This sounds fun …

ZUMBA!
with Mariko Masaoka-Drew

WEDNESDAYS, AUGUST 3 – 31
6:30 – 7:30PM
@ Force and Flow (www.forceandflow.com), 1102 Dean St. #4 between Franklin & Bedford Ave’s

RSVP REQUIRED: info@forceandflow.com

First class is FREE for Nostrand Park Readers

Mariko Masaoko-Drew
Let Mariko and the spirit of Zumba lead you to a fit and fun lifestyle! Zumba combines Latin and International music with a fun and effective workout system. Whether you are an exercise fanatic or just looking for some summer fun, Zumba is designed to encompass all levels of dance and fitness experience. The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat, and most importantly, having fun! Mariko brings 20 years of formal dance training in ballet, modern, hip hop and Latin to her unique and vibrant Zumba classes. Let’s get it started!

Copyright - Anderson Zaca

Brooklyn Photo Salon and The ARTGROUPIENATION

Present BLOCK PARTY – SOUL OF SUMMER ART EXHIBITION – An exhibition by Anderson Zaca
Celebrating New Yorkers across race and class, sharing regional pride from different neighborhoods.

Anderson Zaca: Block Party Soul Of Summer Art Exhibition

Opening Reception
Thursday, August 4, 2011 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM
Exhibition through August 2011
1158DEAN Gallery – 1158Dean Street, Brooklyn | NY 11216

Closing Reception
Saturday, August 20, 2011 from 5:00PM to 10:00PM
Walt Shamel Community Garden
1093-95 Dean Street, Brooklyn | NY 11216

Nostrand Park is seeking the assistance of a couple of talented artists, calligraphers, and/or graphic designers to volunteer their skills in helping us create vibrant window displays along Nostrand Avenue.

If you haven’t seen the media coverage, basically, on Saturday, June 25th, Nostrand Park will be launching its exciting new initiative, “Destination Nostrand” – creating a pop-up store installations in vacant storefronts along Nostrand Avenue, in Crown Heights Brooklyn.

We would like to work with a couple of artists to create a simple window decal  for each of the stores.  (Maybe something like the below, but snazzier).

If you are interested, please contact us:

Raphael Niles
Masai Marketing
Principal
www.masaimarketing.com
info@masaimarketing.com
646-552-2774

OR

Laurel Brown
Nostrand Park
Director of Community Planning
info@nostrandpark.org

Nostrand Park – in collaboration with VAMOS Architects, Masai Marketing, NYC Dept of Small Business Services, and desigNYC – is excited to announce the launch of its new pilot program, Destination Nostrand, intended to beautify, promote, enliven, and enhance Nostrand Avenue:

If you are interested in participating, showing off your artwork, opening up your commercial space, have a business idea that you would like to test out, or if you just want to help make sure that Nostrand looks great on the day of, just let us know: http://nostrandpark.com/destination-nostrand/

Special thank you to DANIEL GERGLEY, NICOLE MACIAS, JENNIFER MACCHIARELLI, and GroundUp Designers for their tremendous marketing and promotional assistance!

To view some of the design concepts for DN, check out our gallery below. Since the project is in its pilot phase, we will only be launching 3 of the concepts, but feel free to let us know which ones you like best:

PLG Arts Production of “Daydream”
A 45 minute, family friendly adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Friends of Brower Park would like to invite you to come out to Brower Park to enjoy the live PLG Arts production of
“Daydream”
Two Saturdays in June
June 11th 2011 and June 18th 2011
3:30 PM

Seating is on the ground so bring a picnic blanket or something to sit on!

PLG Arts is a local Brooklyn organization that promotes the arts, supports local artists and builds community through celebrating the vibrant creativity of the residents of Brooklyn.  The PLG Arts Summer Theater Project brings free live theater to the public and creates an opportunity for local professional actors, directors and theatrical artist to collaborate and share their talent.

For more information about the show visit www.plgarts.org

Hope to see you there!

On Saturday June 11th, the St. Marks Avenue Independent Block Association is hosting its 2nd Annual Summer Street Festival.  The festival will run from 10am – 3pm along St. Marks Avenue between Brooklyn & New York.  In what is quickly growing into an area tradition, The St. Marks Avenue Independent Block Association has brought together a variety of vendors and performers for this splendid showcase of local talent.  Performers include Christine Dixon’s reenactment of Harriet Tubman, and music by DJ Bryant Smith and the Gospel Ensemble.  Immdiately following the festival, at 3:30pm the bard will also make a cameo in Crown Heights as the Friends of Brower Park will premiere a 45-minute production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

This event is free and open to the public.  For more information contact Denene Williams at smiba11213 at gmail.com

We’re blogged quite a few times about Bob & Betty’s Food Market – formerly Fisher’s Supermarket pending Grand Opening.

Well, as of this Friday, they’re finally OPEN!!!!!

What are your thoughts and comments on the renovations, food selection, prices etc.?

If we were to tell you that Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights boasts more art galleries than nearby artist centric Williamburg, would you believe us?  Probably not. 

But what if you were to think of all of the hair salons along Nostrand Avenue not as parlors of beauty, but rather as parlors of art.  Where hair replaces paint as the medium.  Where masters of the follicle have skills that arguably rival those of Picasso.  Where muses travel from miles around and pay top dollar for  their tresses to be sculpted, designed, brushed, and finessed. 

Even given this new take on hair salons, maybe you still might not believe us.  Well if we still haven’t convinced you, maybe you want to check out an upcoming art exhibit – “Hair, Domesticated” taking place in the Knaps Hair Salon on Nostrand. 

From the organizers:

HAIR, DOMESTICATED

An unorthodox vision of hair in the African Diaspora
 
Paula Parker—Crown Heights resident, artist, art teacher, and founder of Reid Gallery—is curating the show and has some of her own work in it, as well (e.g., the water color in the attached info).  The opening reception (with wine, food, live music, etc.) will be Saturday, April 9 from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at
 
Knaps Unisex Salon
854 Nostrand Avenue, between Union and President Streets
Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY
(Subway:  2 train to President Street or 3 train to Nostrand Avenue)