AWNY Events

What’s On in New York, July 2017

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We do hope your July 4th weekend is packing a punch so far. With some luck you’ve got today off work to make it an extra long weekend, and you’ve packed up the framily (friends+family=framily) and headed beach-side, lake-side, mountain-side or city-side with a drink in one hand and a sarnie in the other.

There is something unique about long weekends in New York, probably because we get relatively few of them. And when you’ve got a quiet moment, have a squizz at AWNY’s pick of events for July in New York, this weekend and beyond.

Enjoy! – The AWNY Communications Team

Strong stomach? Then Nathan’s 2017 Hotdog Eating Contest is on July 4th at Coney Island (at Nathan’s flagship store). It runs from 10am-2pm. Last year’s winner gulped 70 hotdogs in 10 minutes. Gross, but quite something to see. Plus, one of our own AWNY Committee Members, Tanya McCaw is on the judging panel!

If you’re anywhere near the east river on the night of the 4th, then don’t miss the Macy’s Day fireworks, scheduled to kick off about 9.20PM. They will be set off along the East River, with the best viewing points between Midtown and the South Street Seaport district. As always, get there early to grab a good spot.

The annual AAA Westpac Summer Cruise is on July 20th and tickets are on sale now for this fun event. Cruise the East and Hudson Rivers, sip cocktails, nibble fare from The Australian Hotel. Purchase your tickets and get all event info here.

AWNY’s July event is ‘Greekalicious,’ an intimate book talk with award winning chef and author Maria Bernardis. Ticket price of $35 includes light refreshments and a copy of Maria’s book, ‘My Greek Family Table.’ Visit the event page on the AAA website to secure your ticket.

The New York Musical Festival runs throughout July and there’s an incredible line up of performances to see at various locations around the city. This link has a calendar of all events, dates, and locations – hopefully there’s a show near you!

Get out and see a movie during the Summer Movie Series that runs throughout July on the flight deck at the Intrepid Museum. Tickets are free (first in best dressed set up) and if you’re a member of museum you get priority admission but as you’ll be sitting atop the aircraft-carrier-turned-museum there’s good visibility from all spots.

Governors Island! Get there in July. You can visit on your own schedule for a leisurely picnic and bike ride or for one of the fun events throughout July, including City of Water Day on July 15,  Come Out & Play on July 21 and 22 or the Poetry Festival on July 29 and 30.

Tame Impala, Vance Joy, Solange, and Nine Inch Nails are just some of the highlights at the Panorama Music Festival, Randall’s Island, on July 28-30. See the line up here and view ticket package options here.

Warm Up 2017 is MoMA PS1’s outdoor music festival and runs throughout July and August, and showcases the best in live and electronic music. Melbournians Superconscious Records perform on July 29. Note MoMA PS1 is in Long Island City, directions, info, line up all here.

Pic credit: Joanna Hishon

What’s On in New York, June 2017

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Our monthly events list often leads with the fun happenings from the AWNY committee but June has quite a highlight. One of AWNY’s most popular events is the ‘Working in the USA’ careers advice evening. You’ll learn top tips for job searching, seeking out networking opportunities, optimizing your resume for the US market, and listen to the job search experiences of other New York based Aussies. The event is led by our President Belinda Jackson (Prosell international). The tickets for this event go quickly and space is limited to secure your spot!

We also have our Annual AWNY picnic on this month (June 24th in Central Park) and a great list of fun things to do in New York as we had into the steamy months of summer.

Enjoy!

June means Jazz in New York City and it’s definitely the month to get to one of the 100 performances at the Blue Note Jazz Festival (various venues). You’re guaranteed great music and performances run throughout June. Schedule, locations, tix available here.

Free Summer Movies start June 2 at various locations around the 5 boroughs. There’s mix of pics to delight all ages. A schedule of movies, dates and locations is found on the NYC Park website. All the movies are free.

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival simply has to be included on our June What’s On list. The organizers encourage the addressing of Human Rights Issues in the films selected for the festival, and unsurprisingly there is a broad list presented this year. The festival runs from June 9-18 at with showing at either the Lincoln Center or IFC Center. Details and tickets available here.

June also sees the commencement of the SummerStage series, free outdoor concerts at various locations around the city, that run into September. Elvis Costello, The Metropolitan Opera, and Freedom Party are highlights for June.  This link provides a view of everything happening in June. Expand to to see the entire SummerStage series.

Fifth Avenue goes car free (well, for 23 blocks) on June 13 for the Museum Mile Evening, commencing at 6pm. All the museums along the stretch of fifth dubbed ‘Museum Mile’ are free and there will be live music to entertain you as you hop between them. Schedule and details available here.

Working in the USA Event is on June 14th at the Australian Consulate. Polish your resume, learn great networking tips, interview skills and job seeking advice. If you’re currently looking for a new role, or even thinking about starting a job search in New York, then don’t miss this event. It’s one of our most popular events each year, so make sure you secure a spot!  Tickets available through the AWNY Facebook event page.

USA Father’s Day is June 18! If you’re celebrating and need options, there’s this Jazz brunch cruise, the Father’s day scavenger hunt, Smorgasburg, or check out Open Table and book a table somewhere fancy or fun.

This month’s Generation Women event brings together Australian author and AWNY Member Georgia Clark, along with 4 other notable women from different generations to read and share their perspectives on a theme. This month’s theme: my first time saying no. The event is on June 21st and tickets are a very reasonable $25, available through this link.

Take advantage of the totally free Concerts in the Park series and listen to the New York Philharmonic orchestra on one of 5 performances between June 13-18 at various locations around the city. Information and schedules available here.

The Annual AWNY Picnic in the Park is on June 21st. We’ll be there from 2pm – 4pm for bring the whole family, plus any visitors you have in town, and enjoy a great afternoon with your Australian friends. We’ll have games and face painting to entertain the kids, please bring your own picnic lunch. For more info, visit the AWNY Facebook event page.

Photo credit: Joanna Hishon

Event Review: Act like a New Yorker

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DSC_1561Written by Kate Lee, Workshop moderator and AWNY Committee member

As I walked through Times Square to the rehearsal studio for our AWNY workshop, I got that NYC buzz – a heady mix of excitement and wonder as I make sure I don’t tread on or brush against anything that will make me want to burn my clothes later.  
Our studio space was small. It had scuffed walls and hadn’t been swept for perhaps a decade. I peeped into the spacious, airy room next door. The one with the polished floor and windows on two sides. I thought we’d booked this one. The large one with room enough for 15 people? No, you booked 703. Oh. Grit and grind of New York indeed. I arranged the space and put slips of paper on the table by the door. These were for people to write the challenges they’ve experienced in this city. I should have written, ‘separated by a common language.’ Later, I would use these slips for our improvisations. As people began to arrive, the familiarity of the accent, the sense of humor and that sun-shine-like Australian openness lit-up the room. It awes me all the time, the stories of women in New York. From one- to twenty-plus-years living here, each of us had different why’s, who’s and how’s of being in this city.
The workshop began by orientating ourselves in the space and to each other. Classic drama games such as mirroring and molding our bodies are great for this. The aim is to turn off the analytical brain and ‘tune’ ourselves to our own reactions as well as those who are in the room. We then created a series of tableaux that reflected images and feelings of New York life – finances, dating, confidence and speaking up at work. We then moved into the main activities known as Image Theater and Forum Theater. These processes come from a very well-known Brazilian practitioner called Augusto Boal. His ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ is famous for its ‘spect-actor’ – the notion that the spectator is not a passive observer of the dramatic action. Rather, they become active participants by co-creating, directing and changing the outcomes. This means anyone can join an improvisation and try out different ways of getting what they want.
There is never a straight, nor clear outcome in these processes. In seeing one’s situation enacted in front of them, not only is a person’s feelings validated, but also the group becomes an active mechanism in supporting their process of addressing the challenge. Rather than thinking through a problem, participants get to physically see – and embody – solutions and new ways of being. There are no answers, but the rich discussions that follow draw from the collective knowledge of the group and remind us that we are not alone.
Act Like a New Yorker wasn’t about acting like a New Yorker. Rather, it was acknowledging the challenges that we, as Australians, encounter in this city. And by drawing from the experience of the group, we can see these challenges from a different perspective and perhaps find new ways of addressing them.

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What’s On in New York, April 2017

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BANG there’s goes the first quarter of 2017.

Time really does fly in this city, especially if you spend your life counting the days ‘til the next AWNY event. Speaking of which, leading the event list for April is the AWNY Annual General Meeting. This is when all positions on the AWNY Committee are up for re-election, so if you fancy yourself as an event planner on-the-side, a pseudo social media influencer, or a natural new-member welcomer, then please do come along to the AGM and nominate yourself for a position. AWNY is only as strong as it’s volunteer committee and the more amazing gals we have on deck the better!

If you can’t attend the meeting, then have a scroll through this list of April NYC happenings – guaranteed to keep your weeks and weekends full!

– curated by the AWNY Communications Team

Join presenter Kate Lee as she talks all things NYC in this special workshop: Act like a New Yorker on April 4th. The workshop event, held at Studio 150, 150 West 46th St, will dig into the grit and grind of living in New York City using acting, movement and improvisation. Book tickets and get more information here.

If you haven’t experienced an Easter egg hunt in the city yet, then get along to AWNY’s Family Easter Egg Hunt on April 8th. It will be held at Riverside Park at 10am (meet at the River Run playground at 83rd and Riverside Drive) and we’re expecting a great turn out. BYO picnic lunch to enjoy after the hunt. Kid heaven! Visit the event page on Facebook for more details.

Attend AWNY’s Annual General Meeting on April 17th at The Liberty, NYC. Our AGM is the opportunity to join the committee, meet new friends, and get involved in the amazing community that is Australian Women in New York! We meet at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start, and look forward to meeting many new faces! RSVP by email here. Nominate for a volunteer position here.

AWNY’s Mums and Dads Dinner is being held on April 29th at Pio Pio, 604 10th Avenue. Check out the event post on their Facebook page for more information. The Mums and Dads groups is a great way to meet Australian parents living in NYC, they hold regular meet ups and play groups, and is a valuable source of support!

It’s Spring so that mean it’s Macy’s Flower Show time! This free event is worth grabbing a glimpse of in the Herald Square flagship store between April 1-9. Gosh – even the website is pretty enough to visit on it’s own…

Remember the old Easter Hat parades we endured at primary school back home? In New York you can watch (or join) the ultimate Hat and Bonnet Parade on April 16th, with the parade meandering up Fifth Ave between 49th – 57th Streets from starting at 10.00am. This parade is a bit of an Easter institution in New York, with a history that goes back to the 1870s. You’re guaranteed an amazing sight.

The New York International Auto Show will set up (big!) shop at the Javits Center from April 14-23. While you may think this is an odd inclusion in the coveted What’s On list (especially because so few of us own cars in New York City), it really is something to see, and it’s a great day’s entertainment if you have kids. Expect all the usual suspects on show, plus amazing futuristic concept cars and get up close and personal with some of the most expensive and luxurious cars on the planet!

Make sure you get out and see the Brooklyn Botanical gardens and New York Botanical Gardens spring garden displays this month. Brooklyn’s Gardens have the Magnificent Magnolias and Seasonal Highlights tours, New York Botanical Gardens have the Orchid Show (until April 9th).

Event: Act Like A New Yorker – A workshop that digs into the grit and grind of living in New York City using acting, movement and improvisation, April 4

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For many Australians, New York City is surprisingly different to what we expected. And it’s the little things, like the way we converse and our sense of humor. But some challenges feel bigger and more confronting – like that confidence and assertiveness that New Yorkers exude ….

Led by Kate Lee, Act Like A New Yorker is an interactive workshop that uses acting, movement and improvisation to tackle some of the challenges of living in the Big Apple. Using serious fun, this event aims to connect our experiences and find our own ways of being seen and heard in this big, noisy city.

Event Details

Date: Tuesday April 4, 2017
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Address: Studios 150, 150 West 46th Street,  New York, NY 10036
Tickets: AWNY/AAA Members $15, Non-members $20
RSVP: Book here to secure your spot!

What is an AWNY/AAA Member? Find out more about membership and benefits.


Introducing Kate Lee – Event moderator & AWNY Committee Member

Kate Lee works between the fields of education, cultural development and cross-disciplinary performance.

DSC_1561Her experience is as extensive as the continents and communities she has worked with. Kate has made theater in remote Australia, studied Japanese performance systems and performed in a legendary Samurai town. She has told the Orestia to seven-year old’s and watched in amazement as they debated women’s rights, revenge and trial by jury. She’s collaborated with scientists, mentored students, danced with people experiencing Cerebral  Palsy, made films with seniors, taught drama in some of the toughest schools in New York City, and used drama for English language learning.

Kate’s performance forms include text based plays, experimental performance, dance theatre, devised performance and film. She has worked internationally with OzFrank (Australia), the Lotos Collective (London), Suzuki’s Toga Summer Festival (Japan) and Witness Relocation (New York City). She has presented her research at ‘Zone 126 GradNation: Strengthening Families, Transforming Communities’, at the ‘Cultural Diplomacy in the United Nations Symposium,’ and ‘Creative Communities Conference: Risks and Possibilities’ at the Griffith Centre for Cultural Research. 
 
In NYC, Kate connects with other educators, individuals, businesses and communities to create projects and events that inspire, empower and enliven. See more at: http://www.katelee.space/

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