Library for the Performing Arts Programs

Register Premiering in 1987, Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker adopted elements of the classical 19th-century original by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa and made it distinctly American, setting the narrative in an American household, complete with vintage toys from Joffrey’s own collection. For this month’s The Dance Historian Is In, former Joffrey Ballet dancer Nicole Duffy speaks about Joffrey’s take on the holiday classic The Nutcracker. Having danced in Robert Joffrey’s production for many year…

Register In this evening event, William Parker, composer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader, performs his compositions with his jazz group. Parker’s large ensemble project involves the collective creative forces of the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, which is featured in this program. In the words of Parker, “Huey's Pocket Watch was created for all those who wanted to be poets and were told they needed to get a real job. The H in Huey stands for Hope.  Huey's Pocket Watch is…

Register In advance of their performances at the Joyce Theater starting January 8, the Ramaswamy family discusses their newest work, Children of Dharma, in a conversation moderated by Shanta Thake, the Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with performance excerpts. Ragamala Dance Company is internationally-lauded for their pioneering dance work centering ancestral wisdom to contextualize the immigrant experience. Children of Dharma explores life—forever…

**This event is online only** 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus onThe ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe. We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!--and for us to get to know one…

**This event is online only** 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus onThe ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe. We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!--and for us to get to know one…

Register Fresh from their recent Pulitzer wins for Drama, playwrights Eboni Booth (2024 for Primary Trust) and Sanaz Toossi (2023 for English) join three-time Pulitzer finalist David Henry Hwang in conversation (2020 for Soft Power, 2008 for Yellow Face, and 1989 for M. Butterfly). In this in-depth conversation, the playwrights reflect on craft, the creative process, and playwriting in fraught times. Anticipating the Broadway premiere of Sanaz Toossi's English on January 23 at Roundabout Theate…

Register In this month’s Dance Historian Is In, Nancy Dalva explores Gus Solomons Jr.’s life in dance with photos and video from the Jerome Robbins Dance Division archive. Solomons began his training in modern dance and ballet while studying architecture at MIT. Upon graduating he moved to New York City to dance, including an early stint with Martha Graham’s company, which he left to dance for Merce Cunningham from 1965 to 1968. Cunningham left a lasting influence on Solomons’ life-long choreog…

Register Commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day this year with an event that highlights the creative process behind current New York's Holocaust-related theater. In partnership with the National Jewish Theater Foundation's Holocaust Theater International Initiative, we are joined by NJTF President, producer, director, and educator Arnold Mittelman who will interview theater creators. This program illuminates how artists use a variety of source material to create unique works that i…

Register This program, which dates back to 1972, features films in the Reserve Film and Video Collection around issues of public concern and notable topics. The monthly series aims to provide information on and stimulate conversation through the screening of new and historic works in RFVC and discussion with special guests. Photo Credit: Still from International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Directed by Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss SEATING POLICY | Programs are free and open to all, but regist…