Archive for November 14th, 2005

There’s no doubt that people love Harry Potter. Similarly, people love their iPods. So why was I so surprised at the size of the crowd when I went to Barnes and Noble, Union Square for a live joint taping of PotterCast/MuggleCast on Saturday night?

Five hundred fans were there, and almost all of them were teenage girls. One of them had been given the choice of going to Disneyland or the taping, and she chose the taping. One girl came from Kentucky, another from California, still another from South Africa. They all lined up to watch Emerson, Andrew, Ben, Kevin, John, Melissa and Sue - the new heroes of Hogwarts. The seven of them had been given something every fan dreams of, a chance to see the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and they were there to tell us what they saw.

From L to R: Sue, Emerson, Kevin, Ben, John, Melissa and Andrew

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Symphony Space offers some of the best entertainment in the city; movies, lectures, dance, live music and theatre. But because of my financial situation(or lack thereof), often I’m torn between my desire to be well cultured and my desire to eat.

That’s where the Symphony Space Card comes in handy. For $30 you can get “The Card“, and then whenever you buy tickets, you get a discount:
selected readings - from $25 to $15
movies - from $10 to $6 (plus four free passes with free popcorn)
selected music events - $21 to $16
and all other events are available to you at member prices, which are usually about $5-10 cheaper than regular price. Even if all you do is use the free movie passes it’s completely worth it.

Buy one now, cause I just got an email saying it’s a special introductory offer, so who knows how long it’ll last.

Wonder Women Rock Merce Cunningham Studio

By Guest Reviewer: Shannon Jowett

There’s nothing I love more than the sound of performers tromping to their places on a dark stage. It’s a moment of anticipation both tendered by trepidation (could this be the most painful 70 minutes of my life?) and rife with hope for something fresh, pleasurable, and engaging.

The ladies of Esse Aficionado did not disappoint with their recent program, Readymade, at the Merce Cunningham Studio.

In History, lights came up on 9 women of all different sizes and shapes. Uniformed by considerable skill and Gina Graham’s punchy choreography, they barked the occasional count and worked themselves into near-testosterone aggression while dressed in black, trunk-cut panties and clear plastic, hip-length smocks that rustled furiously with every gesture. Their blocky-solidness–most of it straight-backed with a hearty tilt from the torso–gave way to a recurrent hunching inward dive cut occasionally by broad scissor steps. Hard-edged with lots of stops and starts, the movement was chunky but never clunky (except a brief moment of unison circle work that struck me as that other Graham’s “Primitive Mysteries” for the Jazzercise set.)

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