Photo by Alexander Khantaev
Fiddlers for a winter song singer in Kryvorivnia village
Still the River Flows
This multidisciplinary event by Yara Arts Group features traditional winter songs and musicians from the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe. Shadow puppets will accompany singing of ancient Hutsul koliadas about the creation of the world. Sections of a nativity puppet play from the 18th century with traditional music arranged by Julian Kytasty will be performed as well as solstice songs from other countries sung by Svitanya, an Eastern European Women’s Vocal Ensemble. To sing the Koliada, the Tafiychuk family of musicians will join singers from the village of Kryvorivnia, in the Carpathians. The Koliada songs are part of a winter ritual that now coincides with Christmas, but is much older in its origin, traditions and symbolism. Dec. 26-28. $10-25. La MaMa. 74 E. 4th St. 212-475-7710, lamama.org.
Sandra Bernhard
“Layaway Show: Buy Now! You’ll Pay for It Later!” features Sandra Bernhard at her most outrageous. For six nights, the Chelsea resident rings in the New Year with diatribes on the state of modern culture. She performs with her band, The Rebellious Jezebels, and, starting in January, Bernhard will tour with a revival her one-woman show “Without You I’m Nothing,” which premiered Off Broadway in 1988. Dec. 26-30 at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 31 at 9 & 11 p.m. $50. $100-150 on New Year’s Eve. Joe’s Pub. 425 Lafayette St. 212-967-7555, joespub.com, sandrabernard.com.
Photo credit Lynda Koolish
Cornelius Eady
Ex Tenebris Rising
This will mark the 15th annual New Year’s Day spoken word/performance extravaganza featuring 150 performers and an open mic session. Established and emerging poets and writers reading at this 10-hour event include Cornelius Eady, Joan Larkin, Marie Ponson, Ron Kolm, Patricia Smith, and others. To support Books Through Bars, an organization that promotes literacy in prisons, people are encouraged to donate paperback books. Jan. 1, 2 p.m.-midnight. Free. Please bring canned and dry goods for the homeless. Bowery Poetry Club. 308 Bowery, bowerypoetryclub.org.
Photo credit Michael Cogliantry
The Lascivious Biddies
The Lascivious Biddies, a sparkling all-female cocktail pop quartet based in New York City, celebrate the season with the release of a brand new holiday album, “A Very Biddy Christmas.” As with their performance at one of their frequent Joe’s Pub gigs—on Monday the 22nd—the CD features traditional holiday tunes, as original Biddy carols. The irrepressible foursome has earned a reputation for expert musicianship and sharp wit mixed with a dash of sentimentality. biddiesmusic.com.
The Secret of the Grain
Before it was screened at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival (and subsequently picked up for U.S. distribution), “The Secret of the Grain,” written and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, had already received César awards for Best Picture and Director for its richly detailed depiction of a family of Tunisian immigrants in southern France. Last spring, The Villager described the film as “[c]onveying a strong sense of a family dynamic and its accompanying pressures. The movie draws compelling portraits of two individuals—an elderly man who works on the docks and an adolescent girl. Kechiche uses many extreme close-ups and long takes, and the picture’s ambiguous conclusion packs a powerful emotional punch.” Opens Dec.24. IFC Center. 323 Sixth Ave. 212-924-7771, ifccenter.com.
