A 6-part lecture and dance workshop series on Queens immigration & its arts.

Dates: THUR, JULY 9, 16, 23 & 30; AUG 6 & 13; 7-9 PM (7/9 tour starts at 6:30 PM)

 

Session 1) Flushing Historical Diversity Tour, July 9, 2015, 6:30pm

Queens Borough Historian, Jack Eichenbaum, will open the series with a lecture presentation that roots Queens’ diversity in the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657 which was a precursor to the US Constitution’s provision on freedom of religion.  Participants will tour the Quaker Meeting House of 1694, the oldest extant house of workshop in NY State (located across the street from Flushing Town Hall).   From there Jack will lead a walking tour of downtown Flushing and introduce participants to the waves of immigrants who moved into Queens; and participants will also meet FCCA’s master teaching artists from the Chinese, Korean, Mexican and Indian communities. 

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Session 2) Queens’ Chinese Immigration and Dance, July 16, 2015, 7pm

Flushing is home to NYC’s Mandarin speaking community from Taiwan and mainland China (as opposed to the largely Cantonese speaking community in Manhattan).  Teaching Artist, Ling Tang will discuss the history of Chinese immigration into NY and Queens specifically, as well as the cultural exchange between China and the US and introduce students to traditional Chinese ribbon dance with an interactive dance workshop.

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Session 3) Mexican migration to Queens and traditional dance, July 23, 2015, 7pm 

Jackson Heights, Corona and East Elmhurst are home to large concentrations of Mexican immigrants.  Alberto Lopez, co-founder of Calpulli Mexican Dance Company and Queens’ resident, will discuss the historic and current pressures that push Mexican migration into the US, and to NY specifically.    He will introduce students to dances from the Gulf Coast of Mexico as well as related Spanish vocabulary with an interactive dance workshop. 

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Session 4) Flushing’s Koreatown and Korean Dance, July 30, 2015, 7pm

Koreatown encompasses areas north of downtown Flushing and sprawls east along Northern Boulevard.  Master Teaching Artist, Song Hee Lee, will discuss her personal immigration story from principal dancer at the Pusan Metropolitan Dance Company in Korea to launching her own dance company in NY.   She will introduce students to sogo chum (small hand-drum dance), one of Korea’s the most popular folk dances through an interactive dance workshop. 

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Session 5) “Little India” and classic northern Indian dance, August 6, 2015, 7pm

Indians immigrants have made 74th Street and the surrounding areas around the 7 train stop their home, (commonly referred to as Little India).  Master teaching artist Abha Roy, will introduce students to kathak, the classic dance form of northern India through an interactive dance workshop.   Abha is also a geography specialist and will meld both areas into a discussion mapping the history of kathak dance, to its roots in modern day Bollywood and the Indian immigrants and non-Indians who perform it.   

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Session 6) Wrap-up Talk-Back and Tasting – August 13, 2015, 7pm

Dance in Queens will wrap-up with an open discussion about immigration, culture and art among our participants, immigrant dance teaching artists, and Queens Historian Jack Eichenbaum. Participants of all ages, but especially younger participants, will also be encouraged to express their thoughts in movement and incorporate their favorite traditional dance moves from the series into their own dance expressions of hip-hop, K-Pop, step, house, disco, punk and more.   Our discussion will be followed by a tasting of traditional Chinese, Mexican, Korean and Indian street foods, anything from spring rolls to samosas.  

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Tickets: $12/$10 Members/$6 Children/$5 Member Children

 

Onsite Educator:  Gabrielle Hamilton, Flushing Town Hall's Director of Education & Public Programs, will serve as the onsite educator.  She is a folklorist and former educator who has worked with NY’s immigrant community for the past 15 years and is past-President of the NY Folklore Society.