NEW YEAR IN THE NEW YORK CITY!

It’s past Christmas now but you can enjoy the artsy side of the New York holiday until January 3rd and you can thank Lincoln Center/ 

WHAT: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
WHERE: David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
WHEN: Thru Jan. 3

There is never a bad performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.  Never. The classic returns this year to Lincoln Center, with New York City Ballet with principal Sterling Hyltin reprising her role as the famed, Sugarplum Fairy.

Tradition sways heavy in the city. The dancers (a little bird told us) bring each other bubble cake which they munch between performances. The aroma is like pumpkin spice.  

NEW YEARS EVE CHOICES...

It’s almost 2015, if hanging out in clubs seems boring, try being on a boat and start 2015 with Spirit Cruises!

It’s a tasty buffet and live DJ music. The New Year's Day Lunch Cruise, priced from $49.90 per adult, includes a lunch buffet. Boarding for the cruise will take place Jan. 1 at 11:30 a.m. for a sailing from noon to 2 p.m. 

The New Year's Day Dinner Cruise, priced from $89.90 per adult, will feature a dinner buffet. Boarding for the cruise will take place Jan. 1 at 6:30 p.m. for a sailing from 7 to 10 p.m. 

Both cruises will depart from Chelsea Piers. To book, call 866.483.3866 or book your cruise online. spiritcruises.com.

BROADWAY and MOTOWN

Broadway and Motown is a great mix.  Check out Motown’s original supergroups, The Temptations and The Four Tops; they perform together live on Broadway at the legendary Palace Theatre. 

It’s the Broadway event of the holiday season. The groups will perform together for seven nights only, from Dec. 29 thru Jan. 4.  Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway, btw W. 46th & W. 47th sts.

NEW YEARS’ EVE eating!

Do you crave sanctuary for 2015?  I do, so we are going to Sanctuary T Restaurant to celebrate the new year. 

Why?  Easy!  They offer yummy cuisine, artisanal tea blends and signature cocktails. 

This New Year’s Eve, you can enjoy a special four-course menu, priced at $55 per person, while watching the Times Square Ball Drop from the restaurant’s large projection screen and savoring a complimentary glass of champagne with dinner. 

To make a reservation, call 212.941.7832. 337B West Broadway, at Grand St.,sanctuaryt.com.

Harlem Tour Guide

Derrick Edwards is a tour guide and a self-described “informative feel-good communicator” for NYC by Foot. The two-hour walking tours are free (with a suggested donation), but do require advance booking.

Recently, on a tour of Harlem with Derrick, I got lucky and had a day of humor and insight, and added some new international friends to my Facebook family.

Derrick just finished a class in comedy and is trying his stand-up material on real people. Well, close—tourists who are English-challenged but filled with fun, wonder, big smiles and iPhones.

Here are a few highlights, in case you are thinking about a career change or an alternative for visiting guests during this stressful—oops, I mean happy—holiday season.

myNewYorkeye: Edwards… I like your last name. It feels official. So, funny man, tell us about your job.

Edwards: I work as a tour guide for NYC by Foot, which is a walking tour company. I’m a tour guide and a supervisor, designing and leading tours for guests from all over the world. I can say “There is no bathroom break” in many tongues. To be a tour guide, you have to pass a test, which is given by the Department of Consumer Affairs. It is 150 questions, and you must have a minimum of 97 correct. If you’re a knowledgeable New Yorker, you may get 65. It’s the next 30 that are the most difficult.

myNewYorkeye: So, what’s your take on the city?

Edwards: No place is like the Apple. I hit all of the neighborhoods and listen to all of the good stories, review the history, discuss current events and sample the rich array of foods. A city in flux is a funny mix. To wit, we have a large and colorful West Indian community, and that means good roti, authentic jerk chicken and creative hustlers. 

Example: To get around, I sometimes hop the dollar van—that now costs two dollars—but you get the point.

myNewYorkeye: So, what are the most memorable years of your life?

Edwards: The remix was 2003. Wow, that was a good year! I made New York my home and spent that time chasing girls!

myNewYorkeye: “Chasing girls.” Well, you caught one. You are married. So, Edwards, how would you best describe yourself?

Edwards: I’m fun-loving, mischievous, talkative, caring, inquisitive and very energetic. At least that’s what my representative wants you to know about me. I also am a bit of a dreamer and slightly quick-witted.

myNewYorkeye: “Quick-witted” is good in this city. Slow-witted could get you run over! So, what are the must-haves in your daily wardrobe?

Edwards: Some clean drawers! Halfway-clean socks and comfortable pants. I can’t rock skinny jeans: too uncomfortable for me. Comfy shoes are vital and a tax write-off. I can’t forget a ball cap. I have a good hat head and I look good in them.

myNewYorkeye: I agree about your hat. You have a hat head. OK, I think these free tours are perfect for out-of-town guests. Anything else that you might want to add, besides that tipping is encouraged.

Edwards: You are right; this is a good time to add a tour to your “new” holiday tradition. So many of us have holiday guests, and we need creative ways to keep them happy and keep ourselves sane. So, think about your own peace of mind and check out our tours at the website for New York City by Foot. It’s free. We do, however encourage tips. It’s the holiday season, so spread some cheer and we will keep your house guests entertained for two whole hours!

For more information, visit www.freetoursbyfoot.com/nyc/.

What is DJ school?

This week, I tested DJ school for you. I arrived at the school, Dubspot, located on 14th street at the corner with 9th avenue or the Friday night class, at 7 ;15.

The school offers various classes, from beginner, to intermediate to advanced. Given my non-existent DJ skills, I took the beginner class.

Each classroom has 12 DJ sets with two-spin tables, and you can choose whichever one you want. First of all, the equipment is very impressive; they have everything you need, headphones included. Each set has its own speakers as well.

To be more specific, the class included Technics SL-1210 MK5 turntables, Pionneer DJM-800 or CDJ-1000’s mixers and also some Rane SL3 and Sixty-Two mixers, so that especially for extensive classes, people can switch and learn to use different equipment.

The classes are relatively small, 11 students in total and there is one teacher leading the class but also, another teacher, acting as an assistant. I got a lot of personal advice and whenever I had an issue, I never had to wait. This small group allows everyone to get help and advices.

The classes also have a very cool vibe, I loved the exposed brick walls, the nice framed pictures and paintings, and there even was a Disco ball!!

First , we all introduced ourselves ( experience in DJing, name, birthday, where we’re from and what kind of music we are into). My teacher’s name was Codes.

Then we all gathered around Codes to learn the basics of DJing and using the equipment (slip mat, belt drive, turntables, toner, BPM that is beats per minute, the different channels etc..)

We then learned to scratch and played around with that for a while, to learn how to position your hands properly, how to release a song from scratching and the different sound you can create.

Little by little we learned to transition from one song to the other. At first we had to transition from the same song on both our turntables, so basically how to get the right tempo (counting to 4).

And then we learned to transition from one song to the other song and it is actually much harder than it looks like. I finally understood why DJs only listen to one side of their headphones (It has a purpose!). It is actually to hear a different track, while still listening to the song they’re playing from the speakers. This way you can make sure the two tracks work well together before transitioning.

In the end, we all had to transition from one song to the next in front of the class. The teacher asked us what our DJ name was (let’s say there was a lot of DJ I don’t know). My transition was catastrophic so Codes actually helped me get the two tracks playing nicely by speeding up one of the songs.

What I realized during this class was that DJing is a lot about rhythm, and you need to have an ear for that.

After class, I got to chat a bit with Codes. He has been teaching for two and a half years but also does music on the side, producing and DJing. He has his own kind of style in house music, mixing Hip Hop, RnB, Garage and Jungle ( Brooklyn bounce kind of house music). He is a very friendly person. He always have an open invitation for his students when he has gigs in NY and really wants to help them make the most out of classes, and help them make contacts.

He teaches at very different levels and talked about the great opportunity this school gives to people interested in DJ. When he learned, 16 years ago, the only way was to sneak into clubs and observe.

Check out his music here

All in all, this was such a great experience; everyone was nice and helpful. Classes are of a perfect size, everything was very well organized, and the equipment is great.

I cannot recommend this school enough. It was really fun just learning the basics but there really are classes for everyone, whether you are just interested in learning the basics, considering a career, or if you already are a professional DJ or music producer. There are guest speakers, the school helps you make contacts and have gigs, there are labs to take advantage of, private lessons or collective ones, more extensive programs if you are really interested and ready to commit for a month or two etc...

For more information, here is the website: http://www.dubspot.com