ISLAND HOPPING IN THE TIME OF COVID »
The Guidepost Galloping Gourmets were getting restless. Summer was waning and the travel possibilities were ever slimmer as Covid variants reared their ugly heads. "Delta, Smelta," I said, " enough worrying about variants. Let's go Island hopping." Just as the crew scrambled to find passports, I told them all they needed was their metro pass.
A STATESIDE STORY: FEDERAL AGENTS QUELL RIOTS IN PORTLAND, OREGON; CONSIDERED FOR OTHER CITIES »
After nearly 3 months of nightly protests and rioting in the streets of Portland, Oregon, President Donald Trump dispatched Federal Agents to guard the Federal Court House in Portland, and has considered sending agents to other US cities suffering from rioting, although the Democrat-run cities have protested the “authoritarian” move.The protests which started with the police-instigated death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement has devolved into nightly mass hysteria and mayhem, with Federal Agents using pepper spray and tear gas liberally, and the arrest of many. And Portland is normally a quiet, backwater town.
Noche Flamenca’s “Antigona” in the Time of Corona: At Home with Soledad Barrio and Martín Santangelo »
Bessie Award-winning bailaora/choreographer Soledad Barrio is an intuitive and internal performer who possesses a preternatural connection to her character. She identifies with Antigona, “one of [whose] character traits is to love more than herself. She’s very passionate, and her objective is to take care of her family. It’s related to my life to be connected with family. One part of flamenco is love, passion and concern about the family unit. I connect with that a lot, too.” Noche Flamenca’s production of “Antigona” at La MaMa in Manhattan, scheduled for March 19-April 5, was cancelled due to the corona virus travel restrictions from Europe in March. Then all of New York went into lockdown. Shut in with husband choreographer/producer Martín Santangelo, Barios says “I’m diving into the abyss so I can resuscitate when this is over.”
A Second Opinion: Coronavirus Takes its Toll! »
Be kind to each other while you can. You never know when it will be your last chance.
IT’S A SIN TO MISS THESE TWO SPECTACULAR SHOWS: OPERA LIVE from THE MET & the GAME OF THRONES Official Exhibition »
♦ Big hit since its first season, “+ QUE CINE” has been bringing operas from the Metropolitan Opera in New York live via satellite to Spain’s select movie theaters. ♦ THE GAME OF THRONES OFFICIAL EXHIBITION features a unique mix of immersive environments, interactives, and multimedia content. On hand to dazzle fans are breathtaking images and enthralling artifacts — authentic props, costumes and set decorations — from this most awarded TV show in history.
NEW YORK: A TREAT FOR MOVIE BUFFS »
The fifth annual Ecuadorian Film Festival is on from October 18 to 20 in New York. It’s a lively festival that always surprises, what with its riveting themes. Some of the films have already won Latin American film awards. All are in Spanish with English subtitles. This year’s festival will have two venues: The Queens Museum and the Syndicated Bar Theater Kitchen in Brooklyn. The Queens location is excellent because it also offers a walk through Flushing Meadow park if you choose to get there by the famed 7 train. The multi-faceted Bushwick, Brooklyn location, in an old factory building, is an experience in itself.
A SECOND OPINION: PLACIDO DOMINGO DROPS OUT OF THE MET’S MACBETH »
The furor over Placido Domingo’s relationships with women during his long-spanning career in Opera has reached a crescendo. He decided at the last minute to drop out of what would have been his first US performance since the sexual harassment allegations surfaced in August, from Verdi’s “Macbeth” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera had already canceled his performances with them, citing “the need to provide a safe workplace.”
LITTLE SPAIN IN THE BIG APPLE »
The Guidepost Galloping Gourmets swooped down on Mercado Little Spain in New York. Here's their funny adventure where they "spared nothing in their quest for the best" whcih could almost too literally burn a hole in anyone's pocket!
THE MAKING OF “ROMANZAS DE ZARZUELA”, NEW YORK, AS TOLD BY A MEMBER OF THE CAST »
When I received an email from Jim Furlong, Director of Arts for the Hudson Guild, seeking community members for “Romanzas de Zarzuela,” I knew I had to try out for it. Furlong explained that he was a big fan of a recording called “Romanzas de Zarzuela” sung by Spanish operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé and they pretty much honored the structure and flow of the original recording. “However, I did interject five piano solo numbers," Furlong said. The show is divided into 13 Scenes, with dance numbers for children, youth, elders, males, females and the entire company -- "an experience that's joyful." Furlong and Westerby of the Matthew Westerby Company are already planning their next projects!
THINGS SPANISH IN NEW YORK: ROMANZAS DE ZARZUELA »
ROMANZAS DE ZARZUELA is a new dance piece offered by the Hudson Guild Theatre Company in New York featuring excerpts from several Spanish Zarzuelas. "A celebration of Spanish song and dance," so the Guild declares!
