The BLACK & WHITE Show opens tonight 7pm at Aloft Harlem, FDB at 124th Street. Start your art week up town at the #BlackAndWhite Show by #ArtInFLUX in #Harlem The BLACK & WHITE Show opens tonight! Featuring mixed media, paintings, pen & ink, and photography, all in BLACK & WHITE only. The artists work in code and nuances, parities and disparities using textures, lines, contrast and movement to explore ideas and theories. Open Daily: May 6 through June 30, 2015 Location: Aloft Hotel, 2296 Frederick Douglass Blvd., at 124th St., NYC Exhibiting Artists: Andre Woolery, Kennedy Yanko, LeRone B. Wilson, Marcus Hunter, Michael Ricardo Andreev, Sorin Abraham, Stan Squirewell, Tomo Mori, Walter Lobyn Hamilton, & Yaron Dotan Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 6th, 7:00pm – 9:00pm Music by Antoine DeBrill Kennedy Yanko creates live “Black & White Skin” Contact: info@artinfluxharlem.com / 646-340-3479 #cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

Harlem Shake, a modern and fun take on the classic “burger and milkshake joint” in the heart of Harlem, is hosting its first annual “Miss Harlem Shake” contest – no crazy dance moves or YouTube videos required! The restaurant, which opened in May 2013, is looking for one lucky lady from Harlem who deserves to wear a crown. This isn’t your typical beauty contest – this is about celebrating the people that make Harlem special. The “Miss Harlem Shake” contest is open to current, female Harlem residents ages 18 and older. Beginning May 16 (Harlem Shake’s one year anniversary!), contestants can fill out an application online or in-store. Harlem Shake will select ten semi-finalists and in-store customer voting will then determine the three top finalists. A judging panel of Harlem’s most notable residents will crown a winner at an awards ceremony party held at the restaurant on September 13th, hosted by pop culture expert and blogger Patrick Riley. Among others, judges will include: Brenda Braxton: Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Cynde Watson: Make-up artist and beauty expert who’s worked with Carmen Electra, Giselle Bundchen, Queen Latifah and more Kevin McQueen: NYC based make-up artist whose brushes have touched Cindy Crawford, the Princess of Yugoslavia and many others. In addition to the honorary title of “Miss Harlem Shake,” and acting as the face of the restaurant for a year, the contest winner will also receive: FORTUNE: $500 cash for the winner plus $1,000 for local non-profit of choice FAME: Framed headshot on the restaurant’s Wall of Fame –EAST: Free Harlem Shake burgers for a year #cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

If you prefer to avoid the crowds this holiday season and let your fingers do the clicking instead, don’t forget to click first on the Amazon.com banner on P.S. 180’s homepage. A portion of each sale goes to the school. http://www.hugonewmanprep.org #cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

#cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

#cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

#cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

#cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

APOLLO LIVE! BET’s hit talent show based on the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night is back! September 14, 15 & 16 @ Apollo Theater – 253 West 125th Street, Harlem, USA Apollo Live will return for a second season on Centric and BET and you can be part of the excitement! For nearly 80 years, aspiring performers from all over the country have come to New York to showcase their talents and take a shot at stardom at the world famous Apollo Theater. Apollo Live draws upon the traditions of the Apollo’s long-running weekly live Amateur Night talent competition. Host comedian Tony Rock and the all-star judging panel that includes R&B producer/recording artist Michael Bivins (New Edition), hip hop legend Doug E. Fresh and the “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight are also back. Below is your opportunity to be in the audience to cheer or boo this year’s performers. There’s only one rule at the Apollo…be good or be gone! FREE TAPINGS: Saturday, September 14th   – 5p & 8p Sunday, September 15th – 5p & 8p Monday, September 16th – 5p & 8p Click here to RSVP to attend the FREE Apollo Live taping date and time of your choosing! Groups of 50+ Please email Toni Isreal for more information toni@walkercommunicationsgroup.com and/or toni.isreal@apollotheater.org Please note: You must be 18 years of age or older in order to attend an Apollo Live television taping. Entry is on a first come, first serve basis. Arrive early. #cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

By Kysha Harris Experiencing Harlem means to have witnessed or been part of the changes in our neighborhood. New places open that have become our favorite restaurants, stores, spaces and some of our favorites have unfortunately closed. We continue to site them for their contribution to the landscape as it now exists. This is why we were so happy to be invited to the first taste of Chef Alexander Smalls revival of the former Harlem hotspot, The Cecil, on 118th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. The freshly renovated space was clean, modern and open. The staff was ready to serve. We started with spicy shrimp over a yam flapjack with piri piri sauce, collard green salad with coconut dressing, and oxtail dumplings with apple curry sauce. You must go if just for those oxtail dumplings! We made sure to get a little something from each section of the menu for our entrees: fried black rice with smoked pork spare ribs and black pepper sauce from the wok menu, roasted poussin with sticky curry coconut rice and long beans, macaroni and cheese with pepper ham for two and a side of okra fries. Oh, those okra fries! The Cecil offers great African Asian flavor combinations in a friendly, bright and inviting space. We are looking forward to spending many hours there and in the new Minton’s next door. #cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

Photo: Paula Lobo, Courtesy of Harlem Stage Partake in free films, workshops, open mic nights, art exhibitions and more this August all around Harlem. Listed in date order: Open Mic Mondays Every Monday @ 8pm Harlem Nights Bar Live music is BACK! Bringing back the live band open mic every Monday. Great ambiance and likeminded people. Artists from all walk of life. Crafty cocktails and tasty food. Musicians, poets, comedians and clowns are welcomed. More info Harlem Week August 6 - August 15 All over Harlem HARLEM WEEK is an annual celebration of the best of Harlem which works to promote its rich African-American, African, Caribbean, Hispanic, and European history, as well as arts, culture, religion, business, entertainment, and sports. HARLEM WEEK began in 1974 as HARLEM DAY, a one-day event of encouragement and fellowship in Harlem for New Yorkers and beyond. More info NYC Senior Citizen's Day (Harlem Week) August 6th @ 10am More info The National Jazz Museum in Harlem August 7th - October After almost 15 months of being closed to the public, they are now able to reopen for visitors to explore their exhibition. Please bring your own wired headphones for listening stations. More info Face of Harlem August 7th Morningside, Jackie Robinson, Marcus Garvey, and Rucker Park This public art installation will open on August 7, 2021 and stay up for three months, with events scheduled on the first Saturday of each month. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, we will create opportunities for visitors to respond to the images on view, inviting them to add their own voices to the diverse stories that make up FACES OF HARLEM. More info A Great Day In Harlem (Harlem Week) August 8th @ 1pm Grant National Park More info Dripsets Park Show August 10th @ 7pm (every Tuesday) St Nicholas Park at 135th Do you love comedy? Do you love to laugh Do you love outdoors!!!! Well were here for you!!! Welcome to Dripsets. We're doing live Comedy In the park every Tuesday until Nov 30th. Bring a blanket some snacks an A hunger for laughter! We will bring! At the park right above The C and B train telling jokes. More info Jazz in the Park August 13th @ 4pm Jackie Robinson Park Harlem Late Night Jazz with the music of "Keeping the music alive in Harlem" with live soul, blues and R&B". More info In the Heights - ImageNation Outdoors Festival August 13th East River Plaza, Garage Rooftop, 117th Street and the East River A film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical in which Usnavi, a sympathetic New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life. More info Limón Outdoors August 13th @ 6pm West Harlem Piers Park Join the world-renowned Limón Company Dancers as they teach the energetic and ease-filled Limón Technique, accompanied by live music! All classes are FREE, include live accompaniment and are open to all levels and ages. No experience required. More info Movies Under the Stars: Red Pill August 13th @ 7pm St. Nicholas Park Grab a blanket and come enjoy a movie in a neighborhood park or playground! This summer, NYC Parks will host family-friendly movie showings across the five boroughs. Movies begin at dusk. You should arrive before 8:00 p.m. to get your spot. More info Craig Harris’ Nocturnal Nubian Ball for Conscientious Ballers and Cultural Shot Callers August 13th @ 7pm Marcus Garvey Park The culmination of Harlem Stage’s Afrofuturism series that launched in 2019 as a citywide, multi-venue celebration of Sun Ra’s legacy. We are thrilled to be a part of welcoming New Yorkers back to live, in-person performances with two consecutive outdoor concerts presented in partnership with Bryant Park, NYC Parks, and Jazzmobile. More info A Thrilling Night of Jazz with Network 5 August 14th @ 7pm Patrick's Place NETWORK 5 doing a thrilling night of jazz featuring Annette St. John on Vocals, Matthew Smythe on Piano, Mike Campanni on Drums, Larry Rowland on Bass, Warren Smith curating Vibes. Outside Seating Available. More info Marvel’s Blade Anime - ImageNation Outdoors Festival August 14th St. Nicholas Park, 135th Street and St. Nicholas Ave. In this series, Blade is tracking Deacon Frost, a very powerful and influential vampire who killed his mother and who heads Existence, a secretive vampire organization that operates in Southeast Asia. More info Summer in the City (Harlem Week) August 14th @ 1pm 135th Street between St. Nicholas Ave & Adam Clayton Powell More info NYC's Children Festival (Harlem Week) August 14th @ 12pm Howard Bennett Playground More info Harlem Day (Harlem Week) August 15th @ 1pm 135th Street between St. Nicholas Ave & Malcolm X BLVD More info The Joy of Art August 21st @12pm Dream Center Harlem The objective and purpose of the event is to re-find, re-establish, and reimagine Joy in our lives. It is a creative celebration of humanity through the arts. We will set our purpose and intentions through art, mindful meditation, music, and reconnection with our community. More info Jazz in the Park August 27th @ 5pm Jackie Robinson Park Harlem Late Night Jazz with the music of "Keeping the music alive in Harlem" with live soul, blues and R&B". More info Kiki - ImageNation Outdoors Festival August 27th Marcus Garvey Park, NYC Considered an unofficial sequel to the influential 1990 film Paris Is Burning, Kiki profiles several young LGBT people of colour participating in contemporary LGBT African American ball culture. Preceded by the short film “Dust, Mask, Soul directed by Harlem-based artist Sheila Prevost.” More info Kids Night Out! featuring The Wiz! - ImageNation Outdoors Festival August 28th East River Plaza The Wiz is a musical retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) in the context of contemporary African-American culture. The Wiz will be preceded by the short film “Adventures of Booga and Mommy.” This Kids’ Night Out program will also offer games, face-painting, and giveaways provided by East River Plaza. More info Charlie Parker Jazz Festival August 29th @ 6pm Marcus Garvey Park NYC’s annual salute to legendary Harlem saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker with multiple generations of musicians. The lineup includes artists from both around the way and around the world, reflecting the global impact that Parker continues to have on music and the musicians that make it. More info Rejoice/Resist Festival - ImageNation Outdoors Festival August 29th West 124th Street between St. Nicholas and Morningside Aves. A new partnership with the Rejoice/Resist Festival will feature a sidebar including a block party with an outdoor art exhibit, vendors, a panel discussion on activism, and screenings from the RIZZLE/RejoiceResist film collection. More info Rejoice/Resist Festival - ImageNation Outdoors Festival August 30th Marcus Garvey Park Amphitheater, 122nd Street and 5th Ave. This official Tribeca Film Festival selection is directed by comedian CJ Hunt and executive produced by comedian Roy Wood, Jr. and explores memory, monuments and America’s confederate past. More info

Thokoza, a company of six South African and African American women “of a certain age” will extend it’s current off-Broadway run of I SING FOR FREEDOM at Baruch Performing Arts Center August 19th and September 9th ​through December 16th. Conceived and directed by Thuli Dumakude, I SING FOR FREEDOM features women with a collective total of over 130 years of singing experience who sing acapella and unamplified the music that they love and that makes them feel free. Thokoza’s songs, many in six part harmonies, range from Southern church gospel to traditional South African Township songs sung in Zulu. Intertwined are personal stories from the performers’ rich and varied histories. Director Thuli Dumakude was born in Durbin, South Africa. She has acted internationally, playing roles as varied as Rafiki on Broadway in The Lion King to Lady Macbeth in A Zulu Macbeth. She was the featured soloist in the movie CRY FREEDOM. Joining Dumakude in I SING FOR FREEDOM are Ghanniyya Green, Dee Sims, Brenda Fair, Silindile Sokuto and Debbie Carter. Thokoza in I SING FOR FREEDOM is produced by veteran off-Broadway and Broadway producer Eric Krebs in association with Baruch Performing Arts Center. Performances are on Mondays at 7:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM at Baruch Performing Arts Center, located at 55 Lexington Avenue. Enter on 25 Street between Lexington and Third Ave. All tickets are $30.00. Groups of 10 or more are $20.00.  Students and 65 and older are $15.00 Tickets: www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac or call 646-312-5073. Further information contact Nicole Judd at Walker Communications Group 718-703-2260 or nicole@walkercommunicationsgroup.com. #cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY

It’s almost that time when kids throughout Harlem return to school. This school year, I hope you’ll join us in supporting Global Language Project (GLP), an educational 501(c)(3) that brings foreign language programs into underserved elementary schools and provides low-income students with learning and cultural activities that help to increase their test scores in core subjects like Math and Science, encourage them to embrace diversity, and prepare them to complete in our globalized world and workforce. This year, GLP will serve 1,500 students.  As a strong advocate of GLP’s work, I am campaigning to raise $1,500 – one dollar for every child – for the organization this August and September. Please support GLP kids today by clicking here: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/angiehancock1/angiehancocksfundraisingpage. All funds raised will go directly toward GLP students and programs. Thank you for helping me to transform the lives of low-income kids in Harlem! #cultural #guide #essential #event #Harlem #local #Uptown #culture #NewYork #experienceharlem #experience #ExperienceHarlem #NYC #shoplocal #harlemnyc #harlemites #NY