DON’T MISS!: JUST DANCE
When arts group Norte Maar invited young choreographers to be in its series of free performances as part of Dance at Socrates in Long Island City, it wasn’t trying to create the dance version of a shotgun wedding.
But in a good way, that’s exactly what happened. Danielle Mullen, 17, a student at the Harkness Dance Center in Manhattan, discovered the offer the day before the deadline, applied overnight and got in. Now she has to choreograph the dance — a six-and-a-half-minute duet — with only four rehearsals and a partner she met a week ago. Tomorrow, Mullen and Reynaldo Martinez, 18, will dance “Leverage : Leverage” to music by Max Richter.
“It starts off in a rush, but turns into something epic like you’d see in a Narnia movie,” Mullen says.
Pretty appropriate for a young choreographer whose career so far sounds like a movie script.
Free. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC, 3 p.m. Info at nortemaar.org.
— Leigh Witchel
Courtesy of Norte Maar
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CHECK IT OUT!: MAKE THE FEST OF IT
For six years, Afropunk Fest has repped alternative urban culture, and this weekend’s party in Brooklyn is as big as ever with acts such as Questlove and rapper Mykki Blanco. But it’s not just about the music, says fest organizer Jocelyn Cooper.
“If people just came out for food, they’d have a great time,” she says, noting the 26 food trucks, with highlights including “four-star vegan food” such as the Green Radish’s “No Lobster Roll” ($9) and Melt Bakery’s beer ice cream sandwich with graham-cracker cookies ($5).
Chef Roblé will also be on hand Sunday with his Everyday People lunch ($50) which boasts a mash-up of food catered by Dinosaur Bar-B-Q with complimentary Grolsch beer. The Restaurant Row food area also offers Caribbean and soul food options.
Once your belly’s full, shop the 100 local artisan vendors of the Spin Thrift Market and check out art installations around the park, a free yoga class, the rock-climbing wall and a motorcycle show. At night, Afropunk After Dark brings the laughs with comedian W. Kamau Bell, dance parties and a screening of music doc “Finding the Funk.”
Saturday and Sunday, Commodore Barry Park, Nassau and Navy streets, Fort Greene. Free admission with RSVP. Info at afropunkfest.com.
— Charlie Heller
Getty Images
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WATCH IT!: ‘TOMORROW’ NEVER DIES
One of the last film noirs, Robert Wise’s “Odds Against Tomorrow’’ (1959) was the first with a black protagonist — Harry Belafonte, as a jazz musician whose gambling addiction forces him to join with a racist ex-con (Robert Ryan) in a scheme to rob a small-town bank in upstate New York. Belafonte’s company financed this crackling crime thriller with an excellent cast (Shelley Winters, Ed Begley Sr., Gloria Grahame), a racially explicit script (co-written by the blacklisted Abraham Polonsky, not credited until 1968) and a soundtrack featuring pianist Bill Evans and the Modern Jazz Quartet. It’s showing three times today as part of a two-week series, “A Time for Burning: Cinema of the Civil Rights Movement,’’ at BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Ave., at Ashland Place, Brooklyn.
Info at bam.org.
— Lou Lumenick
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EAT THIS!: A REVOLUTION IN TASTE
When the Battle of Brooklyn was raging, men were plied with rum to sign up for the Army. Now, 237 years later, no enlistment is required to drink and eat like 18th-century revolutionaries at Park Slope’s Old Stone House Revolutionary Fare tomorrow. The trip back in time for foodies features local goods, such as cider from Rowan Imports ($6) and corned ham by Stone Park Cafe.
The event also features music and a pie contest.
Admission includes a historical cocktail by Dave Arnold of Booker and Dax, with some of that rum — no enlisting necessary.
“We do not encourage you to bring your firearms,” says Maggie Weber, Old Stone House’s director of education.
“Especially if you’re going to be drinking cocktails.”
Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door; Old Stone House, 336 Third St., Brooklyn. Info at theoldstonehouse.org.
— Tim Donnelly
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PLAY THIS!: WHAT’S ALL THE RACKET?
Why should parents have all the fun? The US Open kicks off tomorrow morning with Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing.
The festival starts out with activities for the whole family, including tennis lessons, an obstacle course and skill challenges. Afterward, things really kick into high gear with a stadium show featuring exhibition matches with Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Roger Federer and David Wagner, as well as performances by music acts such as Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony and the MTV Video Music Awards-nominated Austin Mahone (above inset), the 17-year-old YouTube sensation with a not-so-slight similarity to one Justin Bieber. “It’s definitely flattering and all,” Mahone says of the comparisons. “But I want people to give me a chance to show them that I’m different and I’m my own artist. I’m more old-school pop, like R&B — the songs that everyone loves growing up, with a new sound and new production.”
Flushing Meadows Corona Park Road, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Festival is free, show tickets start at $10 and are available at usopen.org and 1-866-OPEN-TIX. Info at aakd.com.
— Gregory E. Miller
