high 5's Teen Reviewers and Critics - the main blog!

The TRaC blogs and the HIGH 5 REVIEW

2009-10-19T17:24:00.006-04:00

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)

Beatbox Brain Buster

2009-05-14T11:02:00.001-04:00

How can these sounds come out of a person????

The TRaC Finale is on May 16th!

2009-05-05T18:22:00.003-04:00

The TRaC Finale!!!
Saturday, May 16, 3pm
@ the STREB Action Invention Lab
51 N 1st St. Brooklyn, NY 11211

To celebrate the conclusion of another season of TRaC we'll be heading to Williamsburg to see Elizabeth Streb's S.L.A.M Show. That is, the STREB Lab for Action Mechanics....aka dare-deviling, acrobatic circus flying, pop action, anti-gravitational bodies in constant motion. It's all the madness. All current TRaC participants, TRaC Alumni, Freelancers and their friends are invited. To get your ticket, simply RSVP to eric at eost at high5tix.org. Limited number of tickets are available so email right away!!!

Elizabeth Streb and her Action Faction take a closer look at the ordinary, inanimate things around us in STREB at SLAM: CATAPULT, their spring home season show at S.L.A.M. (Streb Lab for Action Mechanics) STREB's spacious playground and launching pad for new ideas and new moves.

Don't miss your chance to see the Streb team fly through the air with greatest of ease!

David Van Tieghem's sinuous, evocative soundtrack is the perfect accompaniment to STREB's ongoing romantic adventure with gravity.

Visit www.streb.org for more.

Hope to see you there!!!!

YouTube's Latest Viral Hit: A Train Station Full Of Dancing Belgians

2009-04-15T11:42:00.001-04:00

Flash mob.
Choreographed dance.
The Sound of Music.
Joy for all.

Free Music: NYC Electroacoustic Music Festival, April 2-4

2009-03-25T17:19:00.003-04:00

There'll be some heady electronic music being made at the 1st New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival and Conference going down at the CUNY Graduate Center in Midtown next Thursday, Friday and Saturday April 2-4. People from all over the world will get together to talk, walk, and listen to electroacoustic music.

"What IS that?" you ask? Well, it can be lots of things, but I guess you can say that it's music that electronically explores "the art of sound." Here's Wikipedia's best shot at a definition.

Point being, the shows happening during the days of April 2-4 are FREE. Recommended for a stop-in if you're in the area, 365 Fifth Avenue @ 34th St., cuz you can check out -- at no cost -- the odd, wonderful sounds coming from a laptop, a shoe wired to a radio, or someone's live remix of a clarinet solo. Here's the full schedule.

-Kevin
the High 5 ticket guy

Toumani Diabate

2009-03-20T12:08:00.003-04:00

Hey y'all. This is Kevin from High 5.
I'm the dude who gets arts organizations to donate tickets so that we can get YOU to the arts for cheap. Actually, for FREE (cuz if you're a member of TRaC you can get two free tickets for any event High 5 offers).

And I love hearing from you guys about shows you want to see and events you want to attend in NYC. Email me (kkilroy@high5tix.org) and I'll try to get you tickets for cheap. That's how we do it!

One of the best things about living in NYC is that musicians from all over the world come here to rock our ears. Toumani Diabate from Mali is one of the great musicians that grace our fair city from time-to-time. He's the world's leading player of the kora -- a harp-like instrument from Diabate's native country. He's performing at Le Poisson Rouge on Saturday, April 18th. Ears will rock.

Check him OUT.

High 5 doesn't YET have tickets for this show, but I'm gonna try my hardest to convince them to donate...

Give me a holler (kkilroy@high5tix.org) if there are any other shows you want to see. It could be anything: theater, dance, art exhibits, or Malian kora music.

in TRaC, we value safety FIRST!

2009-03-18T12:25:00.002-04:00

Don't know what to do if there's a nuclear attack??

Well, in TRaC, we're always ready. In this important video, art and government came together to create a public service masterpiece. (We will, of course, be drilling in all the TRaC classes.)

Have a great day, and beware the flash!

Beethoven's "Fur Elise" - on two guitars at once

2009-03-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

MEAT LOVE and other Jan Švankmajer shorts

2009-03-15T22:22:00.003-04:00

Some of you asked where you could find the films we watched at the TRaC Kick Off. Ask and ye shall receive! Here are the two short films made by Czech filmaker Jan Švankmajer....

The first two YouTube videos I've posted are Dimensions of a Dialogue, Parts 1, 2 and 3 (1982):

this one is poor quality, but it's all I could find...

this is two-shorts-in-one - the 2nd and 3rd part of Dimensions of a Dialogue:

and everyone's favorite, Meat Love (1988):

Now those are different, eh?

We talked about what these experimental shorts are saying about communication. What happens when it breaks down? What happens when two sides say the same thing? (toothpaste is grinded by a pencil sharpener on a tongue, of course!) Even, what are the different meanings of the word 'communication'? The first two pieces are called "dimensions of a dialouge" so we are invited to interpret the work through that lens.

TRaC is all about communication: discussion, writing reviews and criticism, preparing questions for an artist.... what do these films say about us???

OR we could just think about the fact that those first videos were made start to finish by Švankmajer, by himself - all the filming, sculpting, editing, everything - and they took years to do. This 20 minutes of stop-motion was, yes, years in the making. Even the music of the films (he didn't write the scores) and sound effects (which he did) have their own strange dimension. (Fun fact: Švankmajer is known as the father of claymation. He's a god to all the Pixar guys). And though it's complex what he does, he deliberately uses household objects, showing them to us in new ways. We are disgusted sometimes and then find ourselves happy, for instance, when we see that Meat can turn on a radio and dance. Oh, happy Meat!

Many people consider Švankmajer do be a surrealist, his ideas stemming from the work of people like Salvador Dali, who painted The Persistence of Memory in 1931.

In case you want to dig deeper, here's Švankmajer's website: www.jansvankmajer.com ; his stats on the Internet Movie Database ; and his page on the New York Times, with a bio and several links to articles and REVIEWS!

Any other thoughts on these films or ideas?
Should we have more TRaC Meets and explore some other artists all together???
Feel free to leave a comment.

~eric

Spring TRaC has begun!

2009-03-10T19:40:00.001-04:00

Check out the other TRaC blogs as we move along into the ten weeks to see what's going on.....

And just for fun,
for those who take issue with classical music,
check this out:

Touch the Sound

2008-11-19T15:22:00.003-05:00

At Pizza and a Movie last night High 5 screened a documentary about Evelyn Glennie, a very famous and profoundly DEAF percussionist.

How can that be, you ask?

In her words: "Hearing is basically a specialized form of touch. Sound is simply vibrating air which the ear picks up and converts to electrical signals, which are then interpreted by the brain. The sense of hearing is not the only sense that can do this, touch can do this too. If you are standing by the road and a large truck goes by, do you hear or feel the vibration? The answer is both. With very low frequency vibration the ear starts becoming inefficient and the rest of the body's sense of touch starts to take over. For some reason we tend to make a distinction between hearing a sound and feeling a vibration, in reality they are the same thing. It is interesting to note that in the Italian language this distinction does not exist. The verb 'sentire' means to hear and the same verb in the reflexive form 'sentirsi' means to feel. Deafness does not mean that you can't hear, only that there is something wrong with the ears. Even someone who is totally deaf can still hear/feel sounds."

TOUCH THE SOUND, directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer, explores the relationship of our senses, both visually and sonically.

In this clip (not from the movie) you can watch Evelyn discuss her ideas about sound and how that informs her as a musician. See also plays a beautiful piece on the xylophone at 27:22 so you can just skip ahead if you like. Enjoy!

Pizza + Movies = Good Life

2008-11-11T14:14:00.003-05:00

Pizza.
A Movie.
(It's a surprise.)
Free tickets to the NYC theater, dance, music and art scene.
Good people.
Good times.

It's what you call the Good Life.

Don't miss Pizza & a Movie Night, Tuesday, Nov. 18th @ 5:00 p.m. Meet and mix with other High 5'ers, debate the finer points of cinema and score free tix to the best theater, dance and music NYC's got to offer. November's Pizza & a Movie Night will feature another great surprise film carefully chosen by moi and the illustrious Kevin Kilroy, High 5's Directors of Film & Pizza, new friends coming together, old friends uniting again, and, of course, pizza. Lots and lots of pizza. And juice.

What could better?

DIRECTIONS: Take the E/V to 5th avenue. Exit from the 5th Avenue exit (NOT the Madison Ave exit). Enter under the Dragon. He rests above the doors of 1 East 53rd Street.

SUGGESTED DONATION: $3 (and it's really only a suggestion....)

BE THERE OR BE A SQUARE SLICE.

High 5 promotion video....dig it

2008-10-28T12:10:00.002-04:00

Let's see some art!

2008-10-08T16:58:00.009-04:00

Fall TRaC has officially begun! Make sure to check out all the TRaC blogs below to stay up-to-date with what's going on in every art discipline all over New York City....

Ferris J. Bueller, Sloane Peterson and Cameron Frye strike a pose at the Art Institute of Chicago on Ferris's famous "day off." (John Hughes, 1986).

THEATER TRaC

DANCE TRaC

VISUAL ARTS TRaC

MUSIC TRaC

MULTI TRaC

The TRaC Review Compendium '07-08

2008-07-28T15:43:00.002-04:00

It's here!

The first ever Teen Reviewers and Critics REVIEW COMPENDIUM, with collected writings and reviews from 40 of High 5's Teen Critics.

Click the image to take a look inside....

July Pizza and a Movie

2008-07-07T14:19:00.003-04:00

Date: Wednesday, July 16

Time: 5pm - 7:30pm

Place: High 5 HQ, 1 East 53rd Street (between 5th Ave and Madison)

People: the Teen Reviewers and Critics, High 5ers, anyone between 13 and 18 who loves movies, pizza, and wants to meet our special guest, Ronnie Porto, a screen-writer and freelancer working in the TV and movie business. Find out how to break in!

Suggested donation: $3

RSVP: eric at eost@high5tix.org

Be there!

June Pizza and a Movie

2008-06-16T11:38:00.005-04:00

Now, every month, High 5 will be hosting our already famous Pizza and a Movie Nights.

Next up: Tuesday, June 17th! (5pm-7:30pm)

Come Tuesday at 5pm for hot pizzzzza and a movie chosen for its proven ability to blow minds. More often that not, it'll be something you've never seen before. Which is nice.

As always, we'll be meeting up at High 5 HQ - that theater in the back of the lobby.

Our address is 1 East 53rd Street (between 5th and Madison). Look for the giant dragon above our door - you can see it through the glass facade!

The movie is, of course, a surprise.
:)

~eric,
director of pizza and movies

wall-painted animation by graffi-artist BLU

2008-05-23T16:04:00.003-04:00

Take 7 minutes and check this out.
Done in Buenos Aires....

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Blu's blog is here. His website is here.

If you like this, you've got to take a look at Czech filmaker Jan Švankmajer's short films, which we watched at the Kick-Off for TRaC in the fall of 2007. (You HAVE to watch MEAT LOVE. It's the best!)

Neo-Futurism at High 5 World HQ

2008-05-16T16:04:00.009-04:00

No, we're not done yet....

How about 15 plays in 30 minutes to blow out the spring and usher in the summer?

Next Wednesday, May 21st, starting at 5pm, High 5 welcomes the NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS to our world HQ for our first ever in-house production.

In their signature show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, the Neo-Futurists, a wild bunch of performers/writers/directors, bring you a theater experience that is "a fusion of sport, poetry, and living-newspaper." At the Krane Theater in the East Village every Friday and Saturday night at 10:30, people roll the dice to determine how much they pay, a new name is slapped on their shirt and they enter the world of neo-futurism. With a "menu" of 30 plays in hand, every 2 minutes you shout and scream for the title of the play you'd like to see. Some are serious, some funny, sometimes people get sprayed with water. And at the end, if all 30 plays are completed before the timer runs out.... pizza for everyone. Isn't that beautiful??

What is neo-futurism, you ask? In a nutshell:

You are who you are.
You are where you are.
You are doing what you are doing.
The time is now.

I have no idea what that means. But believe me, it's going to be cool. 15 plays in 30 minutes!

There'll be food, of course. We'll bring the pizza. You bring yourself. Friends and family are welcome, too, if you want to bring'em. We'll also bring you the High 5 battleplan for the summer - Pizza and Movie Nights, Summer TRaC, FUZE events..... lots to jump into. All FREE.

Email ERIC if you are coming to the FINALE! Let me know approximately how many guests will be tagging along. (I need to plan for pizza.)

Officially, summer is about to begin......
5pm
Wed.
May 21
High 5 HQ
1 East 53rd Street

Be There!

FUZE this Friday

2008-05-07T13:19:00.004-04:00

Opportunity strikes. And the dancers might, too.

High 5 hosts a FUZE event this Friday with STREB S.L.A.M. Show. What that means: Bring a friend, see the show, meet the choreographer. Here's a clip from one of their previous shows....

Dance and Multi TRaC have already been. Check out their blogs for info and pictures. If anyone wants a ticket, I have a few available.

7pm in Williamsburg. Brooklyn, baby.

Just email me.

~eric

Pizza & a movie at High 5 - Update!

2008-04-18T14:44:00.017-04:00

heyo!

Next Tuesday, April 22nd, High 5 is hosting a gathering of movie lovers from 5pm - 7:30 p.m. to watch a film, break it down, talk about it, argue about it AND get some free eats. Come on out for....

PIZZA & a MOVIE Night at High 5

It's spring break, the weather is beautiful and I've got an awesome film on my desk. Figured you might be down to watch it. (If you're not vacationing in the Bahamas or something....)

Bring friends along if you want. Come solo. Wear flips flops. Whatever.

Email me if you're gonna make it! Let me know how many people you might bring so I know how much pizzzzzzzza we need.

Oh, and the movie will be.....a surprise. :)

UPDATE: The movie was Rivers and Tides -(here's a clip)- a documentary about the artist Andy Goldsworthy. I highly recommend adding it to your Netflix queue or picking it up from the library. He's an earth sculptor, I'd say. Check out some of his works:

Make your connection!

2008-04-09T12:35:00.012-04:00

pictured at right: James Baldwin, Harlem, 1963. Photo by Steve Shapiro.

Interviewer: Earlier, Jim, you mentioned that for a national policy to be straightened out, the private policies, these private, individual lives must be, too. You spoke of your job as a writer, and of how you've got to write. In that chapter on Bergman, "The Northern Protestant," is a beautiful comment: "All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story, to vomit the anguish up."

James Baldwin: Art has to be a kind of confession. I don't mean a true confession in the sense of that dreary magazine. The effort, it seems to me, is: if you can examine and face your life, you can discover the terms with which you are connected to other lives, and they can discover, too, the terms with which they are connected to other people.

This has happened to everyone of us, I'm sure. You read something which you though only happened to you, and you discovered it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important. Art would not be important if life were not important, and life is important.

This excerpt is from an interview conducted for the Studs Terkel program "Almanac," aired on WFMT in Chicago on December 29th, 1961. They are talking about the core of Baldwin's art, his vision. What art means, what it's for.

We have to make connections. Keep our senses alert and hearts open for "The Real" (see Passing Strange note below!) to flood in, even if we're not ready. We never are.

Keep discussing, writing and creating!
And happy Week 4 of TRaC!

quick note: If you haven't seen Passing Strange on Broadway (starring one of our Fall TRaC instructors, Eisa Davis), or would like to see it again, anyone under 25 years old can get a $25 ticket. Available day of, at the box office only.

You can learn more about James Baldwin here.

start your filmmaking career this summer!

2008-03-25T13:11:00.008-04:00

All future film-makers listen up!

The Ghetto Film School Fellows Program is now accepting applications for their 2008-2009 program. The Fellows Program is designed for people from 14 to 21 years of age, and will run from July 2008 to September 2009. The deadline is April 18th.

If you are serious about pursing a film career - or looking to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime experience that introduces you to the movie industry and artistic process - I can't recommend this program enough. More information and the online application is available at www.ghettofilm.org (oh, and by the way, incredible directors like Jim Jarmusch, Spike Jonze and David O. Russell are all involved with this organization!)

Please EMAIL ME ASAP with any questions about the Ghetto Film School. I will put you in touch with the the Fellows Program coordinator.

If makin' movies is your dream, don't wait!!! Jump on this!!!

~eric

The Kick-Off films

2008-03-13T13:00:00.006-04:00

heyo. Below I've posted clips of the shorts we watched at the All TRaC Kick-Off last Wednesday, for your viewing pleasure. Both clips are incomplete because YouTube only allows 10 minutes of footage, but you'll get an idea.

The first: AMELIA, choreographed/produced by the Canadian company La La La Human Steps, and directed by Edouard Lock.

The second: Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, directed by Les Blank. Yes, the man ate his shoe! If you want to see the extent of Herzog's determination and drive, rent Burden of Dreams, a full-length documentary about the making Herzog's film Fitzcarraldo. He pulls a ship over a mountain. Really. It's crazy!

BONUS!
At the first TRaC Meet in the Fall of 2007, we watched three of my favorite short films by the Czech filmaker Jan Švankmajer. All three are stop-motion films done solely by the filmaker, and took years to make. We all loved the third, called MEAT LOVE. Amalia (Theater TRaC) asked about it at the Kick-Off so I thought I'd drop the link for y'all. Check them out by clicking here.

~eric

Welcome to TRaC! Do what you can't.

2008-03-04T14:44:00.008-05:00

Sounds wacky, doesn't it? Do what you can't. But it ain't that crazy. We've got to start somewhere.

Two ingredients necessary for this semester of TRaC and life: Curiosity and Passion. They drive us to try things we've never tried before. And hopefully, when we get to the Unknown, we're ready - we're OPEN - to whatever comes our way. It's a crazy world. Get ready for some crazy art.

Here's a mantra for those of us who love diving into what we don't know:

CELEBRATE YOUR AMATEURNESS.
I am best at what I can't do.
It has become my ability to feel strong and confident in these situations. I feel free to move, to listen to my heart, to learn, to act even if that means I will make mistakes.
If you want a creative life, do what you can't and experience the beauty of the mistakes you make.

-Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind

Do what you can't. Do it well.
To all of High 5's newest Teen Reviewers and Critics: Welcome to TRaC.
~eric

TRaC Applications due by Monday, March 3!

2008-02-29T14:15:00.005-05:00

If you are going to apply to for TRaC this spring, or know a friend who is thinking about it, there is still time to get your applications in!

Just send me an email and let me know which TRaC you'd like to take. All your materials should be in by early next week. The deadline is flexible for those who let me know....

eost@high5tix.org

To get an application go to the TRaC homepage.

I can't wait for TRaC to start!
~eric

Looking for an afterschool job?

2008-02-20T13:21:00.004-05:00

A job posting sent to me to post to you!
Let me know if you're interested.
~eric

We are seeking an enthusiastic high school student to support the staff of a fast-growing and innovative software company. (To learn more about PatronTechnology and what we do, check out our website: www.patrontechnology.com)

If you’re organized, detail-obsessed, and love to Google, this position is for you. Our ideal candidate will be able to pick up procedures pretty quickly and have an interest in the arts. We’d really like to find someone who’s going to care about the work they do for us.

Most of the time, you'll work with our Account Development Team, tidying up our database, researching and developing lists for outreach, and helping to analyze responses to our outbound marketing campaigns. There will be times when you will be asked to work with our office manager on filing and general administrative projects as well, but the majority of time will be spent on the computer.

We’re looking for someone who can work with us for 5-10 hrs a week, but we’re flexible—we can work around your class schedule. Our office hours are M-Th 9-6pm and Friday, 9am-5pm.

Please send a resume (feel free to include volunteer and school involvement as well as any employment history that you might have) and letter of interest to allison@patrontechnology.com. This position pays $8/hr. Applicants may be asked to provide teacher references.

sunday (feb 24) at the theater...

2008-02-19T18:09:00.004-05:00

Liberty City: a place where people of the African Diaspora have settled; where urban and island cultures rub up against each other, and the site of Miami's infamous 1980 riots. Enter April Yvette Thompson--a child of children of the 60's, the daughter of a Bahamian and Cuban father and an African American mother: free thinkers, young radicals and movement people. As the hope of the 60's and 70's gave way to the disillusionment and disintegration of the 80's, April's family struggled to survive and stay together. Part history, part imagination, Liberty City is her personal story that illuminates the lives of one family through the context of social, cultural, and political events.

All TRaC Alum can get free tickets for themselves and friends!

High 5 gives you the access. This show will feature an exclusive post-show talkback with star and co-author April Yvette Thompson, along with director and co-author Jessica Blank, immediately following the performance. Don't miss this unique behind-the-scenes look just for High 5-ers!

Email eric for tickets.
Sunday, Feb 24, 2008 2:00 PM EST
at New York Theatre Workshop

Attention Film Buffs

2008-02-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in seeing an advanced screening of this with a director Q&A (dir. of Eternal Sunshine), shoot me an email ASAP! Availability is limited. Time is running out........

Starring Jack Black and Mos Def

Thursday, February 21 , 2007

Reception at 5:30 PM
Screening at 6:00 PM

A SPECIAL Q & A SESSION WITH DIRECTOR MICHEL GONDRY WILL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THE SCREENING.

Time Warner Center
Screening Room,
One Time Warner
Center, 10th Floor

Columbus Circle (entrance on 58th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue)

Open House help for Free BLUE MAN tix?

2008-02-06T17:58:00.000-05:00

Hey'all,

Next week at our Spring TRaC Open House -- that's Wednesday, Feb. 13, 4:30-5:30 -- High 5 is going to be hosting students, parents, teachers, funders and anyone else who wants to know what TRaC is all about. I would love to have some volunteers, as many of you as possible, to answer questions, chat up some kids from all over NYC and show some High 5 love.

As an added bonus, anyone who comes to the Open House - your friends included if they want to find out about the program - will get TWO free tickets to BLUE MAN GROUP on Wednesday, February 20th @ 5pm. Take anyone you like. Now, that's a hot High 5 deal.

I hope you can make it!
Shoot me an email if you're interested. eost@high5tix.org

check out the Blue Men here.

afro-latin jazz....FEEL it on Jan 25

2008-01-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

An opportunity for everyone to come together and shake it the way the Lord made it before January ends....

THE AFRO-LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Friday, Jan 25th, pre-show "improv chat" with Arturo O'Farrill kicks-off @ 6:30pm
Bring as many friends/family as you like - FREE!

Arturo O'Farrill, the conductor, is a long-time friend of the famous New Orleans Jazz Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. The Afro-Jazz Orchestra had its home at Jazz @ Lincoln Center for the past five years and has just moved to its new home at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. Their music is the most modern fusion of African Beats, Latin Rhythms and Delta Jazz - truly "world" music. And it moves! Arturo has teamed up with High 5 for this special event because of his profound belief that young people will be changed by this music. You'll be meeting him before the show and are invited to a reception with food and drink afterwards... it's a hot deal. And it's FREE.

Check out the link to the performance on High 5's Event Calendar for more information and directions.

To get your tickets, just email me and let me know how many tickets you need . I'll send you a voucher. REPEAT: You can have as many as you like!

Hope to see you there....

~eric

Images from the December TRaC Finale

2008-01-08T12:20:00.000-05:00

They were good times....

But don't worry! They're far from over!

The Spring TRaC Application is now available. Download one on the TRaC Homepage at www.high5tix.org and send it in to reserve your spot. Take the same TRaC, or try a different one.

If you can volunteer to be at the TRaC Open House in February, contact me and let me know. Can't wait to get started again!

~eric

TRaC FINALE Program Revealed!

2007-12-12T15:53:00.000-05:00

The TRaC FINALE is Friday!
High 5 HQ @ 1 East 53rd Street
5:30 - 7:15

5:30 - High 5 gets a HUGE CHECK.
Literally, a big check (3 feet by 5 feet) from a foundation to support our program. We need you here to show support! Let them know they are spending their money well - keeping TRaC FREE and High 5 tix at $5. (Actually, if you could come at 5:25, that would be awesome.) As many of you as possible! Did someone say "photo op"??

5:30-6:00 - pizza, soda and D.J. Vans.
Listen to tunes, mingle, be merry. Eat. Good times.

6:00 - Showcase your work!
Bring a piece of writing you completed in TRaC this fall - or, if you like a piece you did this Summer TRaC, bring that. Or, if you have a poem you'd like to perform, bring that. It'll be like a coffee house, only with pizza. We'll all read excerpts. TRaC Instructors should bring something, too! I'm almost certain we'll see at least one of the short plays Theater TRaC have been working on. (I hope so, Theater TRaC!) Oh, and don't worry if you are shy. We won't force you to read. Not much, anyway ;)

Straight up, it's a chance to hear other Voices in the program - your peers -, to meet the other instructors (in case you're thinking of taking TRaC this spring....hmmmmm) and to check out what everyone has been doing these past 8-weeks.

6:45 - TRaC Breakdown.
Or what I'm calling, "What's your TRaC story?" Yaya and Najee, for example, got tickets for their school theater class to go and see THE OVERWHELMING. Krystal, Wayne and Ariana are organizing to bring a group of kids to theater who've never been before. Or, maybe you have taken a friend to a dive music venue they didn't know about. Maybe you saw the BANKSY graffiti art show on your own. This is the TRaC story stuff I'm talking about. We want to hear what you accomplished this semester and start thinking about what we could do for next spring.....

7:00 - TRaC certificates & Personal Accomplishment sheets.
Each of you will receive a TRaC certificate (something for the wall, or maybe just the college application portfolio) and a Personal Accomplishment sheet with individual feedback from your instructor outlining your "Strengths" and your "Toolbox for Improvement." You should be proud of the work you've done. TRaC requires a lot of time and effort, so we figured we could at least give you a certificate and some pointers on how to go forward as a writer!

And that's it!
TRaC is over and out.

But we've still got this Friday. I'll be looking spiffy to honor all of you and your work. I'm dusting off the 3-piece. Just because. Dress up if you want to. No pressure. It's all about being here, not what you're wearing anyway.... (of course, I am wearing a 3-piece suit, you know, and probably a pink tie... so... yeah....uh, class it up if you want to. ;)

See you Friday.
~eric

High 5's Picks of the Week

2007-12-12T15:18:00.000-05:00

Interested in the latest picks of the week, including my "Easter Egg"?
Click the link: http://high5tix.org/Aspx/EventsAndShows/Picks.aspx
(Last week's Easter Egg was the BANKSY show. I cut and pasted the write up and put it on the Visual Arts TRaC Blog. Definitely check out the show, if you're into street/graffiti art.)

If you are already signed up the the High 5 e-mail newsletter, chances are you already got this info. If not, you should take two minutes and sign up now. Make sure you click the "Teen Reviewers and Critics" box, so you get an email when I put up the Spring TRaC Application. You can, of course, take TRaC again.... and again.... and again....

TRaC. The latest shows. Last minute Broadway tickets. High 5 Nights.... All that, and more, just for signing up. (yes, i sound like an advertisement; but it's really worth it!) Don't miss out!

~eric

Alvin Ailey pictures and slideshow...

2007-12-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

A blend of every TRaC class, friends of TRaC and the NYC Parks and Recreation kids in the High 5 HQ lobby, just before our stroll to City Center for Alvin Ailey on Tuesday, December 5th.

Read Dance TRaC Instructor Brian McCormick's short review of the show on the Dance TRaC Blog.

the slideshow...

Jazz Battle Pics and Slideshow

2007-12-12T13:03:00.000-05:00

...from the Jazz Battle on December 1, @ Jazz at Lincoln Center in Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola.

the slideshow...

Save the Date! (Note: TIME CHANGE!)

2007-12-04T20:17:00.001-05:00

the TRaC Finale
friday, december 14th
High 5 HQ
(1 East 53rd Street - between 5th and Madison)
5:30 - 7:15

details to come...

omg.
8 weeks is almost over.
can you believe it?

2 questions to always consider....

2007-12-03T18:35:00.000-05:00

#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

Alvin Ailey Raffle

2007-12-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER

Are you ready? Here comes another of the many amazing perks to being in High 5's TRaC program...

I am raffling off 14 tickets - phenomenal seats - for next Tuesday's Alvin Ailey performance at City Center. That's this Tuesday, December 4th, 7pm. (The show is about an hour and a half.) We'd meet up at High 5 at 5:45 pm....

And it's not just tickets you win...

Starting at 5:45, winners of the raffle will come by High 5 for pizza (of course) and a special presentation on Alvin Ailey with our very own Dance TRaC instructor, Brian McCormick. Also in attendance will be 12 teens from the Abraham's House - a social service organization. We want you all to come tell them about your arts experiences... just mingle, eat, chat, hang out... basically, make them feel at home.

We're really trying to build our relationship with Alvin Ailey, to get more tickets for High 5 - for you! We need the raffle winners to write 300-500 words on your experience. Some hype we can send to Ailey so they know we can bring the young audience. We need your help!

So that's the deal.
"How do I enter this raffle?" you ask.

Simple:
SEND ME AN EMAIL with "Alvin Ailey" in the subject line. In the body of the email, please include a phone number where I can call you Monday night.

*Note: You can only get one ticket to this event. Anyone, from any TRaC class, can enter the raffle. I'll be doing the drawing Monday at 4pm. At that point I'll notify all the winners and apologize to all the... well, let's not call them names :)

So! If you are free from 5:45 to 8:30 on Tuesday night and wouldn't mind seeing Alvin Ailey at City Center from some of the best seats in the house, send me that email.... eost@high5tix.org

peace and dance,
eric

to get you amped...
here's some NY Times Ailey hype from this weekend's paper: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/arts/dance/30aile.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

CHECK OUT THE NEXT POST for info on Tuesday's VIDEO REVIEW PARTY, also this Tuesday at 4pm... all are invited.

Also on Tuesday - Video Reviews!

2007-11-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

VIDEO REVIEWS and POETRY SLAM RECORDING SESSION
@ HIGH 5 HQ
Tuesday, December 4th, 4pm till whenever...
email eric with your ideas.

Even if you don't win the Alvin Ailey Raffle, come on by at 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon to record some audio reviews for the High 5 website and TRaC Blogs! I know that Tai, Yaya and Najee from Theater TRaC and Nino from Music TRaC are coming by. I'd love to have someone from every TRaC class!

We'll be setting up a video camera and you'll be "performing" your review of any show(s) you've seen this fall through High 5. Before you come, you should prepare a short version of your reviews - we're thinking 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds. Not much longer!

Najee and YaYA will also be performing their slam poetry from the Urban Word event. If you come and have another idea - you want to bring a guitar and do a musical review..... - that's cool, too. All creative performance is welcome.

And, there will probably be pizza. Because I just can't get enough pizza and High 5 foots the bill. (That's the truth. :)

So shoot me an email at eost@high5tix.org and let me know if you're thinking about coming, and what you'd like to review.

We'll make you famous! (well, we'll try...)

peace and poetry,
eric

The Jazz Battles ... smokin' hot...

2007-11-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

Boom. Heyo!

Thanks to all who made it to the TRaC Meet last night. Those who missed due to SAT Prep, tests or other conflicts, you were definitely missed. We could have used a Dance TRaCer in the house! ;) Check out Basquiat's work if you get a chance. There are tons of YouTube videos and images if you Google his name. RIP SAMO.

On to the next.... TRaC Meet #3 of 4!
What's better than a raging fire to escape December's chill? A crackling Jazz Battle, set against Central Park's winter-wonderland. Come to Jazz @ Lincoln Center for this exclusive High 5 gig and soak up the musical heat as two competing tenor saxophonists "clash the brass" in search of that musical Moment of Truth. This event will be open to all High 5ers starting next week, so we've set aside a chunk of tickets just for TRaC. You guys get first dibs. Come out and represent! Friends and family are welcome, too - all you need to do is email me with the number of tickets you want by Monday, November 26.

Jazz Battles will be at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz @ Lincoln Center on Saturday, December 1. The set begins at 2:30 p.m., doors open at 2:00 p.m. RSVP by Monday, November 26 to eost@high5tix.org (include number of tix you need)!

So come on out, meet your fellow TRaCers and hang loose... jazz style.
(Reminder: classes pick up again on Wednesday, November 28th.)
Have a great Thanksgiving.
See some arts.

-eric

RSVP to Monday'sTRaC Meet!

2007-11-15T17:44:00.001-05:00

High5tix.org is more than just $5 tickets for teens all over the world to New York City's best music, theater, dance and museums....

We hang out and watch movies, too!

This Monday we'll be watching BASQUIAT (1996).

Tagline: " In 1981, A Nineteen-Year-Old Unknown Graffiti Writer Took The New York Art World By Storm. The Rest Is Art History."

Here's a link to the Internet Movie Data Base page.

This is the Brooklyn Museum's interactive Basquiat page. They had a retrospective of his work recently. It's a good place to start if you've don't know his work.

Remember: Monday, November 19th, 5:15 pm at High 5 HQ (1 East 53rd Street)
bring $3 for pizza and soda!
RSVP - you may bring friends from outside the program (just let me -eric - know how many!)

TRaC Meets! (#2 and #3)

2007-11-12T19:06:00.000-05:00

Save the dates!
RSVP ASAP!

TRaC Meet #2 - next Monday! Pizza and a movie....
Monday, November 19th - 5:15 pm at High 5 HQ, in the theater at the rear of the lobby w/special guest, Ronnie Porto, High 5's Freelance Film Guru
bring $3 for pizza and soda
RSVP via email- you may bring friends from outside the program (just let eric know how many!)

TRaC Meet #3
Saurday, December 1st - Jazz Battles at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. This is an EXCLUSIVE High 5 event! Bring friends and any family, too!
There are two time slots: 12:30 and 2:30
RSVP - let me know what time slot and how many tickets you need!

the 1st easter eggs & High 5's e-Newsletter

2007-11-08T17:55:00.001-05:00

Easter egg
n.
A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter.
A hidden feature in computer software, a DVD, or a video game.
slang - one of the hot picks dropped in High 5's e-newsletters by yours truly.

Let's run with definition #3, as "eric's easter eggs" have nothing to do with video games, dyed eggs, or The Cadberry Bunny.

As a bonus *EXTRA*every week, starting next week, I'll be hand picking a special event for the High 5 Email Newsletter. My only rule is that has to be something FREE for you to participate in. One rule, infinite possibilities. It could be a music performance, a street fair, a writing contest, a museum program, a break dance battle in Washington Square Park or a march for Peace and Poetry. The only catch is...

You have to be on High 5's email newsletter to hear about it!

There are perks to being on the e-newsletter besides my easter eggs. High 5's newest shows and our Pics of the Week are sent out on a weekly basis, too. When we get those last minute Lion King and Blue Man Group tickets, the newsletter is where you find out. All our programs, like TRaC, are announced there. And, in the very near future, we will post clips of your reviews and any VIDEO REVIEWS you want to do up as well.

So! Don't miss out. Take 2 minutes and sign up for the newsletter by clicking here. (Or use the link on the top of the right column....)

And now, without further adeiu, I present my first Easter Egg(s).....for the Teen Reviewers and Critics exclusively!
Enjoy.

1st up, an Urban Word Open Mic Night!
It's a FREE open mic and performance tomorrow at Baruch college. You can
just go and watch--OR you can bring a poem and read in the open mic! "The performers are dope, " I've been assured by Erica at Urban Word.

Friday, November 9th / 5-7pm
Location: Baruch College
151 East 25th Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenues in the Newman Conference Center, Room 750 (VC Building)

Second up, (and you will have to choose between these....)
The Collaborative Spirit: A Discussion of the Legacy of Billie Holiday
FREE at the legendary Apollo Theater!

"In celebration of the launch Art & Soul: The Apollo Performing Arts Series, the Theater will present a series of events and offerings between Nov. 1st-10th, including a panel where Nnena Freelon, Ronald K. Brown, & others discuss the impact Billie Holiday had on American culture & the genesis of Blueprint of a Lady: This lecture is free, on the Apollo Theater Soundstage, & open to the public."

Friday, November 9, 2007, 7pm
The Apollo Theater
253 West 125th Street
New York, NY 10027

Note: This is a discussion featuring Nnena Freelon and Ronald K. Brown - the performance is Saturday night, and THOSE tickets you have to buy. :) I just thought this sounded cool. I love Billie Holiday!

That's it this week.
Next week I'll be on the newsletter, so make sure to sign up!

Saturday Shout Out

2007-11-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to Nicole, Ariana, Salome, Sophia and Melissa for coming out to work the Urban Word event last Saturday. I couldn't have done it without you (or the candy)! :) We also caught up with Najee and YaYa, who auditioned for the competition right after SATs. Ouch! Good luck to both of you....

Coming soon...
Najee and YaYa perform their poems for the TRaC Blog. Holla.

If anyone wants to record a 1 minute VIDEO REVIEW of one of the shows you've seen, come on in, we'll record it and throw it up on the Blog and the High 5 website. Instant fame!

Email me if you're interested...

Happy post-Halloween post (and reminder: we at the High 5 office don't mind taking extra candy off your hands... free tix for Kit Kats?)

2007-11-01T14:16:00.001-04:00

Our other Mamma Mia winner, Nino turned up on Halloween and we snapped this shot. (later, in Music TRaC, she gave her Marilyn Monroe wig to Alex D. Picture coming soon....)
Scroll down to the Mamma Mia Update post to read YaYa's rave review of the show by clicking on comments, or click here!

And a big shout out to Tai, Salome, Sophia, Nicole, Mellissa, Ariana and Nathalie for volunteering to help out at the Urban Word poetry slam/Knicks/college extravaganza at the Hammerstein Ballroom this Saturday. (Multi TRaC, Theater TRaC and Visual Arts TRaC represent! Where you at Music TRaC and Dance TRaC?? ;)

If anyone else is free on Sat, come on by and say hello. The event is from 10 - 4pm. The Hammerstein is on 34th Street between 8th and 9th Ave.

Volunteers Needed this Saturday!

2007-10-30T19:38:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,

Want to hang out at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday and talk up High 5? I need four good people to come and help me work the High 5 table at the 2nd Annual Urban Word/ NY Knicks College Fair and Open Audition.

The event is from 10 - 4, so I need at least two people to help from 10am - 1pm and two people for 1pm - 4pm.

This is great volunteer experience to put on your resume. AND, really, how many times does a volunteer opportunity involve scholarship money, a talent show, an awesome organization like High 5, the New York Knicks and access to college info??? Exactly.

Here's the press release:

2nd Annual Urban Word/NY Knicks College Fair and Open Audition

This year’s college fair will present over 50 colleges, universities and community organizations, ranging from CUNY and SUNY schools to historically black colleges. Join Urban Word NYC and the NY Knicks for a day of FREE college resources, live entertainment and a chance to win over $100,000 in scholarship money. Come to watch, or come to spit-- the open audition is the first step in the Knicks Poetry Slam series that offers scholarships, workshops, prizes and performance opportunities. All teen poets, emcees, singers and spoken word artists are encouraged to come perform a one-minute poem/rap/song for a chance to compete in the slam! Please come early, and visit www.knickspoetryslam.com or www.urbanwordnyc.org for all contest guidelines.

FREE COLLEGE FAIR & $100,000 in scholarships!!

SAT. NOV. 3rd 10AM – 5PM
Hammerstein Ballroom
311 W. 34th St. btw 8 & 9 Ave

Email me if you want to help out. Those who volunter may also get an opportunity to see another surprise show - even better than Mamma Mia.....click here.

~eric

MAMMA MIA—Update!

2007-10-23T11:42:00.000-04:00

The emails swarmed in over the weekend and all the names were dropped in High 5's very own Sorting Hat (actually a battered Mets cap that is decidedly un-magical) and Farasha "YaYa" Baylock and Nino Rekhviashvili are our happy winners!

YaYa with the golden tickets...
(We missed Nino - how could we not get a shot of Nino?!)

Congrats to YaYa and Nino and better luck next time to everyone else!

~colin

Who Wants to See MAMMA MIA?

2007-10-19T15:09:00.000-04:00

Do you like Sweden? Or, more directly, 70's-era pop bands from Sweden? Or even more specific, a jukebox musical based on a 70's-era pop band from Sweden?

If so, then 1.) you're VERY particular and 2.) I've got a deal for you!

Thanks to the generosity of a High 5 patron, we've managed to secure 4 orchestra seats to the Wednesday, Oct. 24th, 8:00 p.m. performance of MAMMA MIA and we're offering them to you, our wonderful TRaCites (TRaCaphones? TRaCiens? TRaCenstanis? What do you people call yourselves?).

Of course, there are only four tickets and so many of you, thus we're raffling off 2 sets of 2 tickets on Monday, Oct. 22nd. To be entered into the raffle, all you have to do is email me (cpd@high5tix.org) your name and contact info (meaning, email and phone) and that's it! We'll contact the winners on Monday with the happy news and rest of you...well, will have to be content with the below Youtube clips.

One important note: These are actual physical tickets and you have to be able to pick them up from High 5 World HQ by Wednesday, Oct. 24th by 5:00 p.m.. If you can't pick them up, then please don't enter.

That being said, email me (again:cpd@high5tix.org) your info and happy hunting!

This is what music videos used to look like. What dark days those were.

Mamma Mia at the Tonys:

~Colin

TRaC meets Jan Švankmajer's shorts

2007-10-17T01:02:00.001-04:00

If you missed the TRaC Meet last Thursday (or if you made it!), here's a chance to take a look at a few of the Czech filmaker Jan Švankmajer short films we watched.

The first two YouTube videos I've posted are Dimensions of a Dialogue, Parts 1, 2 and 3 (1982):

this one is poor quality, but it's all I could find...

this is two-shorts-in-one - the 2nd and 3rd part of Dimensions of a Dialogue:

and everyone's favorite, Meat Love (1988):

Now those are different, eh?

We talked about what these experimental shorts are saying about communication. What happens when it breaks down? What happens when two sides say the same thing? (toothpaste is grinded by a pencil sharpener on a tongue, of course!) Even, what are the different meanings of the word 'communication'? The first two pieces are called "dimensions of a dialouge" so we are invited to interpret the work through that lens.

TRaC is all about communication: discussion, writing reviews and criticism, preparing questions for an artist.... what do these films say about us???

OR we could just think about the fact that those first videos were made start to finish by Švankmajer, by himself - all the filming, sculpting, editing, everything - and they took years to do. This 20 minutes of stop-motion was, yes, years in the making. Even the music of the films (he didn't write the scores) and sound effects (which he did) have their own strange dimension. (Fun fact: Švankmajer is known as the father of claymation. He's a god to all the Pixar guys). And though it's complex what he does, he deliberately uses household objects, showing them to us in new ways. We are disgusted sometimes and then find ourselves happy, for instance, when we see that Meat can turn on a radio and dance. Oh, happy Meat!

Many people consider Švankmajer do be a surrealist, his ideas stemming from the work of people like Salvador Dali, who painted The Persistence of Memory in 1931.

In case you want to dig deeper, here's Švankmajer's website: www.jansvankmajer.com ; his stats on the Internet Movie Database ; and his page on the New York Times, with a bio and several links to articles and REVIEWS!

Any other thoughts on these films or ideas?
Should we have more TRaC Meets and explore some other artists all together???
Feel free to leave a comment.

~eric

1st TRaC Meet this Thursday!

2007-10-09T18:17:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

Your director here. I'm happy to welcome you to the High 5's Teen Reviewers and Critics program! We're very excited to have such a dynamic group from all corners of New York and New Jersey. (We've even got Staten Island!) So, be proud.

Before we even get into your particular class schedules (for theatre trac, dance trac, etc.), first we must all come together and....well...eat pizza. How better to all meet for the first time??

The kick-off of the Fall TRaC programs is the TRaC Meet. Makes sense, eh? The TRaC Meet is this Thursday, October 11th, from 5:15 until about 7:15 at High 5 Headquarters. For those of you who made it to a TRaC Open House, it is in the same theater at the back of the lobby. For those of you who have never been to High 5 HQ, I've included a google map for your viewing pleasure:

View Larger Map
High 5 HQ is located at 1 East 53rd Street, between 5th Ave and Madison Ave. I've provided a few resources in the "Getting Around NYC" column on the right to help those of you not used to traveling in the city. Hopstop.com is a great tool to figure out what subways you should take! Just click the link here or in the right column, enter the address you are starting from (in the city) and put in the High 5 HQ address, and it will give you detailed directions for walking and for the subway transfers you will take. This is THE TOOL to use when you are figuring out how to get to the outings!

by train:
High 5 HQ is closest to the 5th Avenue stop on the F and E trains; and closest to the 51st Street stop on the 6 train, if you're coming from the eastside.

If you need any other help, feel free to email me (eost@high5tix.org) or give me a call (212-750-0555 ext.208). Put that number in your cell phones! Just in case. Someone always need it. :)

So!
The TRaC Meet will be your chance to meet EVERYONE involved in TRaC this fall. We'll also talk about bit more about the programs and watch three short films (5 min shorts) by Jan Švankmajer and talk about them. You'll also meet your instructors, the new High 5 Executive Director and a very special guest!

For those of you starting Theatre TRaC (link to Theatre TRaC blog, still under construction!) and Dance TRaC this Friday, I will follow up tomorrow with directions to your first class. Note: Theatre TRaC, there is a show immediately following your first class, just so you know!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.
And once again, welcome to TRaC!
I hope you have a great fall.

best, eric

Spike wants you! (for TRaC)

2007-09-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

"My mother was always taking me places to see performing arts. I was grounded in the arts. I can remember so clearly how she took me to the Radio City Music Hall one Easter Sunday to see Bye Bye Birdie. I also remember her taking me to Broadway to see The King and I with Yul Brynner when I was four of rive years old, and how I cried until she took me home because I was too scared. Either the music was too loud or I didn't like our seats-last row in the balcony. I'm still afraid of heights. The point of it was this: All this exposure started my interest in visual arts. May siblings and I were exposed to the arts, all of'em This happened about as soon as we could walk. I believe exposure makes all the difference in the long run."

-Spike Lee, 1992

Jean-Michel Basquiat and BANKSY, as promised

2007-08-07T22:21:00.000-04:00

"I don't listen to what art critics say. I don't know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is."

Untitled acrylic and mixed media on canvas
by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1984

Read a review of the recent Basquiat Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum in the Brooklyn Rail.
The Wikipedia page...click here.

AND

BANKSY's hompage.
explore
|
|
|
\/

http://www.banksy.co.uk/

scroll through these at your leisure ------------------>INDOOR WORKS

thinking about the Gates

2007-08-07T22:02:00.000-04:00

(while looking for a good picture of the gates i found this. graffiti to question the art... a different twist, eh?)

Below is the link to the Christo and Jeanne-Claude's website. Click on the SOME ARTWORKS button and browse through their work a bit. They have wrapped entire buildings and bridges, and surrounded islands in the Florida keys. Why? I have no idea. But I think it's awesome. Read about their process - fascinating stuff. http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/index.shtml

I pulled this Q&A directly out of the FAQs on their site:

Why are their works so big. What's the point?

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's works are entire environments, whether they are urban or rural. The artists temporarily use one part of the environment. In doing so, we see and perceive the whole environment with new eyes and a new consciousness.

The effect is astounding. To be in the presence of one of these artworks is to have your reality rocked. You see things you have never seen before. You also get to see the fabric manifest things that cannot usually be seen, like the wind blowing, or the sun reflecting in ways it had not before.

The effect lasts longer than the actual work of art. Years after every physical trace has been removed and the materials recycled, original visitors can still see and feel them in their minds when they return to the sites of the artworks.

There is no other way to describe that the feeling of that effect other than to say it is magical.

the Serra installation video - in fast forward!

2007-08-07T10:27:00.000-04:00

i like the beginning of this video. they put the first piece down, then decide... 'No, a little to the left.' Then, 'hmmmm. No, move it back to the right.' It's like hanging a picture frame that weighs 30 tons. Turn up the volume and consider how MoMA is presenting this work... (And don't you just love time-lapse photography...)

i've watched a few of the videos that appear at the bottom of the You Tube screen when this one ends. they're worth it to get an idea of how long it took to design and build those (some more than 3 years). there's a moment in one where he asks an engineer if it's possible to build the shape he wants to build and the guy says he doesn't know. it was never attempted.

This will not be eloquent.

2007-08-06T22:48:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed our time at the MoMA. "Automatic Update" was great; I enjoyed the interactiveness of those two works of art (the one that spits out questions and the one that creates a dialogue in pictures). And because our generation is inundated with so much media (convergence!), it's interesting to see how artists approach the rapid changes in technology. Who knows, maybe in a year or so, someone will write a book in "txt message" language.

Onto Richard Serra. The giant sculpture exhibit...what can I say? It took about 10 minutes to circle the entire thing on the 2nd floor. I did not feel enlightened. But it was really cool—I mean, imagine the process of installing those steel contraptions into the MoMA! And the way the metal thingamajigs have been manipulated, placed as if they were ribbons. I stood in the entrance of one such "loop" in the ribbon, trying to imagine if, after a hard day's work, Serra could lie down and look up at the enclosing metal around him. It's claustrophobic. It's a wasteland.

Erik Friedlander's The Broken Arm show, outdoors, was quite interesting. Entirely strings. I wish I could have stayed longer.

That's all.

--Ivana

P.S. Did you know that "thirty" also means "conclusion"?

High 5's Q-Box

2007-07-31T12:21:00.000-04:00

If you go to the BUZZ section of the High 5 website you'll find a link for the Q-Box:

The Q-Box is the place where an artist or performer fields a few questions from High 5 to give you an insider's look at soon-to-be stars. Check out the Q-Box every other week for extra info on a High 5 show before you head out to see it.

This week, we've got Waterwell's Tom Ridgely in the box!

Here's the link....
http://highfivetix.org/Aspx/Buzz/QBoxRidgley.aspx

Puerto Rican Reggae at el Museo

2007-07-25T18:53:00.000-04:00

July 26, 2007	Cultura Profética
Cultura Profética mixes up a smooth sound rooted in reggae with touches of salsa, bomba, ska, jazz, funk, hip hop and other Afro-Caribbean rhythms. Hailing from Puerto Rico , this group of six was the only invited band performing in Spanish at the prestigious Bob Marley Festival in California in 2003, 2004 and 2006, and they have worked in Jamaica with Errol Brown, Bob Marley’s legendary producer. Click the poster to enlarge The show is from 7 p.m - 9 p.m. Tickets are first-come, first-serve, so you should arrive between 6:15 and 6:30 at el Museo del Barrio to get in line for your tix! Directions to el Museo are at elmuseo.org. It'll be difficult to coordinate a meeting point/time - as some of you arrive later that others - so get your ticket on your own and we'll meet up inside, if possible. If it's assigned seating and we can't meet up, we won't worry about it and we'll just see each other next Tuesday. :) Remember: as this is a FREE show you can bring along however many people you want. As many friends, family...whoever... as you like.... Looking forward to it! ~eric

the first M.L. speech we hear in THE/KING/OPERETTA

2007-07-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

A clip from "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. In this video, the speech has been edited for Amy Goodman's program Democracy Now! on 99.5 FM, WBAI community radio. The full, un-edited text of the speech is here.

April 4, 1967 is one year to the date before Dr. King's assassination. The whole action of the play takes place during that year, thus, the full title: The Last Year in the Life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As Devised by Waterwell: A Rock Operetta.

Read Waterwell's mission statement and about their process. What do you think they were trying to acheive with THE/KING/OPERETTA? Did they succeed?

Lyndon Johnson political ad

2007-07-23T17:44:00.000-04:00

This is a classic ad to give some context to the political climate when Johnson won the presidency. He doesn't say much (not even the name of his opponent), but not so subtly suggests that if Barry Goldwater wins the election, our daisy picking daughters will be nuked. :)
Enjoy!

in class tomorrow...

2007-07-23T16:29:00.000-04:00

We welcome Wellwater cast member:

Tom Ridgely

check out his bio here.

He'll be joining us from 6 - 7 p.m. I found out last minute he could come so we'll have to shorten our writing workshop. It will certainly be worth it. Be sure to think about (and jot down, if necessary) what you'd like to ask him. Be informed about the company! Links to their site are below....

Assignment!
Make sure to bring your revisions of TOO MUCH LIGHT, or your first draft of THE/KING/OPERETTA. (Four copies if you can.) If you haven't already, take a look at some of the Wellwater reviews and bring one or two in with you. Be ready to critique the critique. Highlight strengths and weaknesses of the review - ideas you like, sentences that are strong, points of contention..... You can find some linked reviews in the right column on the THE/KING/OPERETTA page. For reference, the Wellwater website is www.wellwater.org.

See you tomorrow!

~eric

piggybacking on Kim, Ivana and Khatiya's comments...

2007-07-23T11:50:00.000-04:00

Brevity is not necessarily Meaning's inhibitor! Two minutes could be a lifetime, even if it does make a short play. (Imagine a date with a two minute silence. How many things could that mean?)

How about a six-word story?
like this one, for instance:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

-by Ernest Hemmingway
He called it his greatest work.

Or a two-word (parenthetical) story?

My very photogenic mother died in a freak accident (picnic, lightning) when I was three.

- from Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

Here are some more very short stories.
Consider how to be more economical in your writing. Your first draft is the time to run wild. In draft 2 and 3 it's time to trim the excess word-fat.

(comments? some six-word stories of your own?)

something that isn't a talking dog on YouTube

2007-07-20T19:22:00.000-04:00

The New York Neo-Futurists have a channel on YouTube, though it so far has only two videos. Here's one called "Twisted Hipster."

Also, if you have the time, check out Four Eyed Monsters, the first feature-length film ever posted on YouTube, up until August 15. (kind of nsfw.)

This Thursday's Show

2007-07-18T13:01:00.000-04:00

THE/KING/OPERETTA

We're meeting outside the BARROW STREET THEATER at 9:10 p.m. The show runs from 9:30 until about 11:00.

The theater is located at:

27 Barrow Street
New York, NY 10014

(at 7th Avenue, South of Christopher Street)

subway directions:

to Christopher Street
1 block south on 7th Avenue to Barrow

to West 4th Street
West on 4th Street, left on Barrow

Check out Waterwell's website to learn more about the show. Some press about the company:

Waterwell was founded in 2002 and since then has created eight original plays, one cabaret and a staged reading. Using a combination of research, improvisation and source texts, the ensemble devises each drop over the course of an extended rehearsal period. The resulting mixture of drama and vaudeville uses music and comedy as access points to address larger issues of power, class and race. The New York Times hails the work as, "Brilliant, original and inspired. Alive enough to surprise even the performers themselves," and Theatermania writes, "Waterwell has artfully staked a claim on our collective conscience."

what'd you think?

2007-07-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about Rob's visit yesterday and wondering, now having met the man in charge (and a writer/actor for) the company, how has your experience of the show changed, if at all...

What did you think was the most interesting thing he talked about?

let's get some comments on the board!

~eric

all of you can now post!

2007-07-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

i sent everyone an invitation to be an author for this blog. the catch is that you have to create a gmail account. if you have gmail already, you're good to go. if not, take a minute and set it up. your account will be your log-in.

POST FREELY!
write on anything: your writing process, something about the show we saw, a quote, an event in the city no one should miss.... any and all things TRaC. posting on the BLOG is pretty intuitive, so even if you've never done it before, it's not too hard to figure out. shoot me an email if you have questions...

moving on!

(<---this is Deborah Artman. click the picture for her bio. she wrote this:)

One of the best fiction teachers I had was a writer named Lore Segal, who perhaps still often teachers at the 92nd Street Y in NYC. She was a phenomenal teacher. I remember her first wquestions when looking at a piece of fiction one of us had written was very simple: What is this story about? And then: What do you think the author was trying to achieve here? Did s/he successfully convey that idea? And, because it was a workshop of works-in-progress: How can we assist in the effort?

I think this way of approching fiction can be expanded to the other art forms. What is the piece about? What do you think the artist was trying to achieve? Why did the creator of a piece include this or that element or image? Do the details add up to a satisfying whole?

In any work of art, there is a kind of conversation between the maker and the viewer/reader. I've always thought of it as this: The creator assembles elements into a form that feels right to him/her and presents it to the world, like a gift. The viewer/reader encounters this form and unwraps it, projecting their own self onto what they see. I think it is important for critics/reviewers especially to be mindful of both sides of the equation -- both the making and the receiving/interpreting. It's not only: how am I receiving this (because that can change depending on things as varied as whether you just had a fight with a loved one or the weather is bad or someone bumped you the wrong way on the train). It's also: where did this spring from? What was the artist hoping to do?

some food for thought. consider these questions whenever you go see anything: a play, movie, art exhibition, concert... whateva....

Also, with this in mind, jot down a few questions you'd like to ask Rob Neill today at our workshop! And make sure to bring a 3 or 4 copies of your review!!!

We went, we saw, we write....

2007-07-12T15:59:00.000-04:00

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
check out the NeoFuturists' website
check out Too Much Light on High 5's website

Next Tuesday, at our workshop....

We will speak with the managing director of the show Rob Neill. He was interviewed by a TRaCer last year: read the interview!

your hosts...

2007-07-11T16:07:00.000-04:00

Click the logo and check out the Event Calendar at High 5's website for a list of all the events you can go to for FREE.

The deal...
As High 5’s Teen Reviewers and Critics, you are eligible for two complementary tix to any High 5 show on the events calendar at www.high5tix.org. All you have to do is contact the High 5 ticketing guru, Colin (cpd@high5tix.org), and let him know your name, the TRaC class you are taking and the date/show you want to see. He’ll email you a voucher. Easy as pie.

AND the Public Theater's homepage.
Can you believe they only pay $1 a year to rent that space?
Incredible.