On Monday, I attended a public Hearing held in lower Manhattan convened in the wake of the Sean Bell verdict, to address ways to increase police accountability. I wrote about what went on at the hearing for the Huffington Post
There was a pretty good turnout.
My favorite witness was Kamau Karl Franklin, a race justice fellow at the prestigious Center For Constitutional Rights here in NY. He had some very intriguing ideas for new legislation, which I wrote about here.
Yesterday was the first very warm day here in NY, so I spent much of it in Central Park. Here are some pics:
Unfortunately it’s cold again today…
At party & showing for armen danilian
Originally uploaded by swan lake samba girl via mobile.
Danilian photographs dancers with the Kirov Ballet based in St. Petersberg, Russia.
Danilian has just released a new book of his photographs called “Behind the Curtain.” It sells for $50. Some of the photos were on display in the gallery last night. One of my favorites was of the dancer in the top picture (sorry my picture is crappy; I only had my cell phone camera with me because I came from court and cameras are strictly forbidden in the courtroom). Unfortunately, I don’t know this dancer’s name since they didn’t have any captions at the gallery.
Fun event; lots of Russians there 🙂 And, they had a string quartet playing that Ariel noticed had instrument cases marked “Kirov”, and a table loaded with Russian chocolates, breads, and wine. Very nice evening!
Last day for sean bell shooting trial
Originally uploaded by swan lake samba girl via mobile.
Press lined up outside courthouse for interviews with bell family and attorneys.
Crazy day yesterday. I waited in line for nearly two hours to buy my Tribeca Film Festival tickets. The festival takes place April 23-May 4. Tickets went on sale to American Express cardholders yesterday, they’ll go on sale to downtown residents on April 18, and on the 19th to the general public.
I always love this festival. My dad is a big film buff, a would-be filmmaker really, and he’s gone to practically every film festival in existence. But I feel like this one is kind of my own; I feel a special fondness for it since DeNiro established it in the aftermath of 9/11 in order to re-charge the lower Manhattan economy. I worked two blocks from the World Trade Center and frequently hung out in Tribeca, and it took me a long time to get over 9/11. I remember sobbing while waiting in line to see a festival movie the first year, standing on an upper floor of the Regal Battery Park Cinemas, standing by a window overlooking Ground Zero.
Anyway, this year there are two movies related to dance — I mean, there are lots of great-looking movies, but two involve dance: “Whatever Lola Wants“, a narrative about a struggling NYC dancer who follows an intriguing man to Morocco, where she becomes enthralled with belly dance; and “Gotta Dance“, a documentary about the first ever cheerleading team for seniors.
Funny, but while I was waiting in line at the festival’s new Village box office for tickets, I ran into an old friend, Claire, from my former studio, Dance Times Square. She and her friend were waiting in line to buy tickets for all of their friends and family to “Gotta Dance,” which it turns out, they are in! She also told me she’s performing in the upcoming Dance Times Square student showcase, on May 19th, and that Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis are scheduled to dance a number or two as well 😀 It’s so wonderful of them to keep performing in these student showcases and local things, since now, they obviously don’t have to.
Another movie that I’m psyched about is “Elite Squad” by a Brazilian documentarian I really like, Jose Padilha. I’d really liked his “Bus 174” about a young man from the Rio ghetto who held a busload of passengers hostage. Like the best true crime literary journalists, his films have a way of finding the larger significance of a story, bringing out the human element without resort to sensationalism, and making you feel for all people involved. This one’s about police force corruption in Rio. Padilha co-wrote with Braulio Mantovani, writer of the famous “City of God.”, I walked around the corner to the Strand bookstore, and bought these three books. I’d gone for the new Pulitzer prize winner (the first for a Dominican author), The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz, which I can’t wait to read, but ended up not wanting to spend so much money, and these, being older, were on sale. I’ve been scouring NYC bookstores for anything written by Pauline Kael for some time now, and ridiculously haven’t been able to find a thing. She’s only just about the most famous art critic ever, right?! It’s been only seven years since her death and now bookstores are no longer bothering to stock her; horrible. Anyway, at least the Strand came through. And, I also got this book by Dominick Dunne, since apparently I’m into true crime lately, and Norman Mailer’s advice to writers. I guess I’ll wait for a 30% discount Borders coupon for the Diaz.
Last, I was so famished and with all that standing in line for the movie tickets, I knew I couldn’t make it home without passing out, so I ended up at “Buono Sera” on University Place. They don’t seem to have their own website, but here’s the New York review. The maitre d looks and talks just like Vincent D’Onofrio, which was fun, and they had a great small band playing in the back, near a little screen showing filmed aerial views of various parts of Italy — very interesting idea for a restaurant, showing video clips of the homeland like that. Service was excellent; I don’t think I ever had a water glass that wasn’t filled to the brim, and when I noticed the films projected on the back wall and turned around to watch, ‘Vincent’ apparently thought I was looking for the waiter and came over, apologized, and told me he’d take my order instead! I only wish their food had been as good as their entertainment and service. Actually, I shouldn’t say that. The wine was excellent as was the panna cotta dessert. The only thing I wasn’t in love with was my main dish — the gnocchi. It was fine and everything I’d expect from a plate of potato dumplings covered with marinara sauce, but there nothing extra special about it; it was just there, unlike the panna cotta. Also the foccaccia was hard on the edges and I wasn’t in love with the dipping sauce — just a basic marinara.
Anyway, okay enough blabbering. I have to go read my books.
Originally uploaded by swan lake samba girl via mobile.
Such a nice day, after trial i came to astoria queens to shop & snack @ omonia cafe, an old favorite when i lived here.
I’ve received several emails lately from people asking me which ballroom dance schools I’d recommend in the New York area (and one person asked me about California, but unfortunately, I’ve no idea what the best schools out there might be). So, I figured I’d just write a post about it, and if anyone has other suggestions, please do comment!
My first school was Paul Pellicoro’s Dancesport, which is now in midtown, near the Empire State Building. They’re a good school for social dance and Argentine tango, and they also have some good competitive (called on the syllabus “International” ballroom / Latin classes). It was there that I was on a West Coast Swing competition team, so I know they used to have good WCS, but I also know my old coach has relocated to northern California. I know they still offer WCS and I’m pretty sure their classes are good, so if you’re looking for that, social, or Argentine, I’d recommend them.
Also for WCS, I’ve heard Steve Nereen is good, but I don’t know where he’s teaching right now. Does anyone know?
I’ve also heard Stepping Out, located nearby, around 26th Street I think, is good for WCS and social dances — especially if Tybaldt and Hazel Ulrich are still there. They also have a good teacher training program if you’re looking eventually to teach.
My latest studio was Dance Times Square, owned by former U.S. Latin champs Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin (and, as the name implies is in the Times Sq. area). They’re a little more expensive, and they specialize in International Latin. They prefer serious students who are interested in training for competition or dancing onstage in their showcases. If you have dance background (or even if you don’t) and are really serious about competing and / or performing, or becoming a pro, this may be your best bet.
If it’s serious International Standard that you’re looking for, I think Ballroom on Fifth is supposed to be the best.
If anyone has other ideas, please do leave your input!
Today, Ariel and I went to the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, which is currently celebrating its 200th anniversary. The church was founded in 1808 when it separated from a larger demonimation because of racial segregation.
But today Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was also celebrating its 50th anniversary, today’s event part of its faith-based honoring of the spiritual heritage of Mr. Ailey’s life work, which took place in churches throughout New York and the country, including Rogers, Texas, Alvin Ailey’s own hometown. We were very lucky: at our event, Judith Jamison, artistic director and former dancer extraordinare with Ailey attended and gave a brief speech about Mr. Ailey’s roots in the church. I also spotted a couple of Ailey dancers in the audience, including the illustrious Renee Robinson.
It was a blast! Former Ailey dancer Nasha Thomas-Schmitt, who heads the Ailey Camp outreach program, giving dance lessons to inner-city youth, trained several children in the congregation to dance the opening of “Revelations” — the “I’ve Been ‘Buked” section (pictured above; also see video here, beginning section). So as the choir sang that song, the children walked down the aisles, dressed in the same styled costumes as the original Ailey dancers, up to the pulpit, where they danced — doing everything perfectly! I almost started giggling when the tallest boy in the center reached upward with his arms, leading his “flock.” It was adorable, and he was right on!
The choir also sang “Rock A My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” my favorite song in “Revelations” (see the last section of that above video). There was no music here; rather the different choral sections provided the harmony, and the melody. They sang repeated choruses, in so many different chords; it was amazing.
The regular minister, Dr. Rev. Calvin O. Butts, allowed one of the junior ministers, Rev. Eboni Marshall, to give the sermon, since she had previously danced with Alvin Ailey. Her sermon was themed “The Show Must Go On,” the message being mainly that no matter how bad things get for you, your show’s not over and God is there for you. She talked about what being a member of Alvin Ailey had meant to her. She said it “taught me, first of all, to stand up straight.” The audience cheered. She said Ailey also gave her a solid work ethic, self-respect and discipline, and taught her that no matter what happened, no matter how much her body ached, no matter how many last-minute set problems the troupe encountered, etc., the show simply had to go on, no excuses.
This was my first time at an African-American church, and I just have to say, it was so much more lively (to make a huge understatement!) than any white church I’ve been to (at least in Arizona). Rev. Marshall spoke theatrically and emphatically, and the audience was very participatory, shouting “Oh Yes!”‘s, and “Um-HUMS!”, and “Oh, He’s coming!”s throughout, fists pounding the air. It was great! Back home, people sit there in near complete silence and the minister talks in the droning pitch of a shrink.
Afterward, Ariel and I went around the corner to a small but down-home-looking restaurant for southern food, called Miss Maud’s SpoonBread. We were going to go to the famous Sylvia’s, but then I realized I was hungry and wasn’t in a mood to wait in a huge line with other “Harlem tourists” and pay a bundle, and small local joints are often better anyway. I’m glad we decided on Miss Maud’s because they had a nice spacious booth, the likes of which I haven’t seen in Manhattan, and it was just a cozy little place. I had my first brunch of fried chicken and waffles, which was delicious, albeit enormous. They had biscuits, just like the biscuits ‘n gravy I’ve had in North Carolina visiting Mom, but these were tiny and shaped like hearts. I thought they were cute, so I had to snap a picture… Anyway, it was a most excellent day!
Today marked the beginning of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 18-month-long fiftieth anniversary celebration. I was unable to go to the performance since I was at the trial, but fortunately for me — for all of us! — they have events happening throughout the next year and a half, both in NY and throughout the country, and the world. Go here for a list. In particular, they’re going to be performing in several different churches throughout New York / New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, and Pennsylvania as part of their Faith-Based Initiative, beginning at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Manhattan this Sunday. An archive exhibit will be on display in Washington DC in May, and will move to Los Angeles later in the year. And in August, there will be several free performances and open dance classes throughout NYC. And, remember David Michalek’s Slow Dancing videos that I blogged about last summer ad nauseam? Well, he’s made one of Ailey dancers and it’ll be showing on the facade of their studios on 9th Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan throughout the entire anniversary celebration. Free art, what more could you ask for!
There are tons of events though, so do go here for more details. And please don’t miss them if they come to your neck of the woods on tour. Global tour begins in September, and US in January. Happy year!
Enjoying well-needed glass of wine
Originally uploaded by swan lake samba girl via mobile.
At Algonquin, between headache-inducing trial testimony from ‘suv guy’ & ny bar discussion on race & crim justice.
Update: So, that lecture on Race and Criminal Justice was really interesting, albeit short. It was given by the president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I’ll write more about it this weekend.
Fabio Coicou, the SUV guy whose testimony we’ve all been waiting for, was on today in the Sean Bell Shooting trial, and, as I said, it gave me a big headache. It was really confusing; it didn’t make complete sense to me, and he contradicted himself a lot — both within his testimony today, and between today’s testimony and his earlier Grand Jury testimony and statements he made to the investigating DAs shortly after the shooting.
I have to go to sleep because I’ve been working like nuts and have seriously got a total of about four hours of sleep since Sunday night, but in a nutshell Coicou really tried to downplay that there was any real confrontation between him and Sean Bell’s group outside the nightclub at all. Said he was waiting for his girlfriend, a dancer at the club, to come out, when Sean Bell went into the club. As he passed by, Coicou told him he had “bread in there,” (ie: money — his girlfriend — in the club) and that “alcohol was taking control of the situation.” When Bell emerged from the club, he approached Coicou, standing “chest to chest” with him, and told Coicou that he “was not letting alcohol take control.”
Bell and his friends then asked Coicou where he was from, Coicou said “Atlanta” but lived in Far Rockaway now. Guzman said he lived in a section of Far Rockaway as well and Coicou told him he may see him around and if he did, this SUV was his car. He backed toward the SUV and had his hands in his pockets but wasn’t scared. Bell and his friends left and Coicou decided he would drive around the block, then return to the club and wait for his girlfriend, which he did. He said he didn’t drive around the block because he was nervous or suspected the men were going to return and harm him, and claimed he never saw men peeking around the corner after the Bell group left. After a defense attorney read to him his Grand Jury testimony, Coicou admitted he did see men peeking around the corner but he wasn’t nervous and didn’t suspect anything. Later in cross examination he said he thought the men leaving might be a “diversion” so he drove around the corner.
After driving around the corner, he returned to the club and waited for his girlfriend. He never heard shots and wasn’t told about them until his girlfriend emerged from Kalua. He maintained he never heard anyone say “go get my gat” (gat being slang for gun), but according to the DA’s notes from Coicou’s meeting with them, he told them he heard those exact words before the men left. The DA stipulated that the notes were accurate.
Coicou’s personality was curious to me. On one hand, he kept fighting with the defense attorneys, saying things like “I’m not on trial here,” when counsel would ask him about his prior crimes or “I’m just trying to be like you,” in response to the question “Mr. Coicou, do you know what ‘diversion’ means or are you using words you don’t know?” On the other hand, he walked with his head down, shoulders hunched over, and seemed nervous. Throughout the testimony, there were a lot of harrumphs and snickers on the defense side of the courtroom, in contrast to comments like, “That’s right, you’re not on trial!” and knowing laughter from the prosecution side. I think the two sides had vastly different interpretations of the value of his testimony.
Anyway, I’ve gone on for far too long. I think both Coicou’s testimony and courtroom reactions to it were very interesting and I’ll write more about it this weekend. After … sleep!
On Friday night I went to the Museum of Natural History to see the new Bjork video. Thanks to the Misnomer Blog on Great Dance for the heads up. We had to wait in line outside for nearly 45 minutes because they ended up having a much greater showing than expected and had to figure out how they were going to accommodate us all. Once we got inside the organizer said he didn’t realize so many people even knew about it. Apparently a lot of people read Great Dance 😀 I was one of the last people allowed inside and I got there over 1/2 hour early.
On our way in, they handed us the 3D glasses. After the first showing of the 8-minute video, the filmmakers showed some slides — also in 3D — and held a Q&A. Bjork was in attendance — a surprise; no one seemed to have seen her in the audience, but after an audience member asked one of the filmmakers what it was like to work with her, she came up and gave her sincere thanks to everyone. I also spotted Chris Elam, director of Misnomer Dance Theater (which I’ve written about here), in the audience, as well as the dancer from his troupe who was featured in the video. Since they don’t have dancer headshots on their website, I don’t know her name, but if you’re familiar with the group, she’s the smallish dancer with short, brown hair.
The reason I was interested in the video was Misnomer’s involvement — Elam choreographed the dance sequences. Unfortunately there weren’t as many of those as I was hoping for; one of the filmmakers explained that they had to be cut because they were too difficult to film. But you could easily see Elam’s influence in the video. As Bjork journeys down a stringy Himalayan river atop a big yak with friendly blinking eyes, a pair of arms and legs slowly grows from Bjork’s backpack, and she kind of gives birth to this alternate identity, which the Misnomer dancer embodies. The dancer breezes along atop Bjork, riding piggyback for a while, at first tiny, wiry-limbed and childlike. But the two soon begin to struggle with each other, culminating in a tumbling sequence where she and Bjork sommersault over each other repeatedly, at times looking like some kind of exotic creature. When asked where he got the idea for that sequence, the filmmaker said from watching some Swing dancers screwing around, which cracked me up. They should have had Elam speak a bit.
The filmmakers said they plan to show the video via analog on the internet, and in movie theaters at the beginning of select 3D films.
Hello. Sorry no post on the Sean Bell shooting trial last night; I was busy getting some dance reviews done and up. Did anyone see Lifetime TV’s new show on Friday night? I thought it was sweet and good-intentioned but a little phony in places. Anyway, my post of that will hopefully be up today on Huffington. Here’s my Explore Dance review of Diana Vishneva’s “Beauty in Motion.”
Yesterday was a big day for trial testimony. We heard from two emergency services personnel who responded to the scene as well as a videographer who shot some video clips, some of which we saw, including upsetting footage of Trent Bennefield being put on a stretcher and taken to hospital, and we heard the first part of Undercover Officer Sanchez’s account of that night. He was called by the People but so far seems only to have given testimony favorable to the defense. We’ll hear the rest of that today. More tonight…