News From The Queens Tourism Council
It’s an intellectual upcoming week in Queens with chances to learn about genocide, Kitty Genovese, Nazis and Quakers.
There are also opportunities to relax with Bleu Mobley, chamber music, comedy, experimental dance, hip hop, the unique Phagwah Parade, tango and the trumpet.
Here’s the rundown.
– Tonight (Thursday), Mar. 13, Tango Lessons, 7 p.m. Dance instruction 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 open dance at 8 p.m for $5. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.
– Friday, Mar. 14, Las Délices, 6 p.m. King Manor Museum partners with Five Boroughs Music Festival to present Les Délices, a critically acclaimed ensemble performing French Baroque music on period instruments. The program features works from the French Rococo period. $30/$25 in advance/$15 for students. King Manor Museum, King Park, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, www.kingmanor.org.
– Friday, Mar. 14, A Life in Books, 8 p.m. Writer, artist and performer Warren Lehrer presents a funny and thought-provoking multimedia performance/reading based on his new novel, “A Life In Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley.” This illuminated novel contains 101 books written by the protagonist, a controversial author who finds himself in prison looking back on his life and career. Lehrer presents an overview of Mobley’s life via many cover designs and other biographical materials, including animations and video performances. $10/$5. LaGuardia Community College Little Theatre, 31-10 Thomson Ave., LIC, www.laguardia.edu/LPAC.
– Friday, Mar. 14, Trumpeters of Queens Part II, 8 p.m. Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry were all masters of the trumpet who lived in Queens. This series continues with Ron Horton’s Sextet and Josh Deutsch’s Pannonia. $15/$10 members and students. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.
– Friday, Mar. 14, The Nazis: A Warning from History Part II, noon. A film series exposing the popular myths surrounding the Third Reich’s rise and fall. Interviewees include former Nazi officials and diplomats. Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center & Archives, Queensborough Community College, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.qcc.cuny.edu /khrca.
– Friday, Mar. 14, Take Root with Donofrio Dance Company & Laurie Hockman, 8 p.m. (and Saturday, Mar. 15, 8 p.m.). This dance is a manifestation of physical responses to memory as Donofrio Dance underwent a process of “memory experiments,” to recall memory and connect it to physical movement. Laurie Hockman’s “settled gravity” uses Shakespearean sonnets to create a world and a character who explores love, loss, and time’s cruelty. $15. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., LIC, www.GreenSpaceStudio.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 15, David Alan Grier with Special Guest Godfrey, 8 p.m. David Alan Grier may be best known as a TV comedy star on In Living Color, but he is also a multitalented veteran of musicals, plays, and numerous films. $40. Queensborough Performing Arts Center, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.visitqpac.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 15, The Snail and the Whale by Tall Stories, UK, 2:15 p.m. (workshop at 1 p.m). Based on the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson, a tiny snail longs to see the world, so she hitches a lift on the tail of a huge humpback whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, experiencing sharks and penguins, icebergs and volcanoes. Storytelling, live music and lots of laughs. $12 admission, $10 for members, $8 for children, $6 for member children. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 15, Musica Reginae Chamber Players, 7:30 p.m. The program includes Brahms Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano, op. 100; Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, op. 60; and Schumann Piano Quartet in E flat Major, op. 47. $20 adults/$15 seniors/$10 students (ages 13-21). Children under 12 free with adult. The Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, www.thecitg.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 15, History Roundtable: Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, 1:30 p.m. Fifty years ago, a woman was stabbed to death in Kew Gardens. The murder wasn’t that shocking but a front-page New York Times story reported that for more than half an hour “38 respectable, lawabiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens. Not one person telephoned the police during the assault.” The Greater Astoria Historical Society hosts a discussion of the truths, myths and social psychological phenomenon known as the “bystander effect” or “Genovese syndrome.” $5. GAHS, Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadway, LIC, www.astorialic.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 15, HSBC Children’s Garden Family Day, 2 p.m. Plant seeds while learning about gardening and the environment. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 15, Hip Hop Legends Reunion, 9 p.m. Live performances by Naughty by Nature, Kurtis Blow, Black Sheep, DJ Kool and more. $25-$80. Resorts World New York Casino, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., South Ozone Park, www.rwnewyork.com.
– Sunday, Mar. 16, Quakers: An Ethic of Tolerance and Respect, 2:30 p.m. Cheshire Frager, a member of the Society of Friends of Flushing Monthly Meeting, discusses Quaker principles such as respect, tolerance and inclusion. Free. Kingsland Homestead, 143-35 37th Ave., Flushing, www.queenshistoricalsociety.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 16, Bobby Vinton, 3 p.m. The crooner appears with Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. Colden Center, Kissena Boulevard and Horace Harding Expressway, Flushing, www.kupferbergcenter.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 16, Fertile Ground New Works, 7 p.m. This monthly showcase for emerging and established artists is now in its eighth season. The performance features about five choreographers each evening and includes a postperformance discussion with wine and cheese. $10. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., LIC, www.GreenSpaceStudio.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 16, Phagwah Parade, noon to 3 p.m. Indulge in colored powders at this Hindu spring celebration. The parade will be followed by live music and cultural performances at Smokey Oval Park on 92nd Avenue in Ozone Park. This is the largest Phagwah festival in the United States. Runs on Liberty Avenue, starting at 133rd Street, Richmond Hill, www.phagwahparade.us.
– Monday, Mar. 17, Women in Genocide Panel Discussion, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Strategic violence against women has long been a common component in campaigns to destroy ethnic groups. Eight panelists review nearly 100 years of war, discussing everything from the Armenian genocide of 1915 to the Holocaust to conflicts targeting Mayan women in Guatemala in the 1980s. A Q&A session will follow. Queens College Student Union, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Fourth Floor, Flushing, www.qc.cuny.edu.
– Tuesday, Mar. 18, The Magic Crown, 10:30 a.m. (runs through Thursday, Mar. 27). This hit play has been described as: “The yellow brick road set in Africa.” $8. Black Spectrum Theatre Company, Roy Wilkins Park, Jamaica, www.blackspectrum.com.
“It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
