The Secret Life of Trees
“The Wanderer,” acrylic on canvas, 6 x 9,” 2012
In Manhattan or anywhere in the tri-state area – where the words hustle and bustle are placed somewhere in our daily mantra– the opportunity to observe nature is usually far and few between. Everyone knows the idiom, “Can’t see the woods for the trees.” But in the case of Mary Hrbacek, she sees the trees, the woods and the world that exists within.
I first met Hrbacek during a dinner with respected art advisor Katharine T. Carter. The description of her work fascinated me. Recently I visited Hrbacek’s studio in Harlem to view her art and was pleasantly surprised to find that she is not only an artist, but a curator of nature.
Hrbacek uses trunks, leaves and branches to compose work that exposes the symbiotic relationship that exists between man and the habitat in which we live in. Before my visit, I viewed some of her art online and found it to be interesting, but in-person Hrbacek’s work became animated silhouettes – characters anxious to take their cue onto the proverbial stage of life.
Indeed everyone and everything has a story to tell. Found in Brooklyn, Central Park, Vermont and other places Hrbacek has traveled, the trees selected in her pieces reach far beyond the simplistic, obtuse approach to featuring nature in art. Hrbacek’s work causes the viewer to pause. She pulls the soul out of something thought to be void of one and supplies it with a voice. No longer to be ogled just for the ability to provide shade or admired for their stature or splendor during the changing of the seasons, these trees revealed the delicate dichotomy between masculine and feminine properties.
Virility, frailty, strength, sensuality are all themes that resonate throughout Hrbacek’s work. Through a series of bold, contrasting color selections, Hrbacek’s trees express hope and loss, desire and aversion and all that is ephemeral and divine between the relationship that man has with the universe as well as with members of the opposite sex. Hrbacek’s work presents a pensive look at questions and situations that have reappearing in the telling of man’s history since the days of cavemen. Through these nameless and faceless subjects, we learn more about ourselves.
The Tuesday after Superstorm Sandy I ventured out my home to discover dozens of trees lying in the middle of roads and resting on the roofs of houses and cars. Nature’s fury uprooted them from the earth and took blocks of concrete with them. In that moment, I again realized that nature and art, in one way or another, are always trying to tell us something , and this revelation made my recent visit to Mary Hrbacek’s studio all the more poignant.
Photos: Courtesy of Mary Hrbacek and F.A.M.E NYC Editor
Slideshow: F.A.M.E NYC Editor
Happy Holidays the Ailey Way
November and December are two of my favorite months to spend in New York City. Not because of the brisk temperatures, holiday windows, Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center or tons of tourists and shoppers littering the streets, but because it means that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is in town at New York City Center. And yes – it’s that time of year again folks – time to see athletic splendor and dance perfection on stage (and of course, Revelations).
November also marks the third anniversary of F.A.M.E NYC! And to thank all our FAMERS for their support I would like to share with you an interview with Aisha Mitchell, a feature dancer with AAADT, and give you the opportunity to see her and the rest of the phenomenal dancers of Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in December. To enter type, “I Love F.A.M.E NYC!” in the comment section below. The giveaway ends on Cyber Monday at 12:00 a.m. AAADT’s performances begin at New York City Center on November 28.
Enjoy the interview and good luck!
1. You will be dancing several key roles throughout the season, is there any one in particular you look forward to performing?
I’m really looking forward to performing Ulysses Dove’s Vespers this season. It’s a work I’ve always admired growing up. I think it visually showcases the many facets of being a woman from elegance and poise, to power and strength. It’s an incredibly affirming journey to perform that piece with five other women from the company; it’s almost as if we’re dancing as one.
2. Revelations resonates with people regardless of ethnicity, age or cultural background and is Alvin Ailey’s most seminal work. Could you tell us your thoughts about dancing in this iconic dance masterpiece?
We perform Revelations a lot. It would be so easy to become numb to doing the same steps over and over. But it’s more than just steps, more than just a dance – it’s theater – living art that we are creating on the stage. Mr. Ailey’s choreography and the way he conceptualized the memories of his upbringing in the Baptist church for the stage is masterful. It speaks to people on a level that they can relate to and that’s why the piece is still relevant after all these years. I perform three roles in Revelations, in the sections “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”, “Fix Me Jesus” and “Wade in the Water”. These are iconic roles in the dance world. We are so lucky to work with living legends on a regular basis. Often Judith Jamison will come into rehearsal and work with us on mastering the nuances of the “Umbrella woman”, a role that she is famous for. And our Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya is in rehearsals daily. He knows most of Mr. Ailey’s work, he’s like a dance encyclopedia, it’s incredible having them around to keep the legacy alive.
3. You have performed to several genres of music, but what genres, artists or songs personally get your dancer juices flowing?
I really love all music and my musical education is forever continuing. I play Michael Jackson at the gym, and sometimes my tour roommate and I crank out Dirty South Hip Hop at 8 a.m. to energize our day! Any time we travel to a different city, if there’s time, I try to catch some live music at a local spot. It gives touring its own little soundtrack and makes some cities more memorable too.
4. You are a New Yorker, but which city is your favorite to travel to when performing?
Hopefully this won’t sound too cliché, but I’ve fallen in love with Paris. I’ve been there twice now with the company and we’ve done three to four week runs. It’s such a beautiful city, so rich in history and culture. I could really get used to that lifestyle; sipping on a café in the morning with some leisurely reading, performing in historical opera houses and having a glass of Bordeaux to finish the evening. Perfection!
5. Whether it’s going to practice or hanging out with friends, what three beauty items can you not leave home without?
Definitely lip balm, Nivea hand cream and mascara!
Photos: Richard Calmes, Andrew Eccles
Harlem’s Hey Day Lives Vicariously through Cotton Club Parade
As a child I learned not to fool with the art of resurrection. It is an act that should only be performed by the gods. Tinker with it, and you guarantee folly – The Exorcist taught me that –but when music is involved, you can almost ensure success. And when a musical titan the likes of Wynton Marsalis is overseeing the music, you know it will be a masterpiece. Such can be said about Cotton Club Parade; it revitalizes the era of The Harlem Renaissance with toe-tapping pleasure, pizzazz and the elegance of Ellington.
Imagine getting on the A train and instead of it taking you to the Harlem of today, it transports you back to a Harlem that buzzed with intellectuals such as W.E.B Dubois and Paul Robeson, luminaries like Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay and Langston Hughes and at night sizzled from the red hot jazz of Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Sir Duke. Well hep cats, I’m here to tell you that time machine is Cotton Club Parade.
Cotton Club Parade ignites a spark that captivates the audience for 90-minutes without ever diminishing its flame. For jazz lovers, the musical revue reintroduces the music and arrangements of Duke Ellington, and for audience members not familiar with music of The Cotton Club the show acquaints them with a vivacious, harmonious time in American music and pop culture that has long rested in the shadows of the “15-minute” sensationalized society we have become accustomed to. And in an effort to recognize the art of a more modern era, Cotton Club Parade infuses urban dance techniques like the moonwalk, made famous by Michael Jackson and is a staple in hip hop dancing. But what I found most interesting about the connection explored in the dancing is how art and pop culture is a constant evolution of itself. Cab Calloway did early variations of the moonwalk in the 1930s.
Along with the modern dance elements, the choreography of Warren Carlyle was spot-on. I haven’t seen such spectacular live hoofing in ages! The Nicholas Brothers and Josephine Baker would’ve been proud. The ensemble and Jazz at Lincoln Center All Stars work like a well-oiled machine – no cracks in this production – no sir. It is a buffet for the eyes and ears. Audience members feast on selected texts from poet Langston Hughes and wonderful renditions of classics like “Diga Diga Doo”, “Ill Wind”, “Stormy Weather”, “I’ve Got The World on a String”, “Don’t Mean a Thing” and “Creole Love Call” courtesy of Glee’s Amber Riley, Joshua Henry, Carmen Ruby Floyd and others.
Last year Cotton Club Parade played at New York City Center, and Encores! jumped at the opportunity to showcase the production again this year. And why wouldn’t they? It is a wonderful awakening of The Harlem Renaissance and the artisans that made it such a significant movement in American history. The show played its last performance at the City Center on the 18th, but it is my sincere hope that this production will play other famous theaters in NYC such as the Apollo and Lincoln Center and will tour nationwide so others can marvel at the brilliance of this show the way I did.
Photos: Broadway World.com
LOL! Ticket Giveaway
With the way this economy is going, we could all use some laughter. Wouldn’t you say?
F.A.M.E NYC can supply you with two tickets for a night of laughter with Old Jews Telling Jokes if you can tell me, who was the New York comedian that insisted that he got “No Respect”.
Comment as much as you like. Every comment increases your chances of winning.
Contest ends on October 5th at midnight. This is a quickie giveaway, so act fast!
GOOD LUCK FAMERS! I JUST LOVE A QUICKIE…DON’T YOU?
Tickets courtesy of Serino Coyne. To learn more about Serino Coyne visit, http://www.serinocoyne.com/.
To learn more about Old Jews Telling Jokes visit, http://oldjewstellingjokesonstage.com/.
Gefilte What…Gefilte Who?
Hey FAMERS, how many of you have know what Gefilte Fish is? If you don’t, don’t feel bad, seems most visitors in Times Square don’t know either.
Do you guys remember me telling you about a hilarious new Off-Broadway comedy titled Old Jew Telling Jokes? Well, if you don’t this video below well serve as a reminder of some of the zaniness that is offered up on stage during the show. Recently, OJTJ cast member Audrey Lynn Weston took to Times Square to test people’s knowledge about the delicacy and the responses are funny as H-E-Double hockey sticks!
Old Jew Telling Jokes is billed as the comedy that will make you laugh until you plotz, and I guarantee you will. If you think that clip is funny, then you need to get yourself down to The Westside Theatre and get your laugh on.
But if you keep checking out F.A.M.E NYC, you might just win some tickets for Old Jews Telling Jokes.
To learn more about Old Jews Telling Jokes, visit www.OJTJOnStage.com or check them out on Facebook, Facebook.com/OldJewsTellingJokesOnStage.
Video courtesy of Serino Coyne
Quick Inheritance Ticket Giveaway
It’s part 2 of F.A.M.E NYC’s Double the Pleasure –Double the Giveaway
We all wish that we had a promised windfall coming our way. Well… with F.A.M.E NYC you can inherit a pair of Broadway tickets if you can answer this question:
Who is the NYC heiress that was dubbed “The Poor Little Rich Girl”, had a successful fashion brand and is the mother of Anderson Cooper?
On October 6 previews begin for The Heiress, with the opening night set for November 1. The Heiress first premiered on Broadway in 1947 and tells the story of a New York woman who must navigate the minefields of love and loss and desire and duty.
Enter as many times as you like, contest ends 9/30 at midnight. The winner will be announced shortly afterwards.
GOOD LUCK!
To follow The Heiress click, www.TheHeiressOnBroadway.com, https://twitter.com/#!/TheHeiressBway orhttp://www.facebook.com/TheHeiressBway.
Tickets courtesy of Serino Coyne. To learn more about Serino Coyne click, http://www.serinocoyne.com/.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Ticket Giveaway
Happy Fall FAMERS!
This autumn you don’t have to sit at home watching reality TV to view a night of dysfunction. You can go to the neon lights of Broadway!
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the most maladjusted couples to ever hit a stage; F.A.M.E NYC is giving away a pair of tickets to the revival of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? All you have to do is answer this question in the comment section:
What Hollywood couple recreated the roles of Martha and George in the 1966 film adaptation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Don’t be scared! Enter as many times as you like, contest ends 9/30 at midnight. The winner will be announced shortly afterwards.
GOOD LUCK!
To follow Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf click, http://virginiawoolfbroadway.com/, http://www.facebook.com/woolfonbroadway or https://twitter.com/WoolfonBroadway.
Tickets courtesy of Serino Coyne. To learn more about Serino Coyne click, http://www.serinocoyne.com/.
Double the Pleasure – Double the Giveaway
Summer may be over but on Broadway, the heat is on! This weekend ushers in autumn and the fall 2012 shows are well underway. Two dramas opening this October and November are “oldies but goodies”.
This year marks the golden anniversary of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Previews begin on September 27 at The Booth Theatre and opens on October 13, exactly 50 years to the day after the play’s original Broadway opening on Saturday, October 13, 1962. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf explores marital dysfunction at its highest level in an unforgettable night of cocktails, potshots and crossfire.
On October 6 previews begin for The Heiress, with the opening night set for November 1. The Heiress first premiered on Broadway in 1947 and tells the story of a New York woman who must navigate the minefields of love and loss and desire and duty.
To celebrate the return of these great productions to Broadway, F.A.M.E NYC is hosting two giveaways courtesy of Serino Coyne. The Virginia Woolf Giveaway begins at midnight and The Heiress begins on Monday. Both contests end September 30 at midnight – THAT MEANS DOUBLE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO WIN!
Good luck!
To follow Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf click, http://virginiawoolfbroadway.com/, http://www.facebook.com/woolfonbroadway or https://twitter.com/WoolfonBroadway.
To follow The Heiress click, www.TheHeiressOnBroadway.com, https://twitter.com/#!/TheHeiressBway orhttp://www.facebook.com/TheHeiressBway.
To learn more about Serino Coyne click, http://www.serinocoyne.com/.
59E59 Theaters Gets Jazzy with The Anderson Twins
59E59 Theaters is known for bringing downtown theatre to the upper East side. Sometimes provocative, but always inventive, productions playing at 59E59 never cease to showcase the unbridled potential of Off-Broadway theater. Future jazz maestros The Anderson Twins are no strangers to 59E59 Theaters, once headlining every Thursday evening at the theaters’ bar. And this fall they are starring in their own production recreating the music of The Dorsey Brothers in The Anderson Twins Play The Fabulous Dorseys!
Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were jazz musicians and fronted their own band, The Dorsey Brothers, until they fell out in 1935, disbanding their group and pursuing their own musical endeavors. The brothers reunited the band in 1945, made a biopic about their lives and had their own TV series. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, The Dorsey Brothers were among the most sought-after musicians in New York City. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, with Jimmy Dorsey passing away in 1957. The Dorsey Brothers are still considered two of the most influential jazz artists and band leaders of the Big Band and Swing era.
Playing at venues such as The Blue Note and Lincoln Center, twins Pete and Will Anderson have already cemented a name for themselves in the jazz scene. Just like The Dorsey Brothers, The Anderson Twins have been playing since they were small children. And as leaders of their own sextet, they are the perfect candidates to bring story of The Dorsey Brothers to a stage.
The Anderson Twins Play The Fabulous Dorseys! is an exciting mixture of mixed media, showcasing the best and worst of The Dorsey Brothers. The Anderson Twins provide dialogue and the soundtrack as snippets of the film The Fabulous Dorseys tell the story of The Dorsey Brothers musical beginnings, rise as musicians and band leaders as well as how sibling rivalry kept them at odds since they were kids and ultimately led to the disbanding of the group at the height of their fame. The true star of this production is the music, which are not only jazz classics, but American standards. The theater is set up like a club complete with tables and patrons are allowed to bring in their drinks. Even if one was unfamiliar with the music of that era, they will still appreciate the wonderful live show of The Anderson Twins Sextet. Whether you are a jazz buff or novice, anyone that loves to hear music from real musicians will enjoy this production. I found it to be extremely entertaining.
Photos: Lynn Redmile
Protect Ya Neck with Mur
As the wind blows in obvious signs of fall, I couldn’t help but think about the whirlwind of ready to wear I saw Fashion Week. One of the highlights of Fashion Week for me this season was the unveiling of Mur’s Spring 2013 Runway Show.
Mur is the latest creation from innovative, fashion forward designer Anastasia Fokina. Fokina first burst onto the NYC fashion scene in 2009 as the creative force behind T-shirt brand American Apothecary. Her skill to masterfully blend consciousness, art and style was immediately evident. And with Mur, Fokina is taking the same originality into the world of accessories – creating iconography through handmade, avant-garde neck pieces. Maximizing a customer’s ability to express their individuality through accessories, each scarf is an eclectic representation of a personal story.
Last Wednesday, fashion trendsetters flocked to Chelsea to view the capsule collection titled “Fuel”, held inside Chateau Cherbuliez, located at 47 West 20th Street. And while tasting delicious hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, guests were privileged to witness the future scarves – updated with a 21st century appeal and a true artisan’s flair. Mur’s ultramodern designs were a perfect contrast to the sexy, lavish French décor of the venue creating a well-balanced event. Chateau Cherbuliez is an opulent indoor and outdoor French-inspired restaurant and wine bar located in the former parish section of the iconic Limelight Marketplace. Opening in July, Chateau transports those who enter its doors into the lush splendor of Southern France and features one of the largest outdoor garden spaces in New York City.
I was extremely impressed with the capsule collection, and saw several pieces I would love to rock down the concrete runways of Manhattan. I look forward to seeing more of Mur and the creations of Anastasia Fokina.
Photos courtesy of Franklyn R. Bonfante & Anastasia Fokina
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