Tokyo by Way of the Metro North: Japan Week at Grand Central Station

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 14 March 2018 18:38

Written by Renzo Adler

While you’re making your daily slog through the Metro North’s labyrinthine and somewhat functional trains and subways, this week you can at least have a small reprieve to the far off country of Japan. Japan Week returns to Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station from March 14 - 17.

Organized by JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), Japan Week is a free event that is open to the public showcasing the latest in Japanese culture, food, and modern art.  This year’s Japan Week features a 3D Trick Art installation, in which visitors can get their pictures taken in installations that use optical illusions to make it look like you’re carrying a sumo wrestler along Asakusa, perched on top a bowl of ramen, or carrying an Omikoshi shrine during a festival. Companies and vendors such as Itoen, Ootoya Japanese Restaurant, and Tokyo Otaku Mode will also have booths during the week.

To learn more, go to: https://www.japanweek.org/

Japan Week
March 14 - 17, 2018

Grand Central Station
89 E 42nd St.
New York, NY 10017

The Auto Show Rolls into the Javits Yet Again

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 13 March 2018 16:07

Written by Brad Balfour

As sure as the sun rises and the traffic in midtown is a nightmare, the New York Auto Show returns to the Javits Center (655 W. 34th St.). Running March 30 to April 8, the Auto Show features a galaxy of cars from the conceptual to the practical, from the extravagant to the everyday.

The Auto Show features the usual cavalcade of brands such as BMW, Toyota, Rolls-Royce, Lotus, Porche, Subaru, and many many more. The massive Auto Show will also include a (ticketed) guided tour for those of you that want insider info from an “automotive expert.” Kids will have fun too, as along with the usual showing of cars from films and TV shows the Auto Show will be inviting young auto fans to participate in a car costume parade during this year’s opening ceremony as part of the Kids' Motorcade Parade on Saturday, March 31st.

To learn more, go to: https://www.autoshowny.com/

The New York International Auto Show
March 30 - April 8, 2018

Javits Center
655 W. 34th St.
New York, NY 10001

Annual APAP Conference Held at the New York Hilton Offered Beautiful Sounds

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 01 February 2018 09:40

Written by T. Tom Moloney

The Hunts

The annual APAP conference held last month at the New York Hilton is one of the best kept entertainment secrets of the city. And it seems that the Association of Performing Arts Professionals would like to keep it that way. Nonetheless, in attending my 10th consecutive APAP conference, it was the one I enjoyed the most, discovering new talent and renewing old friendships.

Basically the conference is a four- day "audition extravaganza," with Hilton conference rooms turned into stages for hopeful singers, dancers, comics and the occasional dead celebrity impersonator. The conference also offers an important meeting point for arts presenters, agents, performers and managers from all corners of the world, with a wide variety of topics addressed during the event.

The standing-room only opening night plenary session addressed the question: “What is the Responsibility of the Performing Arts in Our World Today?” Other topics covered at various sessions and roundtables included: Artists as Activists;  Building Arts Audiences; Using and Protecting Intellectual Property; Advancing Indigenous Arts; Artists Without Borders; Presenting Diverse Cultures; Arts in the Fight Against Islamophobia; Asian American Artists; New Economic Realities; Best Marketing Practices; Contracting Skills; How to Reach Younger Audiences; Women's Leadership and Are the Arts for Everyone?

Besides the professional information sessions and the performances, the other very integral part of the APAP annual conference is the Expo Hall. Several hundred booths, manned by arts organizations, presenters and performance venues are spread over three floors in the hotel's west side section. In a sense, this is the heart of the conference, where serious networking takes place and deals are made (and also where the ubiquitous pens and candy can also be found.)

The Expo Halls are strictly for badge holders. To be on the safe side, casual music lovers should follow the diverse sounds coming from the east side of the Hilton. After attending the conference for a decade, there are favorite musicians which I look forward to seeing each January.

One favorite seen last month was The Hunts, a unique country/folk group comprised of seven siblings (ages 19-26) from Chesapeake, Virginia. All seven members play instruments — two women violinists with the five men on guitar, piano and/or drums. Recently the Hunts were heard on a Milkbone commercial ("Make This Leap") and their third album, "Darlin' Oh Darlin’,” will be released on February 20th, 2018. For more info go to:www.thehuntsmusic.com)

Estonian Voices, a jazz accapella group from that small Baltic nation, made their first APAP appearance. The attractive septet of three women and two men made beautiful jazzy music in both English and Estonian, even including sounds of animals and mototcycles. I was flattered to be interviewed for Estonian radio following one of the two shows I attended. Check them out at www.Estonianvoices.com.

Another new favorite is Tartan Terrors, a Canadian co-ed group performing Scottish-flavored music and dance with a heavy metal sound and featuring kilts, bagpipes and step dancing. Look for them at www.tartanterrors.com.

The APAP conference returns to the midtown New York Hilton in early January 2019 (from the 3rd (pre-conference to the 8th). All discrete music lovers are encouraged to check it out.