Today’s “Fab 5” / Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, DEC. 15, 2013

STREB “Forces” (through Dec. 22)
“Action heroes are usually the stuff of summer blockbusters, but thanks to Elizabeth Streb they have made their way to the world of dance as well. This pioneering daredevil choreographer showcases the long fall season with her fearless dancers at their home base, the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics in Brooklyn. The new piece, “Forces,” like all of her work, is equal parts circus, stunt and acrobatics, with the aid of Ms. Streb’s homegrown gadgets and contraptions.” — (NYT-BrianSchaefer)
Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 North First Street, Brooklyn
$40 to $60; family four-pack, $130
(866) 811-4111  / http://streb.org
this is not manhattan’s westside, but it is brooklyn’s westside (hipster williamsburg),
and definitely worth the trip – this show is awesome!
subway: #1-2-3 to 14th St.; transfer to L train to Bedford (1st stop in bklyn)
walk 6 blocks S on Bedford to 1st St; 3 blks W on 1st St. to STREB (12 min)
and stop at the radegast biergarten, which is right on the way before or after the show.

Benjamin Britten Centenary Celebration
“On the occasion of the British composer’s centennial, the Paley Center for Media presents two special screenings. Five documentary shorts from the General Post Office scored by Britten — “The Way to the Sea” (1936), “Coal Face” (1935), “The Tocher” (1938), “The King’s Stamp” (1935) and “Night Mail” (1936) — will be shown at 1:30 p.m., and will be followed, at 3 p.m., by the American premiere of the documentary “Britten’s Endgame,” which explores how the opera “Death in Venice” took a toll on his health.” (NYT)
Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52nd St.
$10; $8 for students and 65+; free for members.
(212) 621-6800, paleycenter.org

The Fellowship Band*
“While employing such hard-hitting players as the drummer Brian Blade and the saxophonist Myron Walden, this group concentrates on an ensemble approach that makes use of Americana and gospel-inflected jazz. There’s room for heroic improvisation, but group identity—the sound of a band—is always paramount.” (NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St.
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m./ $25 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
255-4037, villagevanguard.com

Bobby Watson and Horizon 
The alto saxophonist Bobby Watson formed his first version of Horizon more than 25 years ago, managing to iron a sharp new crease into the legacy of Jazz Messengers-inspired hard bop. His current iteration of the group consists of Terell Stafford on trumpet, Edward Simon on piano, Essiet Essiet on bass and Victor Lewis on drums.” (NYT-Chinen)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m./$40 to $45 cover, with a $10 minimum
(212) 258-9595, jalc.org

Damon Wayans
“As with many no-longer-young comics, this member of the Wayans clan now focuses his material on the vagaries of family and parenting, but he’s still essentially the same guy we fell in love with on In Living Color. And if you look closely, you can still make out the fluffy wig, bulbous red nose and loaded sock of Homey D. Clown.” (TONY Mag)
Carolines, 1626 Broadway, at 49th St.
at 7:30PM / $60-$130
757-4100, carolines.com

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change. ===============================================================================

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater, and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world.

Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues.

Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here are 3 Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Raqib Shaw, “Paradise Lost” (until Sat. Dec. 21)
East meets West in the work of this London artist, who originally hails from India, and whose sumptuous, jewel-and-enamel inlaid paintings and intricately detailed sculptures combine numerous traditions and canons—including Indian miniatures and textiles, Old Master painting, Orientalism and Surrealism. His works might be best described as visions of paradise being invaded by the forces of hell. It’s a strange mix that plays upon our notions of exoticism while sending them up. For his debut at Pace, the artist fills all three of the gallery’s Chelsea locations.
Pace Gallery 508 W 25th St. btw Tenth and Eleventh Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-255-4044 / thepacegallery.com

Richard Serra, “New Sculpture” (until Sat. Jan. 25, 2014)
Gagosian’s double dose of Richard Serra presents dueling sides of the sculptor: the popular artist name checked in a Vampire Weekend song, and the confrontational figure familiar from his earlier career.

The gallery’s West 21st Street location presents the former in fine form, with a single massive work. Curling ribbons of steel, set on edge and towering to ceiling height, nestle together to create Serra’s signature bowing and curving of space. They swallow viewers up in a phenomenological ecstasy one usually associates with, say, walking along a narrow canyon. The metal’s russet color only adds to the sensation of experiencing something more natural than man-made.

The tone, if not the scale, of the work shifts on West 24th Street, with a group of sculptures and nary a bend in sight. Hard-edged steel plates, patinated a carceral gray, get in your way like barricades around a government building. A set of enormous blocks serves as a memorial to the recently deceased sculptor Walter De Maria, a friend of Serra’s. Experiential warmth gives way to cold truths as Serra employs his legendary toughness to challenge not only gravity, but death itself.—(Howard Halle/TONY mag)
Gagosian Gallery, 522 W 21st St, btw 10th/11th Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-741-1717 / gagosian.com

For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com)

Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view.

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (12/13) and (12/11).