this week in food & drink

FIAF’s BASTILLE DAY 2022

BASTILLE DAY
French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
Madison Ave. between Fifty-Ninth & Sixty-Third Sts.
Sunday, July 10, free – $75, noon – 5:00 pm
fiaf.org

On July 14, 1789, a Parisian mob stormed the Bastille prison, a symbolic victory that kicked off the French Revolution and the establishment of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Ever since, July 14 has been a national holiday celebrating liberté, égalité, and fraternité. In New York City, the Bastille Day festivities are set for Sunday, July 10, on Madison Ave. between Fifty-Ninth & Sixty-Third Sts., where the French Institute Alliance Française hosts its annual daylong party of food and drink, music and dance, and other special activities. The celebration features free live music by Paul Beaubrun, street dance by Cal Hunt, a dance party with DJ Orson, and an excerpt from the French musical Notre Dame de Paris on the main stage at Fifty-Ninth St. from noon to 5:00; a Summer in the South of France Tasting in Tinker Auditorium from 12:30 to 5:00 ($35), with wines from Maison Antech, Château Maris, and Château Haut-Blanville, nonalcoholic wines from Le Petit Béret, gazpacho from Karine & Jeff, and cheese selections from cheese2u.com; a sneak preview screening of Matthieu Rozé’s Azuro starring Valérie Donzelli in Florence Gould Hall at 5:30 ($17); and the elegant Champagne & Musette Party at 1:30 ($65-$75) in Le Skyroom, with live music by Chloé Perrier & the French Heart Jazz Band, Champagnes from Billecart Salmon, Delamotte, and Henriot, macarons from Thierry Atlan, and hors d’oeuvres from Miss Madeleine.

A sneak preview of Matthieu Rozé’s Azuro is part of FIAF Bastille Day festivities

The French Garden between Sixtieth & Sixty-First consists of booths from Thermomix, Thierry Atlan, Stephane Koerwyn, Angelina Paris, Bichon, OCabanon, Oliviers & Co, Opinel, Payot, Silpat, and Tissage Moutet, while Market Booths between Sixtieth & Sixty-Third include Brasserie Cognac, Maman Bakery, Mille-feuille Bakery Cafe, Hanami Designs, Barachou, Miss Madeleine, and dozens more. The FIAF Language Center Booth between Fifty-Ninth & Sixtieth will present special activities for children and a trivia contest for adults from 1:00 to 4:00. And this year’s prize drawing can win you skincare baskets, a wellness collection, a FIAF Premier Membership, a two-night stay at Sofitel New York, or a Dream Getaway for Two to France’s Occitanie region.

NEW AGORA: JULY — ART, MUSIC, YOGA, AND MORE AT SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK

The art in Socrates Sculpture Park will be activated with special programs on July 9 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Who: Woomin Kim, Greg Hammontree, Douglas Paulson and Nicole Brancato, Rudy Walker Ensemble, Cooper-Moore, Ununu, Elliott Sharp, Duology, more
What: Jazz Foundation of America presentation for Second Saturdays
Where: Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd. at Broadway, Long Island City
When: Saturday, July 9, free, 9:30 am – 8:00 pm
Why: Socrates Sculpture Park and the Jazz Foundation of America have teamed up for a special day of live music, workshops, and more on July 9, activating the historic park and its current art installations. There will be yoga at 9:30 and 11:00 in the morning; from 10:00 to 2:00, the Hellgate Farm Stand will be open, and the Astoria Food Pantry will distribute free clothes, books, and essential items and collect nonperishables and clean clothing; at 11:00, Field Guide: Wildlife Among Us — Finding Shelter will take preregistered participants on a tour of the park, focusing on where animals and insects make their home; and at noon, artist Woomin Kim, whose “Shijang Project” quilts are at Susan Inglett Gallery in Chelsea until July 29, will lead a collage workshop with Noguchi Museum educators. In addition, Greg Hammontree’s ambient soundworld Trumpet Echoes will ring out all day in the Grove of Trees, where you can walk through the adaptive sonic space.

The afternoon will include live thirty-to-forty-five-minute concerts, featuring part I of .soundfullness by Douglas Paulson and pianist Nicole Brancato at the front gate BBQ area at 2:00, the Rudy Walker Ensemble at the Cobblestone Stage at 3:00, pianist Cooper-Moore inside Hélio Oiticica’s Subterranean Tropicália Projects PN15 at 4:00, improv trio Ununu at the North Gate Stage and part II of .soundfullness at the front gate BBQ area at 5:00, the legendary Elliott Sharp playing “Monkulations” on acoustic guitar in Oiticica’s installation at 6:00, and Michael Marcus’s Duology at the Main Stage at 7:00.

As you enter the park, you encounter the Broadway Billboard The Marooned Picturesque Series (Socrates) by New York City native Joiri Minaya, which was selected by the Socrateens. On view through August 14, Oiticica’s Subterranean Tropicália Projects PN15 is an immersive circular environment of an unrealized work by the late Brazilian artist and activist Oiticica, who was honored with a terrific exhibition at the Whitney in 2017, “To Organize Delirium.” Originally conceived for Central Park, the piece is now centered at Socrates, where visitors can follow narrow, winding paths to surprise places; facing the front of the park is a small platform and screen behind mesh, where live performances and screenings are held. Sharp and Cooper-Moore will play inside on July 9; on August 14, the closing reception is highlighted by “We are one only heart, one only earth, one only soul,” an invitation to the public by Brazilian Yanomami shaman Davi Kopenawa to learn about the violence the Yanomami people are facing at the hands of the Brazilian government.

In the Grove of Trees, where you can hear Trumpet Echoes, you will find Maren Hassinger’s Two Bushes, a new pair of sculptures made of iron wire hiding in plain sight among the natural elements of the park, harkening back to Hassinger’s Three Bushes, which were part of the 1988 group exhibition “Sculptors Working” at Socrates. The New York–based artist has also installed “Steel Bodies” throughout the park, consisting of ten steel sculptures inspired by different types of vessels throughout history; some of them resemble open cages, which you can walk into, offering a unique perspective on your relationship to the people and nature around you, while their placement, and the shadows they create, interacts dramatically with the surrounding trees, skyscape, and outdoor studio of Socrates cofounder Mark di Suvero. [To see all the artwork in the park, go here.]

ENOUGH. AN EVENING TO SUPPORT GUN SAFETY

Who: Dionne Warwick, Ira Kaplan, Macy Gray, John Cameron Mitchell, Amanda Palmer, Tash Neal, Gracie Lawrence, Loudon Wainwright III, Dar Williams, Paul Shaffer, Dida Pelled, Resistance Revival Chorus, DJ Logic, musical director Eli Brueggemann, more
What: Benefit concert for Every Town for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action
Where: City Winery NYC, 25 Eleventh Ave. at Fifteenth St.
When: Wednesday, July 6, $50-$500, 8:00
Why: The battle over gun laws has hit epic proportions as the Supreme Court gets involved, there are more mass shootings at schools, and Republican congress members feature the use of guns in their holiday cards and campaign ads. On July 6, City Winery is hosting “Enough. An evening to support gun safety,” a benefit concert for Every Town for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action. Among those performing to raise funds and encourage participation in the fight for stricter gun control laws are Dionne Warwick, Ira Kaplan, Macy Gray, John Cameron Mitchell, Amanda Palmer, Loudon Wainwright III, Dar Williams, Paul Shaffer, Dida Pelled, Resistance Revival Chorus, DJ Logic, and musical director Eli Brueggemann.

“We feel a responsibility to use our facility as a community-gathering space expressing our concern for the plague of guns in our country and importance of safety measures required given the Second Amendment,” City Winery CEO and founder Michael Dorf said in a statement. “Everytown.org and Moms Demand Action are doing remarkable work in this domain and we are bringing as much of a spotlight to their important work as possible with this event.”

Every Town for Gun Safety proudly proclaims, “We’re the largest gun violence prevention organization in America — and we’re winning. Gun violence touches every town in America. For too long, life-saving laws have been thwarted by the gun lobby and by leaders who refuse to take common-sense steps that will save lives. But something is changing. Nearly 10 million mayors, moms, teachers, survivors, gun owners, students, and everyday Americans have come together to make their own communities safer.”

Moms Demand Action, which was formed in 2012 in response to the Newtown shooting, “is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we’re committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe.”

Tickets for the event range from $50 to $500; a special bottle of Enough Benefit Cabernet Sauvignon will be available, promising, “The nose opens with fresh herbal notes of sage and eucalyptus, followed by black currant jam, hints of fresh blueberries, star anise, and cloves. On the palate, the wine is soft and smooth with lots of blackberries and dried cherries. Hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice dance around the palate with a medium body and fine-grained texture. The finish cleans out quickly, leaving you ready for another sip.”

And, as Gray points out in the above video, “All I want for Christmas is a whole bunch of stuff / But anything that you can buy me won’t be enough / Because everything I’m hoping for is intangible / Like free health care and gun control.”

The bipartisan bill Congress passed on June 24 is far from enough; we need to keep fighting until the scourge of guns terrorizing America is over.

LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS: ARTISTS EMBRACE LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

Who: Nearly two hundred performers
What: Lower East Side Festival of the Arts
Where: Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. at Tenth St.
When: May 27-29, free (donations accepted)
Why: The twenty-seventh annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, a wide-ranging, indoor and outdoor celebration of the vast creativity of the neighborhood over the decades, will feature nearly two hundred performers, at Theater for the New City and on Tenth St. Taking place May 27-29, the festival, with the theme “Artists Embrace Liberty and Justice for All,” includes dance, spoken word, theater, music, visual art, and more from such familiar faves as David Amram, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, James Rado, La MaMa, Akiko, Folksbiene National Yiddish Theater, Malachy McCourt, KT Sullivan, Eduardo Machado, Austin Pendleton, the Rod Rodgers Dance Company, Melanie Maria Goodreaux, Chinese Theater Works, New Yiddish Rep, Eve Packer, 13th Street Rep, and Metropolitan Playhouse.

The event will be emceed at the various locations by Crystal Field, Robert Gonzales Jr., Danielle Aziza, Sabura Rashid, David F. Slone Esq., and Joe John Battista. There will also be vendors and food booths and special programs for children curated by Donna Mejia and hosted by John Grimaldi, film screenings curated by Eva Dorrepaal, a “poetry jam with prose on the side” curated by Lissa Moira, and an art show curated by Carolyn Ratcliffe. Select performances will be livestreamed here.

DanceAfrica 2022: HOMEGROWN

Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater will perform at BAM’s annual DanceAfrica festival

Who: Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble, Farafina Kan, Harambe Dance Company, LaRocque Bey School of Dance, BAM/Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble, DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, more
What: DanceAfrica Festival 2022
Where: BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave.
When: May 21 – June 2, many events free, Gilman dances $12.50 – $85, film screenings $16
Why: The coming of summer means the arrival of one of the best festivals of every year, BAM’s DanceAfrica. The forty-fifth annual event features the theme “Homegrown,” with five companies making return visits to BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House: Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble, Farafina Kan, Harambe Dance Company, and LaRocque Bey School of Dance, along with the BAM/Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble and DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, highlighting movement and music from Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and the Caribbean, accompanied by Arkestra Africa. Curated by artistic director Abdel R. Salaam, the festival also includes the Tribute to the Ancestors, Community Day, a Memorial Room, the DanceAfrica Bazaar with more than 150 vendors, dance workshops and master classes in Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Mark Morris Dance Center, the Water Your Roots Youth Dance Expo & Talent Show, the Council of Elders Roundtable “Legacy & Preservation,” Christopher Myers’s stained-glass work Be Lost Well (Stay in the House All Day), and a late night dance party with DJ YB.

FilmAfrica runs May 27 to June 2, consisting of more than two dozen films, from Moussa Touré’s 1997 TGV (followed by a Q&A with Touré and Amy Andrieux), Raymond Rajaonarivelo’s 1996 When the Stars Meet the Sea, and Amleset Muchie’s 2019 Min Alesh! to Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s 2008 Sex, Okra, and Salted Butter, Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda’s 2006 Juju Factory, and Dumisani Phakathi’s Don’t F*** with Me, I Have 51 Brothers and Sisters.

THE GREAT DUMBO DROP

THE GREAT DUMBO DROP
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Saturday, May 21, free, 3:00 – 8:00
dumbo.is

DUMBO Drop 2022 is set for May 21, a block party with live music, food and drink, art, prizes, the testing of the wind, and elephants falling from the sky. Among this year’s performers and activities are a sing-along with the New York City Kids Club, tap-dancing by Camila Aldet, Glam Expressway, cheerleading, a fashion show, dancing to a brass band, DJ Kyndal Marie, jugglers, an FDNY photo zone, Melissa Joy Manning, Fogo Azul NYC, wine tastings, boxing demonstrations, face painting, archery, biking, and more. Such galleries as A.I.R. Gallery and Undercurrent Gallery will be hosting exhibitions and walkthroughs, along with an art wall curated by CAM and Jaimie Walker (who designed the 2022 souvenir elephant parachute), Talking Portraits with Doménica García, and raffles benefiting DUMBO’s Title I public schools, the Dock Street Middle School and PS307 Elementary School.

Among the participating eateries are Seamore’s, Superfine, Westville, Butler, Randolph Bar, Bread and Spread, Em Vietnamese Bistro, and Time Out Market. Be sure to get there by 5:00 when the elephants float through the air around Washington St., followed at 7:45 by the Disco Drop. You can get raffle tickets from $20 to $3,000 here, making you eligible for such prizes as a shopping spree, an ice-cream party, jewelry, a hotel staycation, and a rooftop party.

JAPAN PARADE AND STREET FAIR

Who: George Takei, Sandra Endo, many others
What: Japan Day celebration of the friendship between the United States and Japan
Where: Central Park West between Sixty-Eighth & Eighty-First Sts.
When: Saturday, May 14, free, 12:30 – 4:30
Why: In May 2021, the annual Japan Day festival took place online; you can check out highlights here. This year the festival is anchored by the inaugural Japan Parade, featuring floats, live performances, and more, led by Grand Marshal George Takei and emceed by LA news correspondent Sandra Endo. The parade was supposed to take place in 2020 but was postponed because of the pandemic. This year’s event honors the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Japan’s mission to the United States and the US introduction of baseball to Japan. “To see the Japanese community in New York celebrated is a beautiful thing and it will be exciting to see Japan’s friendship with New York on full display,” Takei said in a statement.

Alexandra E. Tataru won the Japan Parade grand prize for the above artwork (courtesy Alexandra E. Tataru and Japan Parade)

The opening ceremony will take place at 12:30 on Central Park West and Seventieth St., followed by the parade, which kicks off at 1:00 from CPW and Eighty-First. Among the many participants in the parade will be the cast of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon The Super Live, Hello Kitty, drummers Cobu and Soh Daiko, Japanese Folk Dance of NY, Kazanami Yosakoi Dance Project, Young People’s Chorus of New York City, sword fighters Tate Hatoryu, International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan, and Anime NYC. In addition, there will be a street fair from 1:00 to 4:30 on Sixty-Ninth St. between CPW and Columbus Ave., offering such food and drink as BBQ chashu bowl by Nakamura, hojicha panna cotta by Abe’s Kitchen and Mt. Fuji Japanese Steakhouse, fried chicken and onigiri by Tori-Bien, ramen by Ramen Kings, mochi donuts by Kai Sweets and Mt. Fuji Japanese Steakhouse, okonomiyaki by Otafuku, noodles by Soba-Ya, and tea from Ito En, along with a Hello Kitty photo booth, the portable Mikoshi shrine by Samukawa Jinja, origami by the Origami Therapy Association, a charity supporting the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, Japan tourism info, and more.