B/B/B: BEETHOVEN, BARTÓK & BRAHMS
Summertime seems a very long way off at this point, so it’s good to know that seasonal stalwart — the Washington Square Music Festival — isn’t slacking off just because the temperature has dipped below 70. To that end, “B/B/B: Beethoven, Bartók and Brahms” is a free concert performed by their Chamber Ensemble (clarinetist Stanley Drucker, pianist David Oei, violinist Eriko Sato, violist Veronica Salas and cellist Lutz Rath). Selections include Beethoven’s String Trio in G major, Op. 9, No. 1 and Béla Bartók’s “Contrasts” — the only chamber piece by Bartók to include a wind instrument. Also on the bill: Brahms’ Trio in A minor for clarinet, cello & piano, Op. 114 — which, along with the Bartók selection, will highlight the talents of Stanley Drucker (the New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinetist, who recently retired after 60 years with the Orchestra).
Free. Fri., Nov. 30, 8pm. At St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church (371 Sixth Ave., at Washington Place). For info, visit washingtonsquaremusicfestival.org or call 212-252-3621.
THE SHAOLIN WARRIORS
Look, the willpower you demonstrated by putting two scoops of whipped cream on that Thanksgiving dinner pumpkin pie — when every fiber of your being told you to go for three — was very impressive. But that hardly puts you in league with the sober discipline employed by The Shaolin Warriors to achieve their uncanny feats of physical and mental prowess. How do they do it? Not by hoarding Hostess Twinkies, that’s for sure.
This fully choreographed theatrical production will provide some insight, by taking you through a typical day in the life of the Kung Fu Masters (including morning meditation and chants, exercises and synchronized fighting rituals in which the monks use traditional weaponry). By the time they’re done, you just might close your dropped jaw and vow to go the way of the Shaolin Warrior — whose strong mind/strong body philosophy encourages practitioners to be “fast, evasive and efficient while being non-confrontational, focusing not on aggression but self-defense.” Let us know how that works out!
Sun., Nov. 25, 3pm. At the Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts, Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College (2 train to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Ave.). For tickets ($30 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under), order online at brooklyncenteronline.org or call 718-951-4500.
HOW DO WE LOOK? PHOTOGRAPHS BY ENGINEERING STUDENTS
Tech-heads that they are, it’s no stretch to imagine how an engineer’s precise nature might be well-suited to less tangible, more ponderous forms of design. “How Do We Look” challenges students of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering to graft their scientific mindsets onto artistic pursuits. This exhibit features 40 photographs that explore the distortion of time, space and color — illustrating not only the students’ creativity and technical training, but how they view themselves and the world.
Free. Sun., Dec. 2 through Sat., Dec. 8. At the Arthur A. Houghton Jr. Gallery, The Cooper Union, (7 E. 7th St., btw. Third & Fourth Aves.), 2nd floor. Gallery Hours, noon-8pm daily. Opening Reception: Sun., Dec. 2, 6:30pm. For info: facebook.com/cooperunion and Twitter, at twitter.com/cooperunion.
THE SHADOW BOX FILM FESTIVAL
This first annual installment of the Shadow Box Film Festival is brought to you by several members from the creative team responsible for 2011’s “Kid Shamrock” (sports journalist Bobby Cassidy Jr.’s brooding, often introspective play about the life and boxing career of his southpaw dad).
That “Shamrock” sense of grit, determination and realism — along with the winner-takes-all proposition that makes boxing so attractive to storytellers — is what gives this festival’s selections their universal appeal. Among the 30 boxing-themed films on the card: “The Good Son” is a documentary about the tragic, legendary 1982 title fight between Ray Mancini and Duk-koo Kim. Another documentary, “Buffalo Girls,” follows two eight-year-olds from rural Thailand who support their families by engaging in Muay Thai boxing. Former pro boxer and current trainer Jeff Leggett is the subject of the short film “Jeffrey” — and Oscar-winning director Leon Gast previews his upcoming documentary about Manny (“The Baddest Congressman on the Planet”) Pacquiao, followed by a Q&A.
Fri., Nov. 30 through Sat., Dec. 1. At the SVA Theatre (333 W. 23rd St., btw. 8th & 9th Aves.). For tickets, visit brownpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006. For the schedule of screenings, visit boxingfilmfest.com.
— by SCOTT STIFFLER
