32 JUNE 16 – JUNE 22, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP 39th BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! kicks off with a twist BY DANIELLE KOGAN [email protected] The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival kicked off with performances by Lake Street Dive on Wednesday night, June 7, marking the 39th anniversary of a concert series that brings the entire borough together. A typically free summer-long experience which started at the Prospect Park Bandshell in 1979, the series's goal, according to BRIC, was always to "enhance our quality of life and understanding of the world by illuminating the vibrant cultures that make our borough so unique." At a time when the Prospect Park Bandshell was broken down and concerts at night were not a popular idea, the first-ever festival featured jazz performances and dance choreographers. Today, the festival has added multiple film projects and virtual reality experiences to its concert repertoire, and BRIC committed on its website "to use artistic platforms to reaffirm the very basis of what Brooklyn and America is—a welcoming supercollider of ideas and cultures, informing and enriching each other." In fact, the festival's success can also be traced from the latest renovation of the Prospect Park Bandshell in 1998, under the auspices of the Prospect Park Alliance. Previously, the Bandshell did not have the renovated backstage, viewing opportunity, drainage, or facilities allowing for film and dance performances or concerts in inclement weather. At the time, the $3 million necessary to upgrade the Bandshell allocated by the Office of the Borough President. In the past theater and spoken word performances were presented in addition to world music by what was new management, focused on presenting combinations of local and international talent. The first dance performance this year, on June 30 at 8 p.m., will be a fusion of modern, ballet and Afro-Caribbean dance styles by the Garth Fagan Dance Company, having an anniversary of its own in its 45th season. Famed American dance troupe Pilobolus, known for its originality in movement, will follow that performance in July. In fact, artists of all kinds can be found at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival — even experimental and popular local groups. This year, the experimental rock trio Yeasayer will make their debut. Also this year, notable projects include original scores to film screenings, like the one jazz up-and-comer Jason Moran wrote for the movie "Selma" made in 2014. That will be screened August 10 at 7:30 p.m. with the help of Brooklyn United Marching Band and the Wordless Music Orchestra. For more details and a complete schedule, go to bricartsmedia.org. Photo by Meaghan McGoldrick The crowd gathered at the Bandshell in Prospect Park for the first performance in BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn! festival this year. Relay for Life takes another lap in Bay Ridge BY DANIELLE KOGAN [email protected] For the 19th year, the Relay for Life of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights will bring the community together to support cancer patients and caregivers, recognize survivors and remember those who succumbed to the disease on Saturday, June 17, at Poly Prep. Organized with the help of the American Cancer Society, the annual event will kick off at the school, 9216 Seventh Avenue, at 10 a.m., with the opening ceremony honoring Police Officer Anthony Passaro and John Quaglione, an aide to State Senator Marty Golden and a candidate for City Council, at 1 p.m. Then, at 3 p.m., the Survivor and Caregiver Ceremony honoring the Greco family and Paul Murphy will take place, with the Luminaria Ceremony, in memory of P.S. 264 teacher Merideth Wos, occurring at 9 p.m. Wos lost her battle with leukemia in November, 2016, just months after she was diagnosed with the disease. This year, participants have so far raised a little over 44 percent of their donation goal: $100,491 of $225,000. With a little over a week left to go, top fundraisers include the Admirals of P.S. 160 in Sunset Park, who have raised over $18,000. The funds raised through the event go to research and providing cancer patients with free lodging while they undergo treatment, among other services, "We consider ourselves a service school," said Principal Margaret Russo, "and it's part of our mission to give back to our community." The commitment to this particular cause is something Russo said comes from staff members who have been impacted by cancer, crediting the school's success to efforts by Margie Freire, George Lauro and Debra Fox. Among many schools to take part, P.S. 160 starts raising money for Relay for Life in January with raffles and bake sales. Staff and administrators also have the chance to bartend at the Pour House twice a year in the spring, with all profits from their efforts going toward finding a cure. When it comes to the school's students, Russo said. "I think it makes it real for them, and we can talk about it. It empowers them, and they see that even if they don't have a lot of BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photo money, every penny counts." A scene from last year’s Relay for Life.
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