It is the end of class and I sit quietly observing my students in Savasana, or relaxation pose. Wrapped in flowing and colorful silk scarves, they are curled up with each other in pairs, enjoying a rare moment of stillness together. This is Family Yoga, and this season I am fortunate to share the class every Sunday at the Y.
During the class we listen to and play the singing bowl, perform a version of the sun salutation as a “Sun Dance,” skip and laugh through a game of yoga freeze tag, and recline on each other in comfy partner poses. Flushed faces, deep breaths, and giggles fill the room.
The students gently awaken and come to a sitting position. I ask them to share something they feel thankful for. 8 year old Anna shares, “I am thankful for my family.” Jess, a mom, says, “I am thankful for watching my daughter grow up.” It is easy to sense the closeness and appreciation in the room as well as the release felt after a good workout.
Feel free to join Family Yoga anytime. The class is geared toward families with children ages 4 and up (although you are welcome to bring younger ones too).
It is free for members every Sunday at 2:30pm and no experience is required. As the weather cools, yoga offers us a way to build our immune systems and stay healthy and it’s a great way to Get Fit Together!
It’s less than a week away from our LABA Kids concert, Songs for Unusual Creatures and we checked with Michael Hearst again to get you some more exciting info and updates for this amazing show for the whole family!
In last week’s post, we showed you a video that features the Aye Aye, or Daubentonia madagascariensis, a lemur native to Madagascar. The furry and unusual nocturnal creature uses echolocation to find its food and get around the forest. It also has extra special long middle fingers that it uses to tap on trees to see if they are hollow.
Songs for Unusual Creatures does a great job of uniting music, science, and learning. So much so that the show has been picked up by PBS Kids! The pilot episode will be premiering online on October 14th, and those of you who are joining us this Sunday will get to see the live version of the show. “Being able to make a show that ties in music with science is awesome!” says Hearst, who admires the work of Leonard Bernstein in his young people’s concerts, as it is “a great idea to be able to provide education through music. It is unusual that TV is willing to take a chance on something that is so art-y and yet educational at the same time.”
After the show, kids will be able to try out some of the unusual instruments that accompany these creatures, including the theremin (a crowd favorite!) and the stylofone. Then, families can watch the series on PBS Kids and remember the great time they had with the instruments, animals, and band live!
The show is almost sold out! So get your tickets here, with a special discount for Y members.
My name is Becky Skoff, and I am the Managing Director of the Theater and Community Arts Initiatives here at the 14th Street Y. And I have a confession to make… I miss the stage. That might seem silly, since I am in the Theater every day, but I keep remembering high school and college, and those magical moments of performing in a show. Those were some of the greatest moments of my life. Since college ended and I became a working professional, however, there just hasn’t been a chance for me to act in a show again- just for fun… UNTIL NOW.
I just signed up to perform in a show with an amazing group of people, right here at the 14th Street Y. And you can too- No Audition Required.
The 14th Street is partnering with the AfterWork Theater Project, an innovative recreational theater company. This exciting relationship gives you, our adult Y members, an opportunity to perform in our Theater.
Participants in the Project pay a reasonable tuition fee in exchange for expert instruction, and an unforgettable experience. No audition is necessary– everyone is welcome to be a part of the project. Y Members receive a 20% discount from AfterWork’s regular tuition fees! (Space is limited, don’t wait!)
I sat down with AfterWork Founder and Artistic Director Evan Greenberg to find out more…
Why should Y members sign up for AfterWork?
Y members should sign up for AfterWork Theater because the experience offers ridiculous amounts of fun while bonding tightly with cast mates throughout the incredible process of mounting a show. This is a stress-free environment so whether you’re performing for the first time ever or you’re a seasoned veteran you can escape your everyday life through the sheer joy of being on stage.
You have an ambitious season coming up here at the 14th Street Y! What led to adding all this programming?
Our commitment is to provide the opportunity for anyone who wants to participate in a show. That said, different people want to participate in different types of shows. We’re adding programs that satisfy the multitude of performance requests we’ve received since launching AWTP.
Why is AfterWork partnering with the 14th Street Y?
The three qualities that AfterWork Theater is committed to fostering are fun, community, and creative self-expression. We recognized that these qualities seemed abundant at the 14th Street Y so we were attracted to the idea of partnership.
What age are most of your company members?
Our members really run the gamut from 18-year-old recent high school graduates to a 72-year-old married couple that never set foot on stage before their participation in last seasons’ production of RENT.
We asked Michael Hearst, creator of this interactive concert for kids and their families, exactly what drew him to the blobfish: “It’s adorable and it’s ugly. It’s sad and loveable… It’s so amazing looking!”
The show features not just the blobfish, but many strange and wacky animals from all over the world. Many of these creatures are endangered or on their way to becoming endangered because of human actions, and unfortunately some species receive more of our attention than others. The show is a great way to “educate and teach people about some of the lesser known animals. And I enjoy a fun, entertaining project that also has value and meaning beyond the entertainment.”
We are so excited to have Michael back at the Y, after his successful performance here with his band One Ring Zero for our LABAkids performance last spring.
“The theater is the perfect space for kids events; kids can run and dance and participate in our performances,” LABA Kids does a “great job in creating a special space with their theme, original crafts and snacks and so many other things that make it a fun and special program.”
We hope to see you and your whole family sing, dance, and be astounded by Unusual Creatures with us on Sunday, September 29th at 11am in The Theater at the 14th Street Y. Tickets are available HERE, with a special discount just for Y members!
Thoughts + Happenings 