Thinking About Getting Into is a newsletter about cultivating interests.
For a long time, I wished there was a spot where I could find things to do in New York City without having to comb through pages of irrelevant Eventbrites or sponsored content or pages of events that have already happened. You see, by the time I am reading about a performance in The New Yorker’s Goings On or the Times’s Arts pages, there is a high possibility that tickets are already sold out, the events have passed, and I’m simply out of luck. So I thought, why not be the change in the world I wish to see?
This is my attempt at doing so; I will also ask readers who aren’t in New York to forgive me for this wholly New York-focused send. These are the most interesting events, performances, exhibitions, and gatherings that came across my eye for those of you who want to come out of July feeling just a bit more cultured.
Let me know if you find this sort of thing helpful, and maybe I’ll continue. Maybe I’ll even add more cities next time around. If that’s something that sounds compelling to you…just lmk.
Enjoy!
Art and Exhibitions
Vivian Maier at Fotografiska: Discover old New York from the point-of-view of Vivian Maier, who was born in the Bronx in 1926 and photographed the world around her while working as a nanny. Maier passed away in 2009 and left behind an immense body of documentary work. You can see the exhibit through September, and better yet, you can add a glass of wine to your entry fee for just $5, thanks to Fotografiska’s “art and aperitif” offering.
Through September 29 // Tickets HERE
Latin American Foto Festival at Bronx Documentary Center: Back for the seventh year, this festival will display work by photographers from Bolivia, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, and Brazil, both in the Bronx and around the city. See a map here.
July 11-28 // More info HERE
Toshiko Takaezu at the Noguchi Museum: This retrospective of Hawaii-born Japanese-American artist Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011), who is known for her ceramic forms, closes this month, so see it while you can. Every day at 3pm, a museum guide will also lead a “guided touch experience” with the ceramics, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Through July 28 // More info HERE
Coal + Ice at Asia Society Museum: The current exhibit at this Upper East Side museum examines the impact of—and potential solutions to—climate change through the works of 30+ photographers. The exhibit will not only show visitors the impact of global warming around the world but also give them a look at their city in the immersive showcase New York, 2050: A Possible Future. Will we choose utopia or dystopia?
Through August 11 // More info HERE
Lost in New York at the New York Historical Society: Or perhaps you’re more interested in stepping back to the past, in which case you can get to know the landmarks, activities, and communities that defined Old New York in this exhibit. If you visit on a Friday evening—July 5, 12, or 19—you can also enjoy “historic cocktails” and live jazz.
Through September 29 // More info HERE
100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture at the Museum of the City of New York: For more of a pop culture focus, head over to the East Side. This full-floor exhibit pulls together movies, art, literature, and music that celebrate the city—perfect for people like me who describe their favorite film genre as “set in New York.”
Through July 21 // More info HERE
Crafting the Ballets Russes at The Morgan Library: Uncover the history of the Ballet Ruses—one of the, if not the most influential ballet company of the early 20th century—in a new exhibit at the Morgan that’s rife with primary sources, like marked-up scores, choreographic notes, and costume sketches.
Through September 22 // More info HERE
Yasmin Zaher and Katie Kitamura at McNally Jackson: Yasmin Zaher’s The Coin is easily my most anticipated read of the summer; it’d been blurbed by Elif Batuman, Raven Leilani, and Slavoj Žižek(???). It is about “a young Palestinian woman's unraveling as she teaches at a New York City middle school, gets caught up in a scheme reselling Birkin bags, and strives to gain control over her body and mind.” I’m in! The discussion between Zaher and Kitamura at McNally Jackson Seaport promises to be a good one.
July 10 // RSVP HERE
New York Reviews Architecture: Issue #41 Launch Party: I love this funny, informative, progressive magazine. A ticket will get you a drink and an issue, plus the smug feeling that you are supporting independent journalism.
July 18 // RSVP HERE
Dance
American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House: There are a few weeks left of ABT’s summer season, so if you’re hoping to catch a story ballet, now is the time. Swan Lake runs this week, and is followed by Romeo and Juliet and Like Water for Chocolate. If you want something traditional, try to scope out a ticket for one of the first two; Like Water is a fantastical piece, but maybe not the best entry-level option.
Through July 20 // Tickets HERE
tanzmainz at The Joyce: The German contemporary dance company is performing choreographer Sharon Eyal’s Soul Chain, an experimental piece about “about love, longing, and the great loneliness that lives within” set to electronic music. This clip can give you an idea of what to expect.
July 2-July 7 // Tickets HERE
All Indian Dance Festival at Carnegie Hall: Multiple Indian classical dance companies and schools come together for a vibrant matinee performance in Stern Auditorium.
July 7 // Tickets HERE
Smuin Contemporary Ballet at the Joyce: The San Francisco-based contemporary dance company may offer a more accessible entry point to those not used to more avant-garde performances. You can expect a neoclassical moment with Tutto Eccetto il Lavandino by choreographer Val Caniparoli, a soft shoe contemporary piece with Renaissance by Amy Seiwert—which is set to a female vocal ensemble, and a campy, bold finish with Tupelo Tornado: a dance inspired by the life and trials of Elvis Presley.
July 9-July 14 // Tickets HERE
Carvalho Park performance series: Swedish textile installation artist Diana Orving, New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns, and choreographer Jodi Melnick have come together to create a multi-disciplinary performance in the gallery space; the “new dance work will give physical form to Orving’s aims that reside in the subconscious, the elusive and the concrete undulating in real time.”
July 11, July 18, August 8 // RSVP HERE
Works & Progress at Herbert Von King Park: This free dance performance brings together three different acts: Maimouna Keita African Dance Company, which celebrates the dance traditions of Africa and the African diaspora, the street dance company It’s Showtime NYC!, and dancer/documentarian Kash Gaines’s Caged Birds, which features “a cast sharing intimate stories of perilous encounters with law enforcement inside and outside the MTA system.”
July 11 // More info HERE
Dorrance Dance at the Joyce: Tap dancing! The New York City-based company, founded by tap dancer Michelle Dorrance, is debuting a brand-new work.
July 16-July 21 // Tickets HERE
Pilobolus at the Joyce: This acrobatic and experimental dance company, founded in 1971 at Dartmouth as an “outsider dance company,” is presenting two different programs: Dreams and Memory, which both promise to be boundary-pushing shows featuring work both new and old.
July 23-August 11 // Tickets HERE
BAAND Together Dance Festival at Lincoln Center: Before it’s too late, snag your tickets for this pay-what-you-wish performance that brings together five of the city’s top companies: New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispánico, American Ballet Theater, and Dance Theater of Harlem.
July 30-August 3 // Tickets HERE
Music and Theater
Britton & The Sting at Little Island: Britton Smith, backed by his funk liberation band, presents MAMA, a “sonic adventure” that promises new music in a performance designed specifically for the unique venue.
July 24-28 // Tickets HERE
Cats: The Jellicle Ball at Perelman Arts Center: It is true: Everyone is talking about Cats. The latest production of this Andrew Lloyd Weber musical—which is inspired by a T.S. Eliot poem, if you weren’t aware— has opened to rave reviews. What makes this Cats different? It’s set in the context of queer ballroom culture and promises “club beats, runway-ready choreography, and an edgy eleganza makeover that moves the action from junkyard to catwalk.” The run has been extended, so get your tix now.
Through August 11 // Tickets HERE
Carnegie Hall Citywide: There is no shortage of free musical performances in the city this summer, and Carnegie Hall is behind the programming of multiple standouts. In July, you can see the Harlem Chamber Players, folk singer-songwriter Alisa Amador, South African vocalist Thandiswa Mazwai, The Late Show band leader Louis Cato, Afro-Cuban group Okan, and more.
Through August 2 // More information HERE
Hae Joo Hahn and Sang Eil Shin at Carnegie Hall: Two musicians—a harpist and a pianist, respectively—at the top of their game come together for a Tuesday night recital that promises to make an ordinary weekday feel a little bit more surreal.
July 16 // More information HERE
Summer Evenings at Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society: You have six chances to see the Chamber Music Society perform for free in Alice Tully Hall this summer, so take this as your reminder to enter the ticket lotteries to attend. Programs include music by Dvořák, Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and other classics.
July 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 // More information HERE
Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel: This immersive show—inspired by Macbeth—was supposed to close in January. Now, it’s been extended one last time through September. Consider this your final warning.
Through September 27 // Tickets HERE
Oh, Mary at the Lyceum Theatre: After a successful off-Broadway run, the Cole Escola play—in which they play Mary Todd Lincoln—is coming to Broadway for a limited run that officially opens July 11.
Through September 15 // Tickets HERE
Sable Elyse Smith at MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art presents its second annual Studio Sound performance: an opera titled If you unfolded us by the artist and writer Sable Elyse Smith, in collaboration with composer David Dominique and vocalist Freddie June. It’s a multimedia work featuring two vocalists, an eight-piece chamber ensemble, and found footage.
July 3-14 // More info HERE
Bastille Day French Music Festival in Central Park: A free Bastille Day celebration in Central Park? Mais oui. The free event, organized by the Consulate General of France, starts at 5pm and will feature five different French acts, ranging in style from rap to pop to electronic.
July 14 // More info HERE
That’s all for now!