Road to harmony - Ma's Silk

If I could be in three places at one time, this would have been one of them – the Silk Road Ensemble concert at Damrosch Park last night. Let’s just say yesterday was one of those days when the spirit was willing but my body was weak. Another event which I missed was the Museum Mile Festival of free museum visits, where nine museums were opened to the public for three hours in the evening. Luckily, the Silk Road concert was broadcast live on PBS and surprisingly I was also able to stay up to watch it till finish.

The acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma led the Silk Road Ensemble to a journey through different countries by way of their music. I’ve always been a big fan of Yo-Yo Ma and his work, but this truly inspiring group tops it all. The Silk Road Project is composed of about 60 musicians, artists and composers collaborating and making music using instruments indigenous to their native countries.

Last night was a demonstration of a harmony of cultures, performers from the East and West, China, India, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Galicia and many parts of the world, spoke the language of music. Instruments like the pipa lute from China and the Indian tabla, percussion sounds like no other sound you've heard before wowed the audience. The Persian fiddle kamanchech and the tabla are the most fascinating of all.

The charming and very talented Yo-Yo Ma comes from a family of musicians, his father was a professor of music and his mother a singer. His eldest sister Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma is an accomplished violinist and married to Michael Dadap a renowned Filipino classical guitarist.

What is remarkable about Yo-Yo Ma and his family is that they help encourage young kids to cultivate their talents and discover the joy of music by performing, teaching and conducting workshops. Michael and Yeou-Cheng are actively involved with the Children's Orchestral Society, he as the artistic/music director and conductor and Dr. Ma as the Executive Director. Yo-Yo Ma is also committed to educational programs that connect children to music and ultimately opening the rest of the world to children.

This extraordinary cellist reaches out to young and older audiences, touring and giving master classes worldwide. What an unselfish way to share his gift and pave the road to harmony and cultural awareness through the language of music. His Silk Road Project is more than just the workings of neighborhood musicians but a brotherhood of artists and a cultural project of nations.

Music conquers all and no translation required.

Dance: radical and avant-garde

Diversion of Angels

To celebrate the centennial of the Queensboro bridge, Queens and Manhattan have “bridged the arts” by presenting the works from the Graham II of the prestigious Martha Graham Dance Company on the east side of the City and Michiyo Tanaka the artistic choreographer of Mad About Dance a multi-ethnic dance company from the other side of the bridge in Queens.

I know very little about dance in general but I got a little bit of both of what I was hoping for - sassy and dramatic both uniting classical and contemporary. It was a marvelous program. I always wanted to see Graham’s company and now I’m thrilled to have finally gotten the chance.

My picks as the best out of 7 programs were Diversion of Angels, Keramos and Steps in the Street. Diversion of Angels was described by Graham as three aspects of love : white in perfect balance, red as erotic and yellow as adolescent. It follows no story.

Keramos

Keramos (the Greek word for "clay") by Tanaka is an elaborate multi-media work that featured dancers joined by a live ceramicist creating a piece onstage, musicians playing on clay chimes and drums, and film. The effect was spectacular – a combination of dancing bodies and projected moving images. The live ceramicist at work provided the dynamic image as part of the story telling and symbolism:

So I went down to the potter’s house
and there he was working on his wheel.
And the vessel he was making of clay
was spoiled in the potter’s hand
and he reworked it into another vessel,
as it seemed good to the potter to do.
(Jeremiah 18:1-6)

Michiyo Tanaka, a dancer, choreographer and ceramicist herself, brought together Western concepts and traditional Japanese ideas and made use of video imagery to narrate the story.

"Steps in the Street" is extracted from an anti-war piece from Martha Graham's ballet Chronicle (1936), the same year that she declined Hitler's invitation to perform at the festival held concurrent with the Olympic Games in Berlin. Thirteen women, dressed in Graham’s classic long-sleeved black dresses, entered the stage one at a time, walking backwards, one elbow protruding out in front of the chest, one hand in front of the belly in a protective gesture. It is simple but striking. Striding, jumping, throwing their legs high in the air - is most thrilling.

An all-female cast which dates back when Graham only had women dancers in her company; this is an expression of her political views portraying the devastation that war can leave. A far cry from the fairy-tale settings of classical ballet, it shows the harsh reality of tragedies in the modern world.

Another stellar dance performance. A political and social message sent through a dance ritual. Simple black dresses unmistakably Martha Graham. The innovative creations by Michiyo Tanaka will certainly make her one of the celebrated choreographers of her time. Exceptional, simple presentation but complex movements, her work is a masterpiece.

After watching these, I will never look at contemporary dance the same way again. We who can't dance, are not athletic and technically strong can only admire the works of both women. So we did just that.

Gift horses? Bring them on, Shu-shia

Philip and I are a stickler for details and share what shrinks refer to as a disorder of obsessive organization; quirky sometimes but understandably beneficial if you knew what we inherited from the previous management and board. A messy and archaic system or lack thereof is an understatement. And if there's one thing I hate, it's working without the proper tools.

And so here we were on Saturday, we spent some money towards some much needed office supplies, binding equipment for presentation packets to be exact. He drove me to Staples and like a little girl let loose in a toy store I filled up our cart. He paid for all the purchases hoping to get reimbursed without loose canon Lissa, another board member, squawking about the expense. Good luck with that.

As we walked down his courtyard when we got home, his girlfriend Shu-shia (Susan), head sticking out the second floor kitchen window (she was busy violating house rules by feeding the birds) waved at us and urged me to come up and have coffee to which I gladly obliged. We sat and enjoyed the coffee at the table which in Philip's words “is cluttered with Susan’s stuff”.

Little did I know that Philip was dying to get rid of all her pile of stuff and I felt he was egging her to donate or dump them elsewhere. And yes she did, she offered them to me, one by one. She called it a goldfish plant and if you look closely at the flower, its pouch-like petals with a small opening resemble the little goldfish complete with eyes. Now I have another plant to study and care for. Like I need to.

Bubbly and personable, Susan is so full of life and nice to talk to. It's as if she doesn't have any bad moments. How enviable. I discovered some of her hidden talents – she showed me some photos she snapped and I was impressed with some of the artistic compositions.

Shown below is her business card – the photo is that of clouds (on the left side) in the shape of Buddha as shot gazing from outside the fence of a sewage treatment plant. Did she camp out there just to take this, I wonder? Hmmmm. She also fished out of her bag some pictures she had taken like the white bleeding heart flowers (Dutchman’s breeches) and her favorite white roses, a symbol of honor she said. Those I acquired too.


Chinese paper folding (origami in Japanese), she termed it something like zhe zhi, is one of her many hobbies. Sitting inside a plastic food container in the shape of a globe were paper-folded horses glued to a shocking pink colored post-it note. That too was handed to me, but only the horses. Thank goodness for little favors, I could do without the plastic bowl. Bring them on, Susan.

A bagful of loot and still not satisfied. Philip has a collection of woodworking implements, a pair of beautiful Chinese antique lamps which could be ivory or jade, an original edition of Gangs of New York recently bought for $10 at Amazon, a set of cherry custom-made bookshelves. Those I'm dying to have, but none were offered. Aw shucks!

Such gracious hospitality can only come from someone like Shu-shia. She always has a bag of treats from her bakery, for me and my mom. Philip, you're a lucky man so please don't sweat the small stuff and I promise not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Free for all

Asking New Yorkers to slow down, behave or quit bitching is a tall order. As the Mayor’s idea of congestion pricing got voted down, came another unpopular one. With hopes of improving car and pedestrian traffic in Times Square, Broadway from 42nd to 47th streets was shutdown to thru traffic but whether this is temporary or not, is anybody’s guess. Thinking how NY cabbies have total disregard for humans - always seem ready to play pedestrian polo, and with tourists piling up wall to wall in the already congested sidewalks of Broadway, this isn’t a bad idea. And here’s the bitching moment…
Not bad...... except for the green, gaudy, cheap lawn chairs!

Car-free but it looks like people from all over the world have inhabited the streets and plan to stay! I’m not sure this is a dipstick of greater safety and access for pedestrians. Those lounge chairs can be inviting – not only for the tired tourists, but also the lazy workers who could end up taking naps on their extended lunch hour and vagrants too and possibly thugs! It's a free for all.

I was struck by the ease at which we crossed the streets to get to The Town Hall from the subway station. After our museum trip in the morning, Judy said I have to see this one. I didn’t expect to see beach chairs - and green too? I wonder if Starbuck’s had anything to do with this. It’s not my idea of a Going Green Street Fair, not my favorite shade of green anyway.

But, let’s see what happens. At least now, tourists, myself included, are able to crane their necks, and take their time taking snapshots in the middle of Times Square without getting hit by that looney NYC driver, the yellow cab with a maniac behind the wheels or the "hornless" pedicab!

It was a whole day affair, Judy tires me out. God, she’s got endurance. The only thing she hasn’t done is bungee-jump, I swear. I shouldn’t say a word, she stood in line for at least an hour to get us the free tickets. Thanks a lot for that.

Our destination : The Town Hall, for a piano concert that is part of the summer program Free For All. Years ago, this place used to be the meeting ground for people wanting to be educated on important issues of the day and now is a venue for musical and other performances not just for budding artists but also the renowned ones. Andre Watts and Garrison Keillor are among the many on the list.

We both had burgers at one of the best in town Heartland Brewery and Bar. No, 'not there for the bar, I don't drink. Judy suggested buffalo burgers, but nah.. I’ll pass. The buffalos I know from my childhood were the ones used for plowing the rice fields and hauling firewood from the forests. Could they be the same ones you now are suggesting for me to eat –wouldn’t that be tough and gamey? She said no, but I just ignored her.

Anne-Marie McDermott at the piano with predominantly Haydn sonata pieces was the program. Very talented and playing unquestionably difficult compositions, she happens to be the least of my favorites having seen her perform once before. Her body movements were too showy and distracting for me. I should’ve just watched the concert with my eyes closed, then maybe I would’ve better appreciated the sounds she made. Her selections were eclectic and I’m not sure I’m ready to embrace that either, but who am I to comment, I’m not a pro.

Beggars can't be choosy, the concert is free and I can never play the way she does so I better just shut up. Sorry Anne-Marie. As for the car-free Broadway, "Let's give green space a chance".

Going Dutch

400 years ago the sign would have read: Welcome to Manahatta, Nieuw-Amsterdam. That was in April 1609 when Henry Hudson sailed up the river that today bears his name, into a little island locally called Manahatta or "Island of Many Hills" by its inhabitants the Manahates and Wiechquaseck Indians.

In observation of the 400th anniversary of the Hudson exploration of New York City, the Museum of the City of New York has opened two exhibitions, one (Manahatta/Manhattan) that reconstructs the natural history of Manhattan, as it existed before Hudson arrived and another (Amsterdam/New Amsterdam The Worlds of Henry Hudson) which captures the voyage and the colonization of the city.

The Dutch influence is apparent with many of the City's place names like Broadway from the Dutch Brede weg, Brooklyn from Breukelen, Harlem from Haarlem, Flushing from Vlissing or Staten Island from Staten Eylandt. Wall Street was a wall built by the Dutch across the north side of Manhattan in 1600 to keep the English out, hence the name.

Two years ago while walking the streets of Amsterdam I felt very much at home seeing canal houses with outside stoops and railings, and the interior graced with spiral-shaped balustrades. The stoops derived from the Dutch "stoeps" which means veranda and the handsomely crafted railings, prominent and an iconic feature of many New York City townhomes found in the West Village, East Harlem and Brooklyn Heights reflect the Dutch heritage.

Below is the staircase leading to the second floor one-man show of paintings by Andrew Berrien Jones entitled Stoops of Manhattan: Railings and Shadows, in keeping with the current theme of the exhibition at the museum.

Ironwork artisty as painted by Jones

Unrelated but part of the permanent collection of the Museum are the Doll Houses and the Toy Gallery. Toys small and large give a little history of childhood. It's a story in itself of toys dating back to 1769, doll houses complete with furnishings and all manufactured in the city. The Stettheimer Doll House of the 1920's has a miniature art gallery of original paintings and sculptures of the artists of that period.

The Museum of the City of New York, with it's small but rich collection is not overwhelming. Located on 103rd and Fifth Avenue in East Harlem and overlooking the Conservatory Garden of Central Park, it is a peaceful retreat for anyone wanting a piece of history or a trip back to childhood days.

Tango meets jazz

The evening was an event. It didn't matter that it was done at a little theatre at La Guardia Community College, Avantango did a terrific performance. Founded by the Argentinian bassist Pablo Aslan, this sextet composed of top flight musicians delivered the most incredible music from the base to the tenor-sax, to the trumpet, accordion and the piano. And then this was fused with the most seductive choreography of the classic tango and milonga.

The music from the tenor-sax hit the spot! Romantic and sweet, at times fierce and vibrant, the two dancers couldn't have done a better job of demonstrating all that. I was very impressed with the choreography and the costume change.

And who could provide a rich chronology on the history of tango and the music native to Argentina but the very talented Pablo Aslan. The group performed a few of the pieces by legendary Argentinian composers.

I couldn't pass up this opportunity. It was an invitation from my neighbor Regina and on short notice. This was part of the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert series, ticketed and yet free. An hour of full blown entertainment, upclose view of passionate and intricate dance moves and a mix of electrifying romantic jazz sounds!

Too short, but awesome!

So you want milk

Proper or not, tell me who would have the nerve to shush a kid as she expressed her boredom during the last segment of the Balanchine-Tchaikovsky Spectacular. Two rows diagonally across from our seats was a little girl sitting on her mom’s lap. As Theme and Variations opened onstage she vehemently declared “No. I want milk!" I just had to giggle at this innocence. I didn't hear anybody complain as Mom quietly walked her daughter out of the theatre although I didn’t notice if they ever came back.

Little girls were not in short supply at the ballet, perhaps because it’s the Memorial Day long weekend and it’s also the matinee show and of course it's the American Ballet Company performing. Except for Paloma Herrera, none of the names from the roster of principal dancers rung a bell. It's been a while since I came to the ballet all because with my budget it's not easy on the pocket to keep another subscription. Sometimes I wonder how these dance companies can survive this bad economy.

It even gets better from one part of this Balanchine program to the next. As usual, the dancers were all glitter and the music of Tchaikovsky unsurpassed, although dancers like the most celebrated Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova, whom I have not seen the likes of, still are prominent in my mind.

Jan joined us for the first time and she seemed to have enjoyed herself. I just hope that she got home alright since she was complaining about her aching feet. She said she didn't have any "padding", which she tried to explain but I couldn't understand what she meant and I didn't want to poke deeper. I sure don't want to be in her shoes (pun intended). Celine sort of entertained Jan (so like her) and got the whole story. This whole pointless thing is all about patience which I must slowly and thoughfully exercise since I myself could no longer hide those grey hairs, pull them or paint them. Whatever.

I wonder if the little girl ever got her milk and if so, problem solved! Maybe it was just an excuse, but excuse or not she's entitled to it. She was bored and impatient. In Z generation years, I could be a dinosaur and like this kid boredom and impatience sometimes set in but unlike her I feel obligated to "keep my cool".

Hey, Judy, thanks. You got us the best orchestra seats for a small price and that's "cool".