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Socrates offers a variety of exciting events throughout the season. To receive advance notice of special events, sign up for our e-mail bulletins.

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EVENTS:

CONCERT SERIES

SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

PLAYLAB NYC PRESENTS WILLIAMSHAKESPEARE'STHE TEMPEST

THE JOYCE THEATER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CITY PARKS FOUNDATION PRESENT TRANSPORTS EXCEPTIONNELS  




NICOLE ATKINS AND THE SEA 7:30pm
SALT AND SAMOVAR 6:30pm
TUESDAY, JUNE 17 2008
WEATHER PERMITTING
FREE ADMISSION



http://www.nicoleatkins.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nicoleatkins

"I'm sitting over/Neptune City/I used to love it/It used to be pretty/I'll come down/Walk around awhile/Until I'm sure/I can never go home again." " Neptune City "

The sound of Nicole Atkins' Bleeding Diamonds EP is like the opening scene to one of her favorite directors David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Underneath the sunny blue skies, immaculately manicured suburban homes and their bright green lawns lies a forbidding black hole of danger, violence and death.

That is the world described by this 27-year-old singer/songwriter from Neptune, a New Jersey shore town just down the coastline from Asbury Park, where she grew up in an idyllic childhood, teaching herself to play a Grateful Dead song on the guitar she found in the attic once owned by an uncle who died when he was 13. Her father turned her on to blues artists like Jimmy Reed, allowing Nicole to sit in on sessions with local musician friends. She played for three years with the North Carolina alt-country band Los Parasols before making a name for herself as a solo performer on New York City 's anti-folk scene.

Earlier this year, Atkins was named one of Rolling Stone 's Top 10 Artists to Watch, raving about her "big voice full of longing and Loretta Lynn elegance, and slightly surreal folk-pop songs that evoke moonlit walks with the shadows closing in."

Think Roy Orbison's "Cryin'" if he was a woman, the orchestral sweep of Sufjan Stevens, the bleak vision of Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen, the darkly mysterious girl group-on-acid musings of Julee Cruise and Lynch composer Angelo Badalamenti, the sorrow of Patsy Cline, the '60s psychedelia of Love and Nuggets , all with a redeeming sense of hope amidst the emotional wreckage.

Her band The Sea includes guitarist Dave Hollinghurst, bassist John Flaughter, drummer Dan Mintzer and keyboardist Dan Chen. The group recently appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and is featured in a commercial for American Express. Watch her new video for hit single, "Maybe Tonight!"

Atkins shopped her demo record Party's Over , which attracted the attention of several labels and led to a live audition in the offices of Columbia Records, who snapped her up. She's about to go to Sweden to work on her debut with producer Tore Johansson (Cardigans, Franz Ferdinand, OK Go, Saint Etienne, New Order).
"I think of myself as an all-around entertainer. I dance and tell jokes on-stage," she says. "If I can make up an ice skating or ballet routine in my head to one of my songs, it's a keeper. Even if what I do on-stage is more of a mashed potato thing."


http://www.saltandsamovar.com/
http://www.myspace.com/saltandsamovar

Salt & Samovar is intent on writing the next great American songbook. Uniting classic rhythm & blues, "foot-stomping psyche-garage" (fiddlewhileyouburn.com) intensity and a keen talent for enduring, archetypal melody, their repertoire evokes the musical heirlooms of a cherished American past. The band's revival-like performances gather momentum from the spirituals of the 19th century, an energy that, on a club stage, sits unmistakably at the forefront of the 21st century.

Salt & Samovar's first shows were on a tour of France in September of '06, supporting singer D.S.'s album, 'Salt & Samovar'. They spent the cold winter of '06-'07 recording their debut, 'Old Joy, New Joy' (2007). That September the band launched its first US tour, delivering the sounds of 'Old Joy, New Joy' and their 15-foot American flag to 19 cities from coast to coast.

On November 8 S&S had its live radio debut when they appeared on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic", a performance that solidified the band's place at 3 on Music Director & host Nic Harcourt's Top 10 Albums of 2007.

S&S is made up of past & present members of Moonraker, FEAST & Mattison.




SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION 
SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2008 / 5PM-SUNSET
FREE / RAIN OR SHINE


BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK'S 7TH ANNUAL SOLSTICE EVENT TO WELCOME THE SUMMER AND CELEBRATE THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR!


- "Pagan Rights" musical performance by My Barbarian
- "Cinema On Air" interactive sound and video "drive-in" by free103point9 and Electronic Arts Intermix
- "Drum Circle" by JustinJustin and the Alé-Alé Drummers
- Soulstice Ritual by urban shaman Mama Donna
- Solstice artmaking workshops presented by Materials for the Arts, The Noguchi Museum, Queens Museum of Art, Free Style Arts Association, and Socrates Sculpture Park
- Transformation! Face Painting by Agostino Arts

Socrates Sculpture Park will present its seventh annual Summer Solstice Celebration.  This FREE event celebrates the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year with performances, music, art, and food.  Visitors can take part in free Solstice artmaking workshops, have their faces painted, enjoy music, picnic in the Park, or just watch the fun! 

My Barbarian will present "Pagan Rights," an open-air musical performance that celebrates the spirituality movements of the 1970s through a series of theatrical vignettes in which the players represent a Tarot-reading commune, separatist tree-huggers, an Egyptocentric cult, and Wiccan druids, among other eccentric group identities.  The three singer/actors Malik Gaines, Jade Gordon and Alexandro Segade will perform soaring harmonies and comedy routines over a pre-recorded orchestra reminiscent of the progressive pop of the psychedelic era, accompanied by live music from flute player Giles Miller and guitarist Tim Koh, backed by mask-wearing dancers and giant cardboard puppets.  A sincere spectacle, "Pagan Rights" is a thoughtful, and fun, exploration of the hippie diaspora, tracing counter-cultural histories as a means of making sense, and fun, of the present day.  "Pagan Rights" debuted in 2005 at the Evidence Room Theater, LA, and has been performed at venues such as the Hammer Museum, LA; REDCAT, LA;  Underground, Drake Hotel, Toronto; Torpedo, Oslo, Norway; and Participant Inc., NY.

free103point9 , in collaboration with Electronic Arts Intermix and Socrates Sculpture Park, invites visitors to join them for a summertime "drive-in," leaving the car at home and incorporating audience participation. "Cinema On Air" will be an evening of projected silent video works, selected from the EAI Collection, including Vito Acconci, Barbara Buckner, Dennis Oppenheim, Martha Rosler, Wolf Vostell, and Jud Yalkut and Nam June Paik; accompanied by two simultaneous sound performances from Damian Catera, Ferrum Virgo, ben owen, and Matt Wellins heard through radio heaphones. Take a seat in the park, tune-in to either of the two live soundtracks, watch the works in silence, or sample all three experiences. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own radios and headphones. A limited number of radios with headphones will be available on site.

JustinJustin and the Alé-Alé Drummers will also be in attendance, performing "Drum Circle" with emphasis on crowd participation.  Alé-Alé Foundation is an artistic movement founded by JustinJustin that includes Drummers, Brazilian Samba Dancers and Capoeiristas.  The Alé-Alé Drummers actively perform throughout the Metro Area with a vast array of talented musicians and special guests.

Mama Donna (a.k.a. Donna Henes) is an internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher, popular speaker, and award-winning writer specializing in multi-cultural ritual celebrations of the cycles of the seasons and the seasons of our lives. Her joyful celebration of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than one hundred cities for thirty-three years.  For a fourth consecutive year, Mama Donna will attend Socrates' Summer Solstice Celebration to present her festive Soulstice Ritual.

Kids can participate in creative artmaking workshops throughout the event, presented by Socrates Sculpture Park, Materials for the Arts, The Noguchi Museum, Free Style Arts Association and the Queens Museum of Art; or have their faces painted by Agostino Arts , Transformation! Facepainting.

Food will be available for purchase.  The Park offers the perfect setting to have a picnic and enjoy the view as the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline. 

Socrates Sculpture Park is grateful for the support and generosity of Con Edison. 

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Council. 

Special thanks to the City of New York, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, City Councilmember Eric Gioia, and the City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation, Commissioner Adrian Benepe.
 
Special thanks to Plant Specialists, Inc.

Download Press Release(.pdf)



PLAYLAB NYC presents 
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S THE TEMPEST  
SATURDAY, JUNE 14 / 3PM  &  SUNDAY, JUNE 15 / 1PM and 4PM
FREE / RAIN OR SHINE




THE JOYCE THEATER in partnership with CITY PARKS FOUNDATION present 
TRANSPORTS EXCEPTIONNELS  
FRIDAY, JULY 18 / 1PM and 7PM
FREE / RAIN OR SHINE  


This special dance performance is a unique and whimsical outdoor duet between man and five-ton mechanical digger. Choreographed by Dominique Boivin. 

DANCE OUT!
July 16–20 (Summer)

The Joyce Theater, in partnership with City Parks Foundation, takes dance outdoors this July, presenting three breathtaking performances for five days July 16th- 20th in parks throughout the five boroughs. 
The three acclaimed pieces, distinctly created to resonate with the energy and vibrancy of outdoor life, will all launch consecutively in the busy East River Park. From there, each company will tour separately for the week, performing in popular parks that are under-served throughout the city. Bringing dance to unexpected environments, The Joyce strives to create a meeting ground that serves both new audiences as well as the thriving dance community of New York. Performances will include Michael Schumacher in Dans le Jardin, Transports Exceptionnels by Dominique Boivin, and Contigo by choreographer Rui Horta and solo artist Joao P. Pereira Dos Santos.

THE JOYCE THEATER 
The mission of The Joyce Theater Foundation is to serve and support the art of dance and choreography, promote the richness and variety of the art form in its fullest expression, and enhance the public interest in, and appreciation of, dance and the allied arts of music, design, and theater.  The Joyce Theater programs embrace the entire spectrum of movement styles and traditions, from the time-honored to the untried, and are designed to encourage, sustain, and educate a diverse audience.
Performance Schedule:

DANS LE JARDIN
Wed, July 16: East River Park (MANHATTAN) at 7pm
Thu, July 17: Cuyler Gore (BROOKLYN) at 1pm and 7pm
Fri, July 18: Pinocchio Park (STATEN ISLAND) at 1pm and 4pm
Sat, July 19: St. Mary's Park (BRONX) at 4pm and 6pm
Sun, July 20: Queensbridge Park (QUEENS) at 4pm and 7pm

TRANSPORTS EXCEPTIONNELS

(Images © Jean-Louis FERNANDEZ)

Wed, July 16: East River Park (MANHATTAN) at 7pm
Thu, July 17: Coney Island Beach at Parachute Jump (BROOKLYN) @ 4pm and 7pm 

Fri, July 18: Socrates Sculpture Park (QUEENS) at 1pm and 7pm 
Sat, July 19: St. Mary's Park (BRONX) at 1pm, 5pm and 7pm St. 
Sun, July 20: South Beach Boardwalk (STATEN ISLAND) at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm 


CONTIGO
Wed, July 16: East River Park (MANHATTAN) at 7pm
Thu, July 17: East River Park (MANHATTAN) at 7pm 
Fri, July 18: South Oxford Park (BROOKLYN) at 7pm 
Sat, July 19: South Oxford Park (BROOKLYN) at 7pm 
Sun, July 20: South Oxford Park (BROOKLYN) at 7pm

Program Details
Dans le Jardin an improvised dance by the Netherlands-based choreographer Michael Schumacher, is set to live music performed by cellist and composer Alex Waterman. Using the park as a backdrop and inspiration for his improvised performance, Michael dances with and around his surroundings. Partnering with a statue, moving gracefully under a tree or exploding across a green; the park, music and audience play equal parts as inspiration and observers for this improvised performance. 

Transports Exceptionnels is a unique and whimsical outdoor duet between man and five-ton mechanical digger. Choreographed by Dominique Boivin and accompanied by the dramatic voice of Maria Callas, the dancer meets, greets, and embraces a moving excavator, transforming the stage into a construction site, street into playground, and dance into a tentative balance between nature, man, and machine. Contigo, is a work combining acrobatics and dance by Portuguese choreographer Rui Horta and solo artist Joao P. Pereira Dos Santos, an accomplished acrobat and master of the Chinese pole. In this awe-inspiring piece that defies gravity, Dos Santos traverses a 20 foot vertical pole by moving up and down it, flipping and spinning with brut strength and drilled precision.