Worthy Winners in the News

Just saw on the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that two longtime collaborator/partners of Dance Theatre Etcetera were recognized for their work in Brooklyn.  The 5th Avenue Committee has joined DTE at our annual Red Hook Fest in the past, and

was honored by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation as a “Neighborhood Builder,” winning $200,000 in unrestricted funding.

F.A.C. is an organization that advocates for affordable housing, also offering job training programs and assisting in community organizing.

Jill Eisenhard of the Red Hook Initiative was also honored as a “Local Hero.”  No surprise that Jill donated her award to the organization she works so hard for, as RHI continues to look ahead to its new, permanent home on Hicks Street.

Congratulations to Jill and everyone at the 5th Avenue Committee!

Sitting on Revere

The Brooklyn Eagle just ran a piece about developer Joe Sitt- his recently-struck deal with the city regarding Coney Island, and the general success he’s enjoyed  as a developer in Brooklyn without actually developing much of anything.  Check out the article for details- what caught my eye was a blurb at the end that focused on his ownership of the old Revere Sugar Factory site, predicting the importance of this one man for the future of the entire neighborhood.

This site is across an inlet from Greg O’Connell’s showplace Beard Street warehouse. It is also between two retail giants — Fairway and IKEA. So what is he going to do there, and when?

photo: Gowanus Lounge

That’s the big question.  Eagle writer Dennis Holt plays out a few possibilities, but of course it could be years before we get any real answers.  What should be done with the site?  What will be?  Let us know in the comments.

SBIDC Helps Pharmacy Tear Down Bulletproof Glass

If you go down Van Brunt Street at all you’ve probably noticed the Grand Re-Opening of the pharmacy up by Wolcott.  “Nate’s Pharmacy and Surgical Supplies” (who knew that’s what it was called?) was looking for a way to improve the atmosphere by removing the long-standing bulletproof glass that separated customers and employees.

“It’s hard to talk to someone through glass, let alone bulletproof glass,” said Glezerman, a pharmacist originally from Bergen Beach. “The neighborhood needed that face to face interaction,” he added. “We wanted to service customers in a way that didn’t feel like a prison.”

Mr. Glezerman reached out to the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (the onetime home of DTE Board member Phaedra Thomas), and the SBIDC was able to help fund the store’s renovations through a grant from the state’s “Main Street Program.”  Woo woo!  Read the article on yournabe.com (courtesy of  Courier Life Publications) for more details or check out the pharmacy website.

Contemporary Dance Workshop W/ Friends of DTE

Joao Brandao, a collaborator with Dance Theatre Etcetera on the “Dance for Tolerance” project in 2007, just sent Martha an email about an exciting new endeavor launching early “next” year (just two months away).

Mercedes Boronat, a prolific and progressive choreographer and dancer from Barcelona, Spain will lead 12 hours of intensive dance workshops for advanced students and professionals at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York.

Visit Mercedes’ website for details, or contact Joao directly, jbrandaonyc@mercedesboronat.com.  Registration deadline Dec. 31.

November @ Kentler

Got an email update yesterday from the Kentler International Drawing Space, right up the way from us on Van Brunt Street.

Besides their current gallery show, “What’s the Big Idea,” (which runs through December 13 with work from artists Bill Fick, Jiri Kornatovsky, Simon Lewandowski, Lucia Minervini, Orlando Richards, and Joel Sokolov) Kentler has a number of events coming up.

This Friday, November 13th (spooky), sees a “live audiovisual set” enter the space entitled  “Dream Spaces.”  The next day begins a series of Saturday morning “Drawing Together” art workshops for children ages 4 & up and parents.  Check out Kentler’s website for details.

Falconworks Coming Around the Bend

The Brooklyn Paper has a short piece on Red Hook community arts organization DTE Falconworks and their upcoming piece, Off the Hook.  The shows are scheduled for November 20th and 21st at PS 15 here in Red Hook.

photo: Bess Adler for the Brooklyn Paper

“Off the Hook” is a youth playwriting program with involvement from some of the same great students who participate in our programs at Dancee Theatre Etcetera.  Students get the opportunity to work with mentor/dramaturgs as they craft their pieces, and then see their visions realized in a full (though bare-bones) production of their plays.

Check out OTH to support these creative young people- head over to the Falconworks website for details or to reserve a ticket.

Free Theater For Red Hook Teens Starts Tomorrow

The In Transition Theatre Workshop begins tomorrow in the DTE studio.

Over the course of 7 weeks, professional actors/DTE-artists-in-residence The Glass Company will lead acting and storytelling workshops with young people ages 15-20.  Using theater to explore times of “transition” in life, whether they be moving on to college, a job, a new home or a new relationship, the workshops will be a forum for exploration and fun.

Meetings are on Saturdays from 2-5pm.  There’s still room if you or a teenager you know is interested in participating.  Contact me- jon@dtetc.org or (718) 643-6790 x 113

Digital Expressions @ Apple

One of the classes Dance Theatre Etcetera teaching artists are working in this fall is a “Digital Expressions” class at the South Brooklyn Community High School in Red Hook.  The class, led by teacher Justin Wedes & teaching artist Jive Poetic, gives students an introduction to computer & software literacy through project-based work from the students’ unique perspectives.

The class recently made a trip to the Apple Store in SoHo for a little fun mixed with a little work as they showed off assignments from the class.  Check out some of the pics from their visit (all photos:  Wilfred Cameron).

Red Hook Eats in The News

Some entertaining write-ups of some new (and not so new) neighborhood spots popped up on the Google Alert today.  First, Sam Sifton with a “dining brief” on Rocky Sullivan’s lobster nights w/ the Red Hook Lobster Pound.

Photo: Michael Nagle for The New York Times

…Rocky Sullivan’s bar, now two years out of its original lower Lexington Avenue home, is coming into its Brooklyn own.

While we’re in the gastronomic universe, Time Out New York profiles the new to the nabe Fort Defiance.  Kudos continue to come in for the bar’s signature cocktails. Plus:

The frontier pricing—most drinks are under $10 and the food maxes out in the high teens—helps justify the trek for the rest of us.

Still haven’t made it over to Fort Defiance, but I can attest for the tasty pizza and good vibes at Rocky’s (a favorite spot for post-event wind-downs for DTE staff and volunteers).  Our GM, Liz, had a lobster date planned a while back, but was rained out.  Hopefully when she gets back from Africa (lucky!) she’ll  get us a review.

Halloween Harvest (Festival)

Last Saturday’s annual Harvest Festival at Added Value was rained out,  but you can come down this Saturday, the 31st, for some on-the-farm fun geared towards the little guys and their grown-up travel companions.  They’ll get out the costume bins, there are pumpkins to pick- a good start for a Halloween morning, to be sure.  Give AV a call for details- 718-855-5531- or come on down to Red Hook Saturday morning.

Check out some pictures from last year’s Festival:

Ruby puts the finishing touches on the DTE "Poetree"

The "poetree" in bloom w/ hopes for the future & celebrations of the past