Symphony Space – Upcoming Children Events

National Dance Institute: The Celebration Team!

Founded by ballet star Jacques d’Amboise, National Dance Institute (NDI), has transformed the lives of more than 2 million children through award-winning arts and learning programs, and through their spectacular and colorful public performances for more than 35 years. The Celebration Team dancers are kids ages 9 to 15, drawn from schools throughout the NYC metro area.

Witness the magic and spectacle of these amazing kids dancing their hearts out, in one of the highest energy performances you and your kids will ever witness!

This joy-filled, energetic performance will feature excerpts of the 2011 Event of the Year, A SENSE OF WONDER: SCIENCE AND THE ARTS PLAY TOGETHER, new pieces performed to the music of Stevie Wonder’s Overjoyed, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and the finale to the hit Broadway musical Hairspray, as well as other selected works from NDI‘s repertory.

The full program includes:

From A SENSE OF WONDER:

“Big Bang”

“Mad Scientists”

“Systems of the Body”

“Germs”

“Robots”

“Star Dust”

STEVIE WONDER preview:

“Overjoyed”

Finale From HAIRSPRAY:

“You Can’t Stop the Beat”

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Thalia Kids’ Book Club: The Phantom Tollbooth 50th Anniversary with Norton Juster

Join the author behind the beloved classic as he revisits Milo’s adventures in the utterly original novel, first published in 1961, loaded with irony, brilliant satire and just plain fun.

“The Phantom Tollbooth leaps, soars, and abounds in right notes all over the place, as any proper masterpiece must.”—Maurice Sendak
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Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

Joanie Leeds has one of those big, beautiful rock ‘n roll sopranos that can go full-out or soft and tender, and she uses both to full effect. Her tuneful melodies and rich, funny and thoughtful child-respecting lyrics give depth and irresistible zip to songs about sunglasses at the beach, goodnight hugs, popcorn popping and creative blame-shifting.

“Free your inner rock star.”  -The Washington Post

“Electric guitars and Leeds’s belting vocals make this rock-and-roll. You won’t be able to resist the urge to sing along pretending your hairbrush is a microphone. Most of the tunes provide you with a great way to free your inner rock star.”  -The Washington Post

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The Trachtenburg Family Slide Show Players

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are an indie-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop band beloved in the downtown NYC music scene. Get ready for a treat as they bring their odd, funny, and enormously creative show uptown for the kids to enjoy along with you.

The band’s members are the Trachtenburg family father, Jason Trachtenburg, who plays guitar and piano and sings; the mother, Tina Piña, who runs the slide projector and is a backup singer; and the daughter, Rachel, who plays the drums and sings. Their trademark is the slideshow itself: slides collected from estate sales, garage sales, and thrift stores,  shown alongside the performance as the subject of their songs, and meant to “turn the lives of annonymous strangers into pop-rock musical exposes based on the contents of the slide collections.” Get ready for a wild ride.

“The Trachtenburgs are a family you simply must meet. Jason (the father) is the songwriter, Tina (the mother) is the slideshow projector, Rachel (their  daughter) is the drummer, and collectively they form The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players … Jason, Tina, and Rachel are absolutely worth an hour of your time; let them cleanse your theatre-going palate and make you feel genuinely at home.”  -nytheatre.com

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Thalia Kids’ Book Club: Chris Van Allsburg’s The Chronicles of Harris Burdick

The winner of two Caldecott Medals, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, talks about a new short story collection in which skilled storytellers such as Kate DiCamillo, Stephen King and Sherman Alexie spin imaginative tales inspired by the original illustrations from his 1984 wordless classic, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  Story contributor Jon Scieszka joins the conversation and performs his story “Under the Rug.”
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Elizabeth Mitchell

A perenial Symphony Space favorite, Elizabeth Mitchell’s concerts are events that stick with you for a lifetime. With her husband Daniel, daughter Storey, and an amazing group of friends, musical relatives and special guests, each concert feature mesmerizing renditions of great songs by Woodie Guthrie, Bob Marley, The Velvet Underground, Vashti Bunyan, and more.

“Mitchell’s music has a purity and beauty that transcends the children’s genre.”-Los Angeles Daily News

“If the world ended and we had to reinvent everything from scratch, Elizabeth Mitchell should provide the new template for children’s music. Her voice alone is transcendent…and her choice of music breathes new life into American folk standards that have been gathering undeserved dust. This is music for all ages; it just happens to appeal to kids thanks to its approachable melodies and gentle pacing.” -Rhapsody

Symphony Space Family Members: Today is the Just Kidding Holiday Party! Join other Family Members for cookie decorating after the Elizabeth Mitchell show. Call 212.864.1414 x223 to RSVP for the party.

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Tim and the Space Cadets

Tim and the Space Cadets exist somewhere in the realm between Raffi and Blink-182, inspired by memories of school days, snow days, pizza parties, and summer vacations, weaving witty, fun, and heartwarming lyrics through textured pop tunes, rockers, and lullabies. Tim’s legendary energy is infectious, and a Space Cadets set is engaging, interactive, and totally awesome!

“Tim and the Space Cadets found just the right measure of playful music to satisfy both child and parent alike.”  -Lumino Magazine