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By Michael V. Cusenza
Queens Rising, a month-long, multi-disciplinary arts celebration created to highlight the borough’s culture and creative diversity, returns this June , featuring more than 300 events and over 100 presenting organizations.
Launching on June 1, Queens Rising organizers have said that “it is dedicated to uplifting people and communities from all walks of life, from Juneteenth programming like diving into the food cultures of the African diaspora with Hue Williams and Black history education, to Pride parades and comedy shows.”
Other multicultural events include the Queens International Children’s Festival, a concert by Jazz legend Antionette Montague, the Queensboro Dance Festival, and the Rockaway Street Market. Queens Rising will also take over the live performances at the Queens Night Market on June 3, featuring live music across a variety of cultural traditions. Additionally, Queens Rising is partnering with Culture Lab LIC to host an all-Queens artist gallery show open for the entire month of June.
On Saturday, June 3, Queens Rising will bring programming to the Queens Night Market featuring an all-Queens artist lineup, including:
- “Greg Caz is the premier DJ bringing the sounds of Brazilian samba to dancefloors everywhere. Not only is he one half of the best Brazilian influenced DJ night in New York City, Brazilian Beat Brooklyn, he is also bringing the music…by releasing records full of these Brazilian beat nuggets.” – CulturesOfSoul.com.
- Korean Traditional Music and Dance Center’s (KTMDC’s) professional dance troupe performs a diverse repertoire of purely authentic traditional Korean dance throughout the U.S. and in Korea. Their members have all individually won dance competitions, and are actively engaged in teaching and performing dance. The troupe performs for cultural and educational events, as well as private functions. Some of the places they have performed include: Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Citi Field, Ellis Island, Metropolitan Museum, Egg Theater in Albany, United Nations, French and Italian embassies, and many universities.
- Allen Gogarty, a folk singer and staple of New York City’s Irish music community, will bring both traditional and nontraditional Irish folk tunes to the Queens Night Market. Allen received lifesaving care from Northwell Health, Queens Risings’ title sponsor after a recent major medical incident. “The gift of life has been handed back to me,” Gogarty said. “It’s something that we take for granted that I won’t ever take for granted again.”
- The Afro-Latineers specialize in Latin Jazz with West African rhythms. Ike Sturm, music director for Jazz at Saint Peter’s Church, said “The performance by ‘Sabor & The Afro-Latineers’ was a bright and energetic point in our program, playing with a tight groove and uplifting spirit.”
- Jennah Vox is a singer from Queens with a sound who is a cross between Adele and Amy Winehouse. According to QR officials, Vox’s powerful voice fills up any venue and space in which she performs. She draws her influence from neo-soul and spoken word and her songs are deeply emotional pulling from past relationships as she turns challenges of the heart into redemptive art.
For more information, visit https://queensrising.nyc/. A full calendar of events can be accessed here: https://queensrising.nyc/calendar/.
