Highlights this weekend include choreographer and scholar André M. Zachery exploring Black masculinity at 651 Arts’ new permanent space, a world renown Whitney Houston tribute and the latest work from Pulitzer Prize finalist Jordan Harris.
Plus, Disney on Ice at Barclays and free Martin Luther King Day celebrations in Brooklyn and on the Upper East Side.
Dance
“Against Gravity: Flying Afrikans + Other Urban Legends”
651 Arts — L10 Arts and Cultural Center, 10 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn (Downtown)
Through Jan. 19. Various showtimes.
Brooklyn’s “premier institution for the African Diasporic performing arts” is opening its first permanent space with a world premiere by André M. Zachery that explores the legacies of three Chicago natives: Black Panther revolutionary Fred Hampton, teenage basketball star Ben (Benji) Wilson, and Mayor Harold Washington. Guided by the voice of Pulitzer-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the solo work uses history, memory and poetry.
“Against Gravity… is for me a personal journey across time in an effort to reconcile our embodiment of Black manhood and masculinity,” the Chicago-born choreographer and scholar told The Daily News of the collaboration with Ayinde Jean-Baptiste. “By facing three ancestors of Black Chicago …we are using the words and poetry to bind their narratives in order to help us make sense of our present reality. We wanted to hold these stories in a way that can be shared with those familiar and unfamiliar with these legends through the form of dance.”
Tickets are $25 (including fees). Discounts available.
Family
“Disney on Ice presents ‘Frozen’ and ‘Encanto’”
Barclays Center — 620 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn (Downtown)
Through Jan. 19. Various showtimes.
Disney’s “Frozen” and “Encanto” will come to life on stage for a production filled with world-class ice skating, aerial acrobatics and music to sing along to.
Anna, Elsa, Mirabel and the Madrigal family live will join life-sized characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and others for a two-part story narrated by “Frozen” snowman Olaf and Mirabel from “Encanto.”
Before the show kicks off in the main arena, attendees can attend an immersive character experience that includes games, storytelling, crafting, photo opportunities and interactive time with Elsa and Mirabel.
Tickets start at $32.
Music
“The Greatest Love of All”
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts — 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, The Bronx
Sun. Jan. 19, 6 p.m.
The spirit and songbook of Whitney Houston lives on, more than a decade after her tragic death at age 48.
There aren’t many who would date to sing an entire tribute concert to the late Grammy winner, or tour the world doing so. But South Africa’s Belinda Davids — who has opened for the likes of Michael Jackson, The Manhattans and The Temptations — has led this international production in over 30 countries.
Backed by a live band, backing vocalists and choreographed dancers, Davids will sing ballads like “I Will Always Love You” and “Greatest Love of All” alongside pop bops “How Will I Know” and “I’m Your Baby Tonight.”
Tickets start at $35.
Art
“Techne”
BAM Fisher — 321 Ashland Place., Brooklyn (Fort Greene)
Through Jan. 19. Various times.
There’s still a chance to experience BAM’s “AI driven immersive installation,” which features four large-scale digital artworks from the Onassis Foundation’s ONX Studio.
As part of Under the Radar‘s 20th anniversary, transmedia artist Stephanie Dinkins closes out the exhibition with “Secret Garden,” a work that gathers generations of oral histories of Black women. The work, which debuted at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, includes interactive audio vignettes inspired by the Staten Island-raised artist’s own experiences.
“The idea of the garden emerged as a space for stories to exist in, where other people can recognize those stories and, in the process, realize they’re not so different,” she explained.
Tickets are $10.
Theater
“The Antiquities”
Playwrights Horizons — 416 W. 42nd St., Manhattan (Hell’s Kitchen)
Through Feb. 13. Various showtimes.
Pulitzer finalist Jordan Harris’ latest work began performances this week, helmed by David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan.
Set in 2240, the action takes place in a museum dedicated to memorializing human life in the early 21st century. According to its description, the Museum of Late Human Antiquities has “curators fiercely committed to bringing a lost civilization to life again.”
Cindy Cheung, Marchánt Davis, Layan Elwazani, Andrew Garman, Aria Shahghasemi, Kristen Sieh, Ryan Spahn, Julius Rinzel, and Amelia Workman round out the cast of the show Harris has called “a 15 year-long obsession …with technology and the way it’s changing, and not changing, what it means to be human.”
Tickets start at $62.50.
Celebrate
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Brooklyn Children’s Museum — 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn (Crown Heights)
Sun.Jan. 19 and Mon. Jan. 20,
To celebrate the national holiday commemorating the life of late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Brooklyn Children’s Museum is hosting a two-day festival where everyone is welcome.
Activities will include Grammy-nominated rapper Fyütch leading music and protest marching, creative artist Nehprii Amenii performing interactive shadow puppet shows and Dr. Megan Pamela Ruth Madison hosting storytime with her book “Our Skin.”
Event organizers partnered with the national Jewish nonprofit organization Repair the World for a special volunteer service project on Monday.
Free.
Free
Martin Luther King Jr. Concert
Brick Presbyterian Church — 1140 Park Ave, Manhattan (Carnegie Hill)
Sat. Jan. 18, 4 p.m.
The church, built in 1940 and home to an acclaimed professional choir, will host a special community concert to honor MLK’s legacy. The world-renowned Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), the Harvard Glee Club led by Andrew Clark and operatic baritone Lester Lynch are featured performers on the bill, which will include selections such as “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Conductors Maria C. Peña, Caitlin Henning, Emma H. Sway, and pianist Taisiya Pushkar are on deck for a show exploring themes of belonging and inclusion and “bringing to life Dr. King’s dream of a world where all people live together in harmony.”
Artistic director and founder Francisco J. Núñez said he and his young choristers “strive every day to bring this vision to life, creating a space where children of all backgrounds can thrive, grow, and feel they belong.”
Free.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: [email protected] with the details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.