Crown Heights

Brooklyn Museum celebrates NYC Caribbean culture

July 29, 2014 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brooklyn-born Haitian singer-songwriter and flutist Melanie Charles
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On Aug. 2, the monthly First Saturday event at the Brooklyn Museum will celebrate the Caribbean communities of Brooklyn through music, film and dance. Highlights include musical group Heritage O.P., soca dance with Candace Thompson and screenings of the films “2×1 and “Mas Man.” Museum admission will also be free from 5 to 11 p.m.

The Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturday program has a full schedule of events, and attracts thousands of visitors to free art and entertainment programs each month. The fun begins at 5 p.m., and some events require tickets, so don’t forget to reserve your place beforehand.  

5 p.m. Music: Heritage O.P., an acoustic percussion and vocal ensemble, fuses the rich cultural traditions and rhythms of the African diaspora.

6 p.m. Movement Workshop: Candace Thompson of Elle NYTT teaches the dance steps of soca, a style of music and dance from Trinidad and Tobago.

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6 p.m. Film: 2×1 (Hannah Roodman, 2013, 30 min.) A documentary about the daily lives of Hasidic and West Indian residents of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. “Project 2×1” founders will be in attendance.

6 p.m. Book Signing: Ample Hills Creamery signs copies of “Ample Hills Creamery: Secrets and Stories from Brooklyn’s Favorite Ice Cream Shop.” Free samples of ice cream, while supplies last!

6:30-8:30 pm Hands-On Art (ticketed): Learn to create a woven fish–a traditional craft from Jamaica.

6:45 p.m. Music: Brooklyn-born Haitian singer-songwriter and flutist Melanie Charles melds jazz and contemporary music with traditional Haitian music.

7 p.m. Film (ticketed): Mas Man (Dalton Narine, 2010, 56 min.) tells the story of Peter Minshall, a designer for the Trinidad Carnival who became the Emmy Award-winning artistic director for three Olympic Games. The film’s director will be in attendance.

8 p.m. Fashion Show: Brooklyn-based designers showcase fashions inspired by the Caribbean.

8:15 p.m. Storytelling: Garifuna artist James Lovell hosts storytelling that illuminates themes and philosophies of the Uraga tradition.

8:45 p.m. Music: Brooklyn-based Request Band (RQB) blends a unique style of calypso with reggae, dancehall, funk and alternative music.

 

For more information, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org. 

The program’s lead sponsor is Target. Collaborators include caribBEING, which promotes the Caribbean diaspora through the lens of Caribbean cinema, culture and art; and Haiti Cultural Exchange, which develops, presents and promotes the cultural expressions of the Haitian people. 


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