PHOTOGRAPHY

Sophie Rivera was a photographer of Puerto Rican descent, who was an activist and teacher. She is best known as a photographer whose work challenged stereotypical assumptions of Puerto Ricans in the United States. Her exhibition, “Boricua Lens: Sophie Rivera Portraits” is an initiative of the Nueva Luz Study Center (NLSC) and is part of efforts by arts organization, En Foco, to preserve the culture and legacy of diasporic lens-based artists.

 

Sophie Rivera had been involved with En Foco since before the launch of the Nueva Luz photographic journal in 1985. The exhibition at Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, 575 Walton Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451, is showing, by appointment only, from Oct. 13, 2023 to April 4, 2024. Call (718) 585 1202 for more details. Click here to view the virtual exhibition.

 

A Valentine’s Day Art Workshop will take place at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center on Sunday, Feb. 11. See attached flier below for more details.

The opening party to celebrate the opening of the Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial exhibit will take place on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7p.m. Part one of the Biennial features work by 26 artists who participated in the Museum’s flagship AIM Fellowship program from 2020 through 2023. The Fellows’ works vary widely in media and approach but are united in critiquing systems of power and investigating their impact on personal and collective identities. Many of the exhibiting artists will be at the Opening Party to celebrate and would appreciate your support! Uptown Vinyl Supreme will be spinning records all evening and should not be missed. This program is free and open to all. Please RSVP via Eventbrite.

Registration will open on Monday, Nov. 20 for Pelham Art Center’s Winter 2024 semester, which includes classes and workshops for all ages, plus Winter Break Camps for students aged 3 and up. Winter programming will cover a wide variety of art techniques and media ranging from pottery and watercolors to digital media, ceramics, and more. Register at pelhamartcenter.org/education.

 

 

 

The Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, 3225 Reservoir Oval East, Bronx, NY 10467, is offering Free Ballet Classes, taught by professionals. There will be live music in every class and classes will take place from February to May, Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. See attached flier below for details.

Participants aged 6 to 18 are invited to join The Bronx All Star Dance Team at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, 3225 Reservoir Oval East, Bronx, NY 10467 from Jan. 4 to March 23 on Thursdays at 5 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. to learn fun and energetic dance styles. Sessions last one hour. Participants must have an NYC Parks & Recreation Center membership card. Membership is free for those under 24. Call (718) 543 8372 for more information or email Kelsey.Phoenix@parks.nyc.gov.

The Bronx Music Heritage Center presents an Afro-Cuban Dance Workshop on Feb. 7. See attached flier below for more details.

A Silent Disco will be held at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center in Norwood on March 29. See attached flier below for more details.

Join the Name that Tune event at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center on Friday, Feb. 23. See attached flier below for more information.

Bronx Opera will be performing Il signor Bruschini by Rossini and Giani Schicchi by Puccini in English on Saturday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 10, at 7.30 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 4, and Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2.30 p.m. at the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Blvd West, The Bronx. Tickets can be purchased at www.bronxopera.org.

 

MindBuilders are hosting a free Vocal Ensemble series of classes which started on Jan. 9. See attached flier below for more information.

 

The Bronx Music Heritage Center Music and Dance Program upcoming classes begin on Feb. 5. See attached flier below for more details.

 

The Riverdale Choral Society invites singers of all levels to join for rehearsals for the Spring season. Open rehearsals will be held on two Wednesdays, Jan. 10 and Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at Christ Church Riverdale, 5040 Henry Hudson Pkwy East (W. 252nd St. and Henry Hudson Parkway East), where there is on-street parking and easy access to public transportation. Subsequent rehearsals will take place every Wednesday at 7 pm. All voice ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass are welcome.

 

Rehearsals will be conducted by music director Mun-Tzung Wong. Singers who join the Choral Society will be preparing for a concert on Sunday, May 5, with works by Benjamin Britten, James Mulholland, Astor Piazzolla, Paul Carey, and John Corigliano, as well as folk songs from American and Irish traditions. Those who love singing, including those who do not read music but have a good musical ear, are encouraged to consider joining. Additional information can be obtained at www.riverdalechoral.org or by calling (718) 543-2219.

 

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, The Bronx, has advised that TITO PUENTE CENTENNIAL, a tribute to the 100-year legacy of Tito Puente, originally scheduled for Saturday, May 20, 2023 has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 2, 2024.

 

As the “King of Latin Music”, Tito Puente created over 200 compositions and produced more than 100 albums in the span of five decades. Known for fusing styles and putting a big-band spin on traditional Latin music, Tito Puente put Caribbean styles, including mambo, salsa, boogaloo, cha-cha-cha, rumba, guaracha and Afro-Cuban jazz, on the global map.

 

Performing alongside with Tito Puente’s son, Tito Puente Jr., will be world-class musicians, including Orestes Vilato, Nicky Marrero, Endel Dueño, Frankie Figueroa, Frankie Morales, John ‘Dandy’ Rodriguez, and Jose Madera. The ensemble will come together to honor Tito Puente’s enduring musical heritage at Lehman Center! Call the box office at (718) 960-8833 Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (weekend hours vary)

 

Pick up a copy of the newest publication by The Bronx County Historical Society, “Geography of The Bronx,” authored by CEO Dr. G. Hermalyn. This colorful guidebook, on select geographical features of The Bronx, supplemented with more than 100 photographs, maps, and other illustrations, will be of great interest to educators, students, and Bronxites. Click here to buy a copy.

 

New York Botanical Garden’s Beer Garden at the Leon Levy Visitor Center continues to have Craft Beers to purchase, as well as grab-and-go meals, snacks, and drinks at the Pine Tree Café at the same NYBG location. NYBG is located at 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458-5126.

 

 

Calling All Neighborhood History Keepers

The Bronx Historical Society and Columbia University, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, is looking to five neighborhood history keepers for a special history project running from November 2023 to March 2025. You’ll be paid $30 per hour for your work and receive free training and support. You’ll be based in Mott Haven and will be required to devote about 15 hours a month to the project. Call Amy Starecheski on (212) 851 4395 or email aas39@columbia.edu.

Edible Academy Fresh from the Garden Tastings takes place at the New York Botanical Garden on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Get hands-on with healthy cooking using new recipes featuring plants grown in the Edible Academy. NYBG staff create family-friendly recipes using seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and kids and adults alike can learn how garden-to-table cooking is not only nutritious, but fun, too. While you’re exploring the Edible Academy, get hands on with the crops in the vegetable garden during Dig! Plant! Grow! each month. For more information, click here.

 

The Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade in collaboration with State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez is hosting a Three Kings Day event on Jan 28. See attached flier below for more information.

Please find attached below the latest Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center Programming Schedule.

Riverdale Meditation Cooperative hosts meditation sessions on Wednesdays at 505BX. See attached flier below for more details.

On Tuesday, and Thursday-Sunday; a grounds access pass to the New York Botanical Garden is available for purchase by NYC residents only. Proof of residency is required and may only be purchased onsite. On Wednesdays, grounds admission is free to NYC residents all day and to all other visitors between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Grounds admission includes access to outdoor gardens and collections, including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.

 

Kayla from Friends of Pelham Bay Park will share the history of the area now known as Orchard Beach on January 23. See attached flier for details and join via Zoom. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZcrd…

A number of citywide events highlighting Black Excellence can be found on eventbrite.

 

New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)’s Bronx Neighbors Program offers free Grounds-Only Admission to Bronx Residents Tuesday to Sunday and Monday federal holidays, offering the local community access to nature in their backyard, programs for the whole family, and more. Get your tickets online now, or learn more about other ways to receive your FREE Bronx Resident Grounds-Only admission ticket. Up to 6 tickets per transaction.

• 250 acres to explore year-round
• The largest surviving old-growth forest in New York City
• Two family gardens for hands-on exploration
• Free mobile guides with audio tours, videos, and special content!

 

Want to work with other writers? Commit to a writing schedule? Practice your craft through writing prompts? Receive and discuss information and tips on writing, reading, editing, and revising? Join the weekly meetings of the Kingsbridge Writing Circle, held online at the Kingsbridge Library every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. Share your unpublished drafts in an intimate setting. Get and give feedback. Writers of all genres and styles are welcome to participate. The program is for those aged 18 and up. You must register to receive the Google Meet meeting code which will be emailed the day before. Register here.

 

Norwood Community Library, a mobile library, arranges pop-up library booths around The Bronx and also has a permanent library box located in front of the Keeper’s House at 3440 Reservoir Oval East, Bronx, NY 10467. For more details, check out our previous story on the group. The library also meets regularly as a book club.

 

KIDS  

The Bronx Children’s Museum has officially opened. See our latest story on the opening here. The museum recently welcomed its first children for a preview of the brand new facility with special guest, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. When asked how they enjoyed it, the children reportedly responded, “A-MAZ-ING!” The 2023 opening hours for the museum, located at 725 Exterior Street near Yankee Stadium along the Harlem River, as of Jan. 3, are now Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the museum’s website here.

 

The Nest Music Conservatory is a non-profit organization providing music education to youths in the Bronx through out-of-school programs. The organization is dedicated to creating a nurturing environment that contributes to the social and emotional growth of students, their families, and communities through classes, events, and concert series. The center, located at 3636 Holland Ave, The Bronx, NY 10467, USA is open daily, Monday to Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Call (718) 994-6378 for more information. 

 

SPOKEN WORD, STORY TELLING, & LITERACY

Neighborhood Stories is a storytelling initiative by the NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) to gather and preserve the stories of NYC neighborhoods. Learn more about the project, and how to share memories of your neighborhood and community here.

 

 

NYC Veterans’ Veteran Voices Project records the stories of NYC’s veterans and preserves their legacy. Learn more at nyc.gov/vetvoices.

DYK? @nycveterans launched the Veteran Voices Project (VVP) to record the stories of NYC's veterans and preserve their legacy.
🎙️ Learn more about this oral history initiative at https://t.co/k6d4WfIHIW#VeteransDay #NYCVeteransDay21 pic.twitter.com/FTKKjI2R0Z

— NYC Consumer and Worker Protection (@helloDCWP) November 11, 2021

 

MOVEMENT

Dance, Fun & Fitness classes will take place on Wednesdays from 6.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center at 3225 Reservoir Oval East in Norwood. The classes consist of nonstop rhythmic cardio conditioning, utilizing different genres of dance and basic bodyweight exercises, all set to high-energy music, designed to give you a full body workout. See attached flier below.

Walking History Tours of Hard Island with an NYC Parks Urban Park Ranger guide are now live. Click here for more information.

 

Gentle Yoga Flow classes with Shape Up NYC and NYC Parks have begun at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center at 3225 Reservoir Oval East in Norwood since Nov. 9, 2023 and continue each Thursday at 6.30 p.m. Bring a mat. See attached flier.

 

She’s on Point celebrates girls and women in sport on March 2. See attached flier below for more details.

For New Yorkers 60 years old and over, a Seniors Fitness program offers free twice weekly pickleball, tennis, yoga, and fitness walking classes across all five boroughs since April 2023. Participants of all levels are welcome to come out, have fun, and socialize. Visit https://cityparksfoundation.org/ or call (212) 360-1399 for more information.

 

The only operational Ice Rink in The Bronx has been renovated and reopened on Nov. 20 at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in Castle Hill. As a part of the Frederic R. Coudert Sports Complex, the ice skating rink provides professionally trained staff and visiting coaches that feature individuals with over 15 years of professional experience of ice skating.

 

The ice skating rink is managed by ASAC Management and with over 30 years of ice skating management, ASAC has specialists from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds offering expert training techniques. The age range for the ice rink (during program hours) is 6-18. For more information, contact athletics director, Darril Almonte, on darril.almonte@kipsbay.org or visit https://www.kipsbay.org/icerink. Read our recent story on the reopening here.

 

Shape Up NYC and NYC Parks hosts a Running Group at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. See attached flier below for more details.

Learn to Become a Lifeguard. Make summer happen for NYC! Becoming a lifeguard is a rewarding experience. You’ll work outdoors in some of New York City’s most iconic locations, playing a critical role in helping New Yorkers of all ages and abilities have safe access to beaches and pools. Click here for more details or see attached flyer below.

 

Van Cortlandt Park Nature Center, Van Cortlandt Park, 246th Street and, Broadway, Bronx, NY 10471, is open every Saturday and Sunday. See attached flier below for more information.

 

Exercise Classes in Cantonese 

Visiting Nurses Services NY is inviting the public to virtual, exercise classes in Cantonese on Tuesdays, from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. See attached flier below for more information.

BronxWorks and Twin Parks West Older Adult Center, 355 East 183^rd Street, Bronx, NY 10458, invites residents to come join some fun classes Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. See attached flier below for details.

 

Running group, Bronx Nomads, generally meet at the Bainbridge Avenue entrance to the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood on Mondays at 6.30 p.m. to run together safely. Founded 5 years ago, the group caters to those with different levels of fitness. You can follow Bronx Nomads on Instagram and Facebook or email the group at bronxnomads@gmail.com. Read our latest stories on two of the club’s runners who recently completed the 2023 TCS New York City marathon here and here.

 

Elected officials, City agency partners, and community-based organizations continue to host the Saturday Night Lights citywide program to work together to keep 100 gyms across the City open for free, high-quality sports programs for kids on Saturday nights, ensuring no indoor gyms are closed on these nights – the time when they are needed most by kids in city communities. Click on the following link to watch a video extract of the Saturday Night Lights Relaunch, where Mayor Eric Adams can be seen observing some of the kids in action.

 

Each Saturday evening, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., children and youth, aged 11 to 18, are able to enjoy an array of indoor sports, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, dance, martial arts and more. According to the organizers, a key component of the program is bringing cops and kids together. Teams of youth coordination officers from NYPD precincts are at each of the 100 gymnasiums every Saturday night, helping to coach, and joining members of various community based organizations to interact with young people and help make a lasting and positive impact in their lives.

 

Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, located at 3450 Dekalb Avenue, is the local venue for the program in Norwood, while the Fordham Heights program is run at 2255 Webster Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457. For a list of all venues, scan the QR code in the below flier. (If you cannot access the QR code from the attached flyer, click on this link.

 

As reported, an additional 25 city gyms and an additional $1.25 million investment in the Saturday Night Lights program was announced on July 9, 2022. To find a gym near you, click here.

Gotham City Panthers is an amateur basketball team founded by Eric King. Click on the link for more information.

 

Theory 9’s Rising Kings Basketball Club caters to different age groups in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood. Click here for more details.

 

Bronx Buccaneers football club meet on Saturdays in the Williamsbridge Oval, located at 3225 Reservoir Oval East, in Norwood from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Monday to Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Understanding there is more to football, the Buccaneers strive to develop the students/athletes, and the hope is that the players will use the program not only as a stepping stone to advance to upper level sports in High School and college, but also as a means to engage in positive behavior and as a healthy distraction from idleness which the group says can lead to poor decisions. The Buccaneers accept kids from any community, boys or girls, ages 6 to 14. Contact Tasha Andrews at (917) 662-3632 for further information.

Bronx Panthers Youth Football & Cheer save lives through football, and are recruiting all age groups. Call the numbers in the attached flier, above, for more information.

 

 

Editor’s Note: We will update this feature article as more events become available.