Realabilities:
The First Annual NY Disability Film Festival The festival debuts this fall simultaneously in multiple locations throughout the New York metropolitan area. Taking place at the Riverdale Y September 21 - 23, Realabilites will showcase feature and documentary films depicting issues affecting people with disabilities. Tickets to all movies are $10 and are available online (with no service charge) at www.RiverdaleY.org.

Silent Games Sunday, September 21 at 2 pm
Documentary / 74 min. / Israel / 2008
The captivating story of an Israeli national deaf soccer team set out to become the top eight contenders in the 2007 World Championship in Bulgaria.

Snowcake Sunday, September 21 at 7 pm
Drama / 112 min / UK / 2007
Alex discovers a highly functional autistic woman who convinces him to stay long enough to take out the garbage the day after the funeral he agrees to arrange. In those few days, Alex discovers new friends and learns more about the uniqueness of Linda even as he struggles to come to terms with his own grief.
Festivals & Awards:
Berlin International Film Festival,
Toronto International Film Festival,
Tribeca International Film Festival.

BenX Tuesday, September 23, 7:00 pm
Drama / 93 min / Belgium / 2007
Ben is different. His life is a universe to itself, where he plays his favorite online computer game Archlord avidly, trying hard to train himself for the real world he lives in. As the horror of being a daily subject to bullying grows, Ben devises a plan. Then Scarlite comes into his life, the girl he has met in his on-line game. That wasn't part of the plan...
Festivals & Awards:
Montréal World Film Festival,
Grand Prix des Amériques,
Heineken Red Star Award Sedona International Film Festival,
Audience Award, Director’s Choice Award

 

Breadfest
Sunday, September 7, 9am-12pm
$40 / $35 for Y members plus
$5 materials fee

Join us for a fascinating Sunday morning which will integrate a hands-on bread making experience with exceptional baker and teacher Judy Matthews and an exploration of the personal, cultural and spiritual dimensions of bread baking with Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield. We will be making, shaping and baking a variety of flatbreads—the world’s oldest breads:

• Snowshoe Naan, indigenous to Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan

• Bedouin Barley Bread, served with dukka

• Noon Shabbata, Persian Sabbath bread

• Tashkent Onion and Garlic Bread

While the bread is rising or in the oven, we will explore questions such as: What did bread mean to the generations who came before me? What role has bread and baking played in my life? How does my relationship with bread and food fit into the larger ethnic and cultural context in which I live? Now imagine doing all this surrounded by the warm scent of baking bread!

Judy, a social worker in Riverdale, has trained at the San Francisco Baking Institute and taught baking at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, Wave Hill and the Riverdale Y.

Rachel, Director for Program Development and Jewish Life , holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature with a focus on Hebrew and Judaic studies. She has developed numerous curricula and is an award winning educator who has taught in a variety of contexts including U.C. Berkeley, and The Curriculum Initiative.

 

Resident Theater Companies Set Auditions

Junior Rising Stars
Open to children ages 8-12.
Under the direction of Becky Lilli Woods and the supervision of Laurie Walton, Jr. Rising Stars focuses on the basics of putting on a professional show and learning the art of working together in a joyous, nurturing setting.
The company's first production will be ... Peter Pan!, the musical based on the play by James M. Barrie with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Mark Charlap and Jule Styne.
First produced on Broadway with Mary Martin and Cyril Richard and more recently a major hit starring Cathy Rigby, this is one of the world’s most celebrated musicals. Here is all the charm of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the lost boys, Wendy, Michael and John, pirates and Indians, embellished with show-stopping songs, “Never Never Land”, “I Won’t Grow Up” and “I’m Flying”.
Auditions: Sunday, September 21, 3-6 pm and Tuesday, September 23, 4-6 pm.
The show will debut in January.

Junior Rising Stars Workshop
Due to the enormous success of our Jr. Rising Stars program, we are now offering a second opportunity for children ages 8-12 to audition and participate in a program where the focus will be on developing basic singing, acting, and dancing skills. The production which results from this workshop will be in a revue format. The revue is scheduled for Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 7 pm.
Auditions: Sunday, October 12, 1-4 pm 

For Budding Thespians ... Little Rising Stars
Children 5-7 years old will learn the basics of musical theatre: acting, singing and dancing. The class will be held on Mondays from 4-5 pm and will culminate with a short performance for family and friends. For information, contact Laurie Walton at LWalton@RiverdaleY.org (718) 548-8200, ext. 208.

Riverdale Rising Stars
This Teen Company’s goal is to provide the youth of the Riverdale community with a professional theatrical repertory company experience and to create a positive environment for teens to express themselves artistically. Auditions (note change in dates) for the first production will be held on Monday, September 8 and Tuesday, September 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. No need to prepare material. A song and dance combination will be taught. Participation is by audition only and you must be in at least 7th grade and 12 years old.
Please note: a show under strong consideration is the new school edition of RENT. If that is the selected show, at the director’s discretion, the minimum age for this production will likely rise to 13 or 14 years of age. Information will be available at the audition. Any further questions please contact Laurie Walton at LWalton@Riverdaley.org.

 

Broadway Stars at Y's
PerformanceSpace Gala

Broadway Under the Stars, PerformanceSpace's opening night gala, will be held on Sunday, September 7 at 7 pm. This unique opening night fundraising gala will feature well known Broadway performers as well as performances by Riverdale Rising Stars, Junior Rising Stars and Riverdale Repertory Company.Our gala will set the stage for 2008-2009 theatrical season! You don’t want to miss this exciting evening of song and dance! Tickets, $25 (including light refreshments), are available with no service charge at www.RiverdaleY.org.

Featured performers are expected to include (depending on their Broadway obligations):

Michele Pawk - Tony Award winning actress from Hairspray, Crazy for You

John Dosset - Gypsy, Ragtime

Bob Walton - Drowsy Chaperone, City of Angels, I love You, You're Perfect

Jim Walton - The Music Man, 42nd Street, Merrily We Roll Along

Joe Kolinski - Les Miserable, Titanic

January Akselrad

Emily Walton - Saved

Alicia Svigals - The Klezmatics

And the award-winning Richard Skipper as Carol Channing

Also special performances by Ballet Neo, The Bronx Opera, The Bronx Arts Ensemble, and the Flynn School of Irish Dance. And, of course, our own Riverdale Rising Stars, Jr. Rising Stars, and Riverdale Repertory Company.

 

 

Bronx Jazz Series
The Bronx Jazz Series is coming to the Y! This series is a gateway to knowledge through an active understanding of the art of jazz, seen in three different perspectives. Each concert program is preceded by visits from the performers and a guest speaker. Concerts are open to students, parents and faculty; no admission fee is charged.
The Chris Byars Ensemble has performed educational residencies, concerts, international tours and recorded groundbreaking CDs.

The Rhythm Road: Jazz Diplomacy
Tuesday, September 16, 5 pm: pre-concert workshop
Wednesday, September 17, 7 pm: Concert

The Chris Byars Ensemble will share the music and stories of their 2008 U.S. State Dept. tour of the Balkan region. The performers will lead a discussion detailing the process of cultural exchange and exploring the importance of artistic diversity. The audience will experience the highlights of this inspiring journey of American jazzambassadors.
The series continues with workshops and concerts in October and November. Details on our website, www.RiverdaleY.org.

 

The Counterfeiters
Saturday, September 20, 8:30 pm
There is a movie house in Riverdale. And this year,we're going to show more movies, for adults and children, than every before. First -- the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, The Counterfeiters. In the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a group of prisoners with skills ranging from finance to forgery are put to work under the direction of a master counterfeiter manufacturing perfect replicas of foreign bank notes. As the Nazis plot to cause the collapse of the U.S. and British economies by flooding their markets with false bills, some of the prisoners use delaying tactics to forestall.
Tickets, $12 (which includes after-movie coffee, tea, wine and snacks in our Cafe Ma'ayan), are available online with no service charge at www.RiverdaleY.org.

 

One Night Stand Make It and Take It
Tuesday, September 23, 7:30-9:30 pm
Ages16-Adult $29 / 25 for Riverdale Y members
Creative Jewelry Workshop with Jeannette Ornstein
Join us as we create one-of-a-kind decorative brooches (lapel pins) or pendants using a variety of small ‘found’ objects, just as contemporary artists do.
We’ll work with “faux” jewels, unusual beads and numerous surprise ‘smalls’ to incorporate into our pieces.Samples will be available to enhance the class. You’ll be amazed at the results!

 

Lehman College to Present Cinderella at the Y
Families are invited to see a new production of Cinderella on Sunday, September 28, at 2 pm in our theater. All seats are $10 and may be purchased online with no service charge at www.RiverdaleY.org.
Cinderella is the classic reversal of fortune fairy tale, whose origins are believed to date back to classical antiquity. Similar tales of a young girl suffering cruel injustice, followed by sweet rewards, can be found in literature throughout the world.
Lehman’s production will feature new music and lyrics by Professor Penny Prince, who collaborated on the script with cast members. Professor Prince has already composed several musicals, including Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Dither Farm, a play based on Sid Hite’s classic children’s book, Rumpelstiltskin, and last year’s When I Get to Where I am Going, based on the bus boycotts of the Civil Rights Movement. This musical, the director emphasizes, is delightful for all ages, not just children!

 

First Class of New Infant/ Toddler Center Beginning
The Y's Early Childhood Center will inaugurate the first class of our Infant/Toddler Center with a program for two-year-olds (must be two by this month!), available from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm. Flexible schedules are available.
Program Highlights include:
• Low child to teacher ratios

• Flexible scheduling

• Rubber surfaced play deck with age appropriate and size appropriate

equipment

• NY City and NY State-licensed

• Gross/fine motor, social, emotional development

• Jewish values, holidays and culture

The Y's new Infant/Toddler Center supports the healthy development of children three months to three years of age. The Center’s mission is to promote confidence, curiosity, awareness, exploration and friendship building for infants and toddlers. Our developmentally appropriate environment focuses on nurturing children and supporting their unfolding development where both adults and children thrive. The Riverdale Y Infant/Toddler Center nurtures and inspires positive Jewish engagement. Children initiate activities upon which teachers build by asking questions and supplying new and intriguing materials. Conversation, stories and other literacy-related activities and materials are available throughout the center. Our goals focus on confidence building, selfhelp skills, developing relational skills and problem solving. Children participate in: art, blocks and building, read aloud story time, circle time, dramatic play, celebration of Jewish holidays and values as well as music and movement as these activities are appropriate to meeting the children’s developmental needs.

For registration, tours and information about the program, contact Ronnie Brockman, (718) 548-8200, ext. 221 or RBrockman@riverdaley.org.

 

 

Do we have your email address?

The Riverdale Y is going more and more paperless -- program alerts, special offers, our newsletter, etc. are all being sent via email.

Stay in the loop -- send your email address to ACohen@RiverdaleY.org with the subject line "add to email list"-- we promise to send no more than one email a week (usually less). And, of course, your email is kept strictly confidential, we never sell or lend our list to anyone!

 

After School Program
Open Houses:

Kids’ Space
Wednesday, September 17,
5:45-6:30 pm
Come to our Open House and meet our counselors and learn about your child's after-school program. Light refreshments will be served and your children will have something prepared for your enjoyment!

Y! Care at PS 24
Tuesday, September 16,
5:45-6:15 pm
Light refreshments will be served. Meet the YCare staff and hear about this year's program.

 

In Our Nursery School
Parent Orientation and Welcome Reception
Thursday, September 4 6:30 PM
Nursery School begins on Monday, September 8 Each class has a phase-in schedule sent to families For further information contact Ronnie Brockman ext. 221


"FYI" is a publication of the Riverdale YM-YWHA, a division of the YM-YWHA of the Bronx, 5625 Arlington Ave, Bronx, NY 10471  (718) 548-8200. Fax: (718) 796-6339 www.RiverdaleY.org

                                                                                                                                                                           FYI ... Riverdale Y News ... September 2008 ...