Top Reasons to Visit Symphony Space with Your Kids
NYC has so much to offer in terms of arts and culture. We feel blessed to have so many amazing opportunities to show Juliet a good time that are both fun for all and educational too! When Symphony Space invited us to view one of their new, family-friendly “Just Kidding” performances, we were thrilled to review their calendar and find that they had dance performances for our tiny dancer to watch! This 3.5 year old LOVES dance! She has started ballet at 18months and has this year, added tap classes to her dance routine. Having read that there would be over 100 dancers from National Dance Institute’s “The Celebration Team” on stage we knew this would be a spectacle!
What we didn’t know and fully appreciate until after seeing the show was the level of professionalism that would be exhibited. As a fellow dancer myself, (I trained in tap and jazz for 12 years, while also dabbling in ballet, hip hop and other forms of dance) I deeply understood the hours of practice and collaboration a performance like this required. And to think we expected to see another kid’s recital…
What made this dance performance so awe-inspiring was the choreography. I was seriously SO impressed. Dances ranged from African to modern, to jazz and hip hop styles- all mixed in with an innovative dose of poetry. (yes poetry!) And I’m not talking about the Dr. Seuss variety but quotes from Walt Whitman and other sophisticated leaders and prime poets from our century! And the creativity (oh the creativity!) It was Broadway / Martha Graham – level! I couldn’t help but be a tad bit jealous of these kids who got to train under such talented tutelage. Way to go to all the Producers and developers of this show!
The other interesting things about the show was that it featured a healthy mix of boys and girls. They say it’s hard to find male dancers but you wouldn’t know it from this stage! They made for excellent examples for all the littles to look up to! And finally, who knew a kids’ dance performance could so powerfully translate themes of diversity, hope, and love. We appreciated the sophisticated messages that kept the adults thinking and on their toes too!
Tips for Parents:
- refreshments can be purchased inside the auditorium. There’s even wine for the adults (woohoo!) and yes, you are allowed to take them back to your seat.
- Booster seats for the little ones are readily made available so everyone no matter their age enjoyed excellent viewing
- Indoor stroller valet is free of charge
- It’s conveniently located across from the 96th street subway stop on Broadway
In this highly digital age, it’s so nice when we can find entertainment away from an ipad that is rich with culture, isn’t it? Plus what parent can turn down the opportunity to give their kids an art-filled family memory? The Symphony Space’s remarkable calendar of events (there are shows every weekend now through the end of March!) includes everything from music to acrobatics to comedy, to puppetry to theater and of course, dance. You’re sure to find something that suits your fancy.
Here are a couple of our picks for upcoming shows!
“goofballs who jugle, rock out, shimmy up poles, and make their audiences squeal with delight.” -The Seattle Times
Saturday, January 7 at 11 am and 2 pm:
Justin Roberts and The Not ready for Naptime Players
“the Judy Blume of Kiddie rock” -The New York Times)
Sat., December 10 11am and 2pm
Full Disclosure - we were given complimentary tickets to review the show and venue. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
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