I'm clearly a fan of the World Cup. I am also a fan of Brooklyn, and I think it's really awesome that the city has taken the time and common sense to set up a public viewing space for fans to come together to participate in this global event. I'll be at the Dumbo Archway under the Manhattan bridge on Sunday to watch the final as my 2nd fave team (Nederlands) takes on Spain, and I encourage any and all of you to join in the festivities. It's not often NYC gets it's act together like this, so I'm definitely trying to take advantage!
Thanks to Time Warner Cable, the City of New York, NYC Department of Transportation, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s Office, NYPD’s 84th Precinct, New York City Council, Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation and Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.
Rex is finally home from his film-making adventures (yay) and his first endeavor was to cook dinner for me! I was feeling under the weather when he got back, so he made me this amazingly hearty soup with lots of really healthy greens in it. I'm usually the one experimenting in the kitchen, but Rex said he was inspired by this gorgeous video, Cooking Dinner Vol.I an atmospheric and elegant spin on the quick cooking lesson. I'm hoping his next attempt will include that succulent roasted duck!
This is the second time I've felt compelled to write about soccer and how absurdly excited I am about it. If you know me, this might come as a bit of a surprise. I am decidedly not a sports fan, but I pretty much go ape sh*t over the world cup. It's just so much more than a sport! It's people from ALL backgrounds coming together for a shared experience, and what can I say? It moves me (kind of like this cheesy but so amazing anti-racism ad).
My love of the game was born when I was 11 years old and my dad's company was a sponsor of the World Cup'98 in France. I had no idea how lucky I was as I watched my first World Cup match in a stadium in Paris. I painted my face blue, white and red, chanted "Allez les Bleu!" in the stands as France dominated Croatia, and from then on, I was hooked. In 2006 Genvieve and I backpacked through Europe and worked for a month at (my current employer) Primavera/ Amala headquarters in Germany, perfect timing for the Cup. We didn't watch any of the matches in the stadium, but we joined the dynamic crowds in Munich to watch all the games in the Fan Park. We met cool interesting people from all over the world, and though they all had varied interests, we bonded over our love of the game. I found myself back in Germany with Eric during the Eurocup in 2008, once again working at Primavera, and regularly watching the games in the nearby town of Kempten.
I was disappointed about the prospect of watching the games this year in NYC, but I am thrilled to say that so far it has NOT been a let down. Maybe it's because this year, the US surprised us all by not completely sucking. Or maybe, could it be... we are finally excited about the idea of joining the global community, breaking down cultural barriers, and getting behind this beautiful global event? 300 people watching a huge projection of the US/ Ghana game last Saturday under the Manhattan bridge in DUMBO with absolutely no interference by the police makes me think, YES WE ARE! I couldn't be happier about it. Read my last article about soccer here.
Last night I met up with Ben Scheuer to watch his brothers' band, Lunar Youth, play a set at Pianos. I realized I haven't watched live music in an intimate venue like that in a long time, and I forgot how much I enjoy it! Lunar Youth sounded great- even better live than on their myspace, which is always a good sign, and their catchy songs made me wanna whip out the air drums in a major way (I refrained for the most part). Thought I'd share the experience and wish you all a beautiful summery week!
NO to offshore drilling YES to clean energy Today I found out about Hands Across the Sand, a gathering that takes place in different coastal areas to show solidarity against offshore drilling. With the continuing horror of The Deepwater Horizon disaster, there is no better time than now to take a stand against big oil and demand clean energy.
If you live in the New York Area, you can participate in a Hands Across the Sand event next week (details below). I will be there and I hope we can rally thousands of others!
Those of you who know me have probably realized my penchant for over-sized spectacles (of the theatrical type as well as the practical type used by millions of people to see clearly, but for all intents and purposes, this post refers to the latter). My feeling remains that if I have to wear glasses I'm not going to hide it. I'm going to let my inner nerd out and there's just not going to be any shame about it. Obviously, I was amped when I found out about Warby Parker Eyewear, the supercool new company that riffs off of the idea behind its predecessor Toms Shoes, and donates a pair of specs to someone in need for every pair purchased. Yay for ethical business practices, nerds, these hot specs, and let's not forget about the monocle.
I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I was in Providence celebrating lil Nicky Bakshi's graduation from Brown. I'll say this much, the Brunonians really know how to get down. This week is going to be pretty hectic for me, with preparations for the Ilana Webber Dance Company/ Subtle Details Dance Theater show in Boston on Friday and Saturday (Subtle Details is my company and we are presenting my latest piece "A Nest Less Ordinary", if you are in Boston definitely check us out!). Soooo I am posting some images that make me really relaxed and happy! They are all taken by photographer Brian Ferry, whom I discovered last week on Flickr. I find all of his images really refreshing but nostalgic at the same time, like my favorite days from springs and summers past. Don't you just want to hop right into them?
"A green room is a room in a theater, studio, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers when not required on the stage. Its function is as a break/touch-up lounge so that performers do not have to go back to wardrobe/dressing rooms and are still easily accessible for their call. The term is often attributed to the area historically being painted green [1][2] however in modern use the area may or may not include any green in its color scheme. The color green; the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres."- Wikipedia
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I’m Jules, a choreographer and freelance writer/ director. I live in Brooklyn, and I travel a lot. The Green Room is about dance, freelance, and the associated adventures. Thanks for stopping by!
