The New York Times-20080125-For Children
Return to: The_New_York_Times-20080125
For Children
Full Text (1310 words)FOR CHILDREN
'AFRICAN FOOTPRINT' (Sunday) Many feet will trace the identity of a varied country: South Africa. Combining the music and dance of Africa and Europe, whose traditions are entwined there, this show features 30 performers with roots in the arts school for disadvantaged youth that Richard Loring founded in Soweto. At 4 p.m., Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, at Goulden Avenue, Bedford Park, the Bronx, (718) 960-8833, lehmancenter.org; $20 to $35; $10 for 12 and under.
ASTROGRASS (Sunday) Who says that Brooklyn can't give roots to bluegrass? This group, which hails from the borough, offers it, along with folk music and comedy, for ages 5 and older. Typical shows include hoedown contests and interpretations of Shel Silverstein's poetry. At noon, Bowery Kids!, Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, near Bleecker Street, East Village, (212) 614-0505, bowerypoetry.com; $10.
'BASH THE TRASH 'N' WINDS' (Sunday) It is what it sounds like. The members of Bash the Trash will engage their audience -- this program is for ages 3 to 6 -- in making instruments from recycled junk. An interactive concert follows, in which the musician Bruce Williamson will join the group in exploring flutes and reeds. At 3 and 5 p.m., the 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, (212) 415-5500, 92y.org/concerts; $10.
'BIANCANEVE' ('SNOW WHITE') (Saturday and Sunday) In this version of Snow White, which represents the American premiere of Teatro del Carretto from Italy, the stage is like a cabinet of curiosities, with passages and trapdoors opening to reveal peering heads, the dwarfs' Stygian mine and fairy-tale landscapes. Performed with marionettes, masks and at least one onstage actress, the show is also in Italian, but the visual language is said to be universal. At 2:30 p.m., La MaMa E.T.C., 74A East Fourth Street, East Village, (212) 475-7710, lamama.org; $20; $15 for students and 65+.
BINDLESTIFF FAMILY CIRKUS'S CAVALCADE OF YOUTH (Sunday) If you've ever wondered what those daring young men (or women) on the flying trapeze did before adulthood and professional success, see this show, whose spirited circus performers are all under 21. Expect everything from unicycling to magic. At 2 p.m., Zipper Factory Theater, 336 West 37th Street, Manhattan, (212) 563-0480, thezipperfactory.com. Tickets: In advance, $12; $7 for children; at the door, $15 and $10.
'THE BUTTERFLY' (Monday through Thursday) Even children played roles in helping to defeat the Nazis. Patricia Polacco's book The Butterfly is based on the early experiences of her Aunt Monique, who helped her family hide a Jewish girl, Sevrine, in Nazi-occupied France. Now Ms. Polacco's work has been brought to the stage -- it will play in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens -- as the latest production from Making Books Sing, an organization turning children's literature into musicals. (Through Feb. 15.) At 10:30 a.m., Lovinger Theater, Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, at Goulden Avenue, Bedford Park, the Bronx, (212) 573-8791, Ext. 246, makingbookssing.org; $13 to $23.
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS (Friday and Saturday) Ratatouille may have made 2007 the Year of the Rat in movie theaters, but 2008 is the Year of the Rat everywhere. The Queens Library will honor the occasion with free celebrations at its Central and Emhurst branches. On Friday at 4 p.m. the Central Library will show the animated movie Mulan, about an intrepid Chinese girl, and on Saturday its activities include lantern making for ages 6 to 11 at noon (preregistration is requested), a lion dance at 1:15 p.m. and a martial arts demonstration at 3 p.m. Elmhurst celebrates on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with arts and crafts, Chinese food, music, dance and a magic show. Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, (718) 990-0700; Elmhurst Library, 86-01 Broadway, (718) 271-1020; queenslibrary.org.
'DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE' (Saturday) This is not the popular children's game but real game. But the hunting will be done only with binoculars and sharp eyes in this program, in which the Urban Park Rangers will lead a tour to seek water fowl in the wilds of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. At 9 a.m., meeting in the Mauro Playground in the park, 73rd Terrace between Park Drive East and the Van Wyck Expressway, nyc.gov/parks/rangers; free.
IRON CHEF CAT CORA WORKSHOP (Saturday) Delicious flavors and healthy food are not mutually exclusive, though that statement may leave young diners skeptical. Now Cat Cora, the only female Iron Chef on the Food Network, is here to convince them with a workshop at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. Developed by Chefs for Humanity and the museum as part of the National Institute of Health's We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) program, the workshop will enlist small visitors in helping to make treats like watermelon gazpacho and fruit parfaits. At 2 p.m., the Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, (212) 721-1223, cmom.org. Tickets (limited and available in the lobby starting at 12:30 p.m.) are free with museum admission: $9; $6 for 65+; free for members.
KIDS 'N COMEDY (Sunday) The class clown gets applause, not detention, at this series, in which comics ages 11 to 18 perform stand-up. The shows are recommended for children 9 and older, but don't worry about appropriateness (profanity is banned), or knock-knock jokes. (These dudes are sophisticated.) At 1 p.m., the Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd Street, Chelsea; $15 with a one-soda minimum. Reservations required: (212) 877-6115, kidsncomedy.com.
'THE LIFE AND WORK OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER' (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday) A bean may not seem very intriguing on a child's plate, but offer it under a microscope, and this lowly legume becomes exciting. That's just one of the learning opportunities presented by this program at the New York Botanical Garden, which celebrates Carver (1864-1943), a pioneering African-American botanist. Children can also conduct experiments and plant a soybean to take home. (Through Feb. 22.) At the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road, Bedford Park, the Bronx; (718) 817-8700, nybg.org. Tuesdays through Fridays, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All Garden Pass (includes the grounds, the children's garden and other displays): $13; $11 for ages 62+ and students; $5 for 2 to 12; free for under 2.
'MEET THE MUSIC!' (Sunday) Inspector Pulse doesn't work for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, but he will still spend an afternoon investigating whether certain subjects are truly American. These happen to be instrumental works, and Inspector Pulse, played by Bruce Adolphe, is the private ear who stars in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Meet the Music! series for ages 6 and older. In this concert, Inspector Pulse Investigates the Entire Country of America, he explores works by Copland, Gershwin and Ruth Crawford Seeger (the mother of Pete). At 1 and 3 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, (212) 875-5788, chambermusicsociety.org; $15.
'RICITOS Y LOS 3 OSITOS'/'RICITOS AND THE 3 BEARS' (Saturday) Yes, it's that unwelcome blond visitor again, stirring things up at the bears' house and sampling chairs, bowls of porridge and beds. But this version, by Teatro SEA, the Latino theater for children, comes with surprises, including songs, new characters and dialogue that's an easy-to-understand mix of English and Spanish. At 3 p.m., Los Kabayitos Puppet and Children's Theater, 107 Suffolk Street, at Rivington Street, second floor, Lower East Side, (212) 529-1545, sea-online.info; $15; $12.50 for 2 to 12; free for under 2.
SPECIAL CAMP FAIR (Saturday) Children and teenagers with disabilities can also enjoy camp. This annual event, presented by Resources for Children With Special Needs, offers information on 70 day and sleepaway options in the Northeast, as well as travel and remedial education programs. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Church of St. Paul the Apostle, 405 West 59th Street (fair entrance on Columbus Avenue, near 60th Street), Clinton, (212) 677-4650; free.
LAUREL GRAEBER
