Picks Of The Week: August 8-10

In the mood for celebrating? This weekend hosts festivals galore that the whole family can enjoy! Little theater buffs should check out the Fringe Jr. multi-arts festival, while history lovers will have a blast at the Civil War Weekend on Governors Island. For dance performances, check out Dance Theatre of Harlem’s special street festival or the multicultural activities at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Craving a game? Head over to a special chess festival for all skill levels at Dr. Ronald McNair Park.

Starting Friday, August 8

Fringe Jr.
The Theater at 14th St. Y
Various showtimes
Ages 5-12
FringeNYC, the largest multi-arts festival in North America, has special kid-friendly productions in the form of FringeJR. “Peter Pan and the Stardust Dances,” “Sarazad and the Monster King,” and “The Young Olympians and The Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever,” have made for some fabulous theater in past years! $10 per ticket

Saturday, August 9

Dance Theatre of Harlem Street Festival
West 152nd St. between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas Avenues
12pm-7pm
All Ages
Spend your Saturday at the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s annual Street Festival! Fest-goers can enjoy live dance performances from the Dance Theatre of Harlem School and browse the selection of food, books, and clothing at various street vendor booths. Admission is free.

B’rook’lyn Chess Festival
Dr. Ronald McNair Park
10am-4pm
All Ages
Sharpen your chess skills at this fun game festival in Brooklyn! Players of all skill levels are welcome to take part in activities like learning how to play, practicing techniques, taking checkmate workshops, playing pickup games, or even challenging Chess Master Giorgi Kacheishvili! Free

Saturday, August 9 & Sunday, August 10

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
Flushing Meadows Park
Various activity times starting at 10:30am
All Ages
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, is an amazing multicultural celebration of the fifth moon (month) on the lunar calendar. Take the kiddos to celebrate by seeing incredible dance performances, martial art demonstrations, traditional Chinese foods, and over 120 dragon boat teams from across North America. Free

Civil War Weekend 2014
Governors Island National Monument
10am-7pm
All Ages
Discover how soldiers, civilians, and prisoners lived during the summer of 1863 when you visit Governors Island this weekend. The National Park Service’s living historians will reconstruct the past during this two-day Civil War Weekend. Free

Chickenshed NYC

<p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-top: 0px; caret-color: #515151; color: #515151; font-family: nimbus-sans, sans-serif;">Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that began in the UK in 1974. Chickenshed NYC is a young organization bringing that same ethos and unique methodology to the USA. Chickenshed&rsquo;s mission is to create entertaining and outstanding theatre that celebrates diversity and inspires positive change.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-top: 0px; caret-color: #515151; color: #515151; font-family: nimbus-sans, sans-serif;">Chickenshed's model of Inclusive Theatre is based in the belief that everyone can flourish when everyone is included. At Chickenshed everyone is welcome, everyone is valued, and together we produce remarkable theatre. We want to break down barriers between people to create a world without labels and where differences no longer divide. At Chickenshed, support is given to those who need it, and given by those who can . We believe that creative activities, self-expression and performance should be available to anyone who has the desire, no matter their background or circumstances. We know that when everyone has the opportunity to shine, amazing things happen.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-top: 0px; caret-color: #515151; color: #515151; font-family: nimbus-sans, sans-serif;">Chickenshed NYC provides programming for little ones, children and youth through semester-long activities and performances.</p>

Cucu's PlayHouse

<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;">Interactive, live-streaming music and movement class in Spanish for babies, toddlers and preschoolers!<br />Join us every day from Monday through Saturday at 1:30 pm EST to sing, dance and play together while learning Spanish from your home.</div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;">&nbsp;</div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;">This class is part of a Spanish Immersion Program where your child will be introduced to basic concepts like the animals, colors, numbers and letters. All of these through the universal language of Music. Each session is fun, interactive and engaging.<br />A selection of Children Songs in Spanish guides the class from start to finish. Activities are related to the lyrics, in order to familiarize the children with the words and their meanings. Some of the songs encourage the children to dance. Nilda uses puppets, musical instruments, and props to teach children basic vocabulary through action and interaction, rather than through translation.</div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"><br />The classes are streamed on Zoom's webinar platform. Participants (children, parents, nannies) are able to join the video from their homes and interact with us in real-time, it is a fun and engaging experience.</div>

Gaga Madness

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">Gaga is the hottest new sport in NYC. We've taken the fun of GAGA and pushed it into overdrive. Energetic coaches, pumped up music, sideline commentary, gear giveaways and more. Stay active and keep fit with this new craze that's sweeping the city.</span></p>