7:30 p.m. Concert featuring Irish percussion, flute, tin whistle, guitar and vocals. John Munnelly, who plays contemporary acoustic folk, will open. $22 regular/$15 seniors, students and unemployed. New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., LIC, www.newyorkirishcenter.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 1, Mumblecore, 2 p.m. Joe Swanberg is the writerdirector and occasional actor whose micro-budget feature films helped spark a movement of DIY filmmaking known as “Mumblecore.” The Museum of the Moving Image presents a weekend retrospective on Swanberg, who will be present for all movies. On March 1, the films are Hannah Takes the Stairs, 2 p.m; Nights and Weekends, 4:30 p.m; and Silver Bullets, 7 p.m. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Saturday, Mar. 1, Tag Sale, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The Queens Historical Society hosts a tag sale as a fund-raiser. Kingsland Homestead, 143-35 37th Ave., Flushing, www.queenshistoricalsociety.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 2, Author Talk: Neal Gillen, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Author Neal Gillen discusses how Queens has become the most diverse and ever-changing community in the United States and how he weaves that into his writings. Free. Queens Historical Society at Kingsland Homestead, 143-35 37th Ave., Flushing, www.queenshistoricalsociety.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 2, Dino, 1 and 3 p.m. From the creators of Ugly Duckling comes another show glowing with electroluminescent puppets. Single tickets are $14 or purchase a Family Series Flex Pass for $100 (10 tickets to use however you want.) Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 2, Mumblecore, 2 p.m. Joe Swanberg is a writerdirector and occasional actor whose micro-budget feature films helped spark a movement of DIY filmmaking known as “Mumblecore.” The Museum of the Moving Image presents a weekend retrospective on Swanberg, who will be present for all movies. On March 2, the films are Art History, 2 p.m; Uncle Kent, 4:30 p.m; and All the Light in the Sky, 7 p.m. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Sunday, Mar. 2, Panel Discussion: Extreme Environments, 2 p.m. In conjunction with the current exhibition, Thaw, Dorsky Gallery hosts a panel discussion with Janet Biggs (known primarily for video, photography and performance), Elise Engler (known for her travel drawings and paintings), Itty Neuhaus (a sculptor who combines the aesthetics of drawing, photography, video and installation) and Alexis Rockman (known for his paintings depicting nature and its intersections with humanity). Free. Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45th Ave., LIC, www.dorsky.org.
– Tuesday through Sunday, Mar. 4-9, Queens World Film Festival, times vary. In addition to integrating the work of 18 local Queens filmmakers, the festival spotlights a dazzling selection of foreign films from such countries as Belgium, Iran, India, Spain, Kosovo, Switzerland, Vietnam, the UK and Canada. Venues include the Museum of the Moving Image, The Secret Theatre, Nesva Hotel and P.S. 69 in Jackson Heights. More info at www.queensworldfilmfestival.com.
– Tuesday, Mar. 4, Film Series: Voyages, 1 p.m. Few films deal with the Holocaust as freshly and gracefully as this haunting feature, which depicts three contemporary Jewish women at the crossroads of life. Rivka, a French woman on a bus tour of Poland with her husband, unexpectedly reconsiders her unsatisfactory marriage. Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center & Archives, Queensborough Community College, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.qcc.cuny.edu/khrca.
– Tuesday, Mar. 4, Gospel Performance, 7:30 p.m. Donnie McClurklin has won three Grammy, 10 Stellar, two BET and two Soul Train awards. The senior pastor at the Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, Long Island, comes to Queens for a special musical evening. $20, includes his latest CD. The Greater Allen AME Cathedral 110-31 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, www.allencathedral.org.
– Wednesday, Mar. 5, Princeton University Photo Exhibit, 10 a.m. (runs through September). View photographs from Princeton University’s annual competition, Art of Science. The featured works were submitted as part of a competition that began in 2005, organized to judge the most aesthetically pleasing images produced during scientific research at the university. Free with admission ($8/$11). New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.nysci.org.
– Wednesday, Mar. 5, Dinner, a Movie and a Side of Reconciliation, 7 p.m. Join savvy film and food lovers at Armondo’s Italian Restaurant for dinner and then head two blocks to P.S. 69 (77-02 37th Ave.) to watch Sardines, a short film about a child who goes to unusual measures to get her family’s attention, and the French feature film Tu Seras Un Homme (You’ll Be a Man), about a family coming together with the help of an outsider. $50, call 1-718-429-8552. Armondo’s, 74-27 37th Ave., Jackson Heights, www.armondositalianrestaurant.com.
“It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
