Two amorous figures sit seaside, intimately entwined on a cozy bamboo banquet and making music from a shared shamisen. With nearly identically coiffed tresses, flowing robes and delicate, demure features, the figures seem paradigms of female beauty in classical Japanese art. But any observer from the Edo period (1603-1868) would have immediately recognized that one figure is a maiden and the other is a wakashu — male adolescents who were objects of sexual desire for both men and women. [Read More]

Fadi Khoury’s FJK DANCE will bring 10 company dancers to China, kicking off the company’s first extended international tour to the Far East, February 28 to April 30. The eight-week multi-city tour will present three FJK DANCE repertory works, Take Two, Echoes and Dum Tak, in 31 Chinese cities including Wuhan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, introducing FJK’s unique blend of ballroom, ballet, jazz and Middle Eastern dance to new international audiences. The company’s multicultural approach to the medium will be presented in more than 30 theaters throughout the run. [Read More]

Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is pleased to announce the 36th annual Making Brooklyn Bloom, Brooklyn’s yearly kickoff of the spring gardening season. Gardening enthusiasts from throughout the New York metro area gather for this spring event, which features a full day of conversations, presentations, and films to inspire and engage gardeners of every type and level. The day includes workshops by community gardeners, BBG staff, and other experts. [Read More]