The Bronx is Poetry! That is why I am beyond excited to announce an Open Mic and Chapter book release on April 24th , that will be held in the Bronx at the historical Andrew Freedman home located at 1125 Grand Concourse (Corner of McClellan street) from 7-10pm. Free admittance, $5.00 suggested donation.
This event is being presented by The Sunday Writing Circle, a group of talented writers and poets who meet every Sunday to work on their craft. There is a special feeling when a group of people get together to support and encourage one another. Through shared unearthed memories, tears, laughter,compassion, spirituality, forgiveness, love ( insert more awesome feelings here) poetry has been birthed.
Lets go share some of that goodness!
Support and bring more poetry to the Bronx!
Simply being nominated for the prestigious award is a huge honor and to have a Bronxite in the mix is something we can all be proud of.
‘Stone Cars‘ is a coming of age love story set in the shacks of Khayelitsha township in West Cape, South Africa, one of the most dangerous areas in the world. April is faced with a decision that ultimately she will have to live with the rest of her life.
If his name sounds familiar, it should. Reinaldo Marcus Green is Rashaad Ernesto Green’s brother, director of the award winning film, ‘Gun Hill Road‘ which is currently available on Netflix and we at Welcome2TheBronx reviewed when it screened in our borough.
In an interview with Ron Simons, founder and president of SimonSays Entertainment (not to mention a two-time Tony winning producer and actor) and executive producer of ‘Gun Hill Road’ he told Welcome2TheBronx, “This could be a game changer for Reinaldo. The exposure for a man who is barely out of film school is tremendous. It should help him get his first feature made. Other festivals around the world will begin to follow him and his work.”
Simons, who’s latest production Good Bread Alley was just featured yesterday on Welcome2theBronx, also added that, “Reinaldo is not only a great artist but a good soul. The Bronx did good in cultivating this talented, dynamic duo…I’ll continue to pronounce, as I have for a few years, that the Green Brothers team is destined to change the film world, so you’d be advised to pay attention!”
Stay tuned next week as we provide you with an exclusive interview with Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Once again, a huge congratulations is in order for Reinaldo and we wish him nothing but the best of luck come May 22nd when the Cinéfondation will award its 3 prizes in the short film category.
Ok so the setting isn’t quite the Bronx but rather in tropical Miami, however, I thought this was a good Kickstarter campaign to promote especially since its executive producer, Ron Simons, produced the award winning ‘Gun Hill Road‘ which was written by Bronxite, Rashaad Ernesto Green.
Besides that, it’s a story that many of our readers can relate to, regardless of which corner of the globe you hail from.
Good Bread Alley is the second play in April Yvette Thompson’s Miami trilogy of plays – the first being the critically acclaimed New York Theatre Workshop production Liberty City (www.libertycityplay.com) about the end of the Black power movement in Miami focusing on the journey of a movement family.
Not quite a musical but rather, a play with a whole lot of music, dance, Orisha myth & magical realism, Good Bread Alley is August Wilsonian epic meets Like Water for Chocolate. A period play in the tradition of Lynn Nottage’s heroine-led stories, Good Bread Alley is a story about how families are made and the power of love. Afro-Cuban and Gullah music, dance and myth create an epic landscape that explores the most fundamental truths about a mother’s love and the struggle to become better than what was promised.
Inspired by my great-grandmother Celia’s life in a raucous Miami neighborhood named Good Bread Alley, the play takes place days before the1926 Great Hurricane. When Miami was little more than a swamp with shanty houses, Celia owned property, ran several businesses, buried three husbands and was on the verge of learning life’s most important lessons. She was a trailblazer, an autodidact and the town’s rainmaker building an oasis in the Jim Crow South.
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
We’re raising funds for a sequence of developmental workshops for Good Bread Alley over the next year! The goal of these workshops will be to add Afro-Cuban and Gullahmusic and dance – two essential elements without which Good Bread Alley cannot be told. There are places where each tradition has songs, dance and poetry that teach the great lessons that the characters have forgotten.
April is joining forces with Cuban Composer/Percussionist Enildo Rasua and Musical Director Justin Ellington who are co-composing the score of Good Bread Alley which explores both the Afro Cuban and Gullah traditional music and dance forms that have been passed down to April from her family. From traditional Rumba to Guaguanco to Ring Shouts, work songs and spirituals; these two West African-based traditions have grown richer like a thick gumbo passed through the sieve of slavery, Spanish occupation, Cuban revolution, Jim Crow and Reconstruction to create a new recipe for what it means to be African, Cuban and American.
During our upcoming workshop with New York Theatre Workshop, we’ll be adding theses major elements and streamlining the text to allow the music and dance to tell the story.
Emilio Guerra, Vice-President of Digital Content at Newsday, photographed every single Bronx landmark and the results are stunning.
According to Guerra on his Flickr profile:
“As you can see, my photographic obsessions over the years have taken many shapes, but since I moved to New York City in May of 2007, it has become New York City Landmarks.
I usually don’t include live people in my shots, but when I do I put them in a private area.My passion has been to walk around New York City, and most weekends you can find me on the streets of Manhattan or the far-flung boroughs, with my camera and backpack in tow.
Since August of 2008, I’ve walked 3,207 miles (5165 kms) around New York City, mostly by myself. I’ve also taken over 50,000 photos in that timespan.”
One of the things I love about living in Melrose, besides its convenient location to Manhattan as well as a small town feel in what is considered the borough’s downtown area, is the plethora of community gardens.
Although we don’t have much as far as parks go in Melrose proper (that’s another story that we’ll expand upon shortly), we have approximately a whopping 17 community gardens (by my count at least, could be more).
Each garden in the neighborhood has its own vibe and feel but most of all they’re open to the public and the folks are friendly and welcoming. All gardens have boxes which you can grow your own greens and veggies. Many have the traditional wooden ‘casitas‘ or little houses constructed of wood which are replicas of the shacks that once dotted Puerto Rico in decades past as the standard home of folks on the island.
Check out more images on our flickr page or head over to our Facebook page or group!
Actually in this case it’s Bronx Pets of the Day. I met these three beautiful Siberian Huskies walking around Melrose yesterday and of course, being a proud owner of a Siberian Husky myself (or does she own me?), I had to take a picture.
Morris Court, which began construction two years ago after demolishing almost an entire block (only one property owner did not sell), is nearing completion as the first development to take advantage of the Lower Concourse rezoning approved back in 2009.
The $69 million complex, when complete, will include 201 mixed low & middle income units for families with incomes ranging from approximately $28,595 to $90,700 per year. 25% of the units will be set aside for families that were formerly homeless.
Morris Court is located directly across from Lincoln Hospital at E 144th Street and Morris Avenue and just a few short blocks to the 2,4, & 5 trains at 149th Street and Grand Concourse.
Nearby amenities include the bustling 149th Street Corridor with shops, restaurants, offices, and the HUB which has the highest concentration of banks than anywhere else in the Bronx. Also within walking distance is the The Mall at the Bronx Terminal Market which includes, Target, BJ’s, Bed Bath and Beyond among its stores as well as the beautiful Mill Pond Park on the Harlem River.
If the Special Harlem River Waterfront District Plan ever comes to fruition, Morris Court will also benefit from being a stone’s throw away from that section of the waterfront as well.
We chatted with Adam and he had this to say about being featured in the Daily News:
“If it wasn’t for you Ed, and Welcome2TheBronx – sharing ProjectBronx content 1st last year…most of this wouldn’t be possible. I’m humbled and grateful to my Bronx community for their continued support with ProjectBronx…and withoutJuneBaby Productions, we wouldn’t exist! Be on the look out for a fundraiser on May 30, at The Bronx Beer Hall er hall to raise money for China Exchange: 8 students from my high school get to travel to china for 2 weeks.”
With that said, we’d like to thank Adam Levine-Peres, ProjectBronx, and JuneBaby Productions for their excellent work in providing yet another avenue for Bronxites to be heard — in a positive spotlight.
Welcome2TheBronx encourages reader submissions for consideration for publication on our site. It is our mission to be able to provide a platform where Bronx residents can have their voices broadcasted to a wider audience.
To submit an article, email us at submissions@welcome2thebronx.com
Absolution: This class offers the perfect core strengthening solution. Concentrated ab-centric floor-work is paired with deep restorative stretching.
Belly, Butt and Thighs Bootcamp: Based on the popular DVD, focus on your lower half in this belly-busting, booty shaping class.
Bodyweb with TRX®: Hang from the durable TRX® ropes to push, pull, lift and lower your body through Spiderman moves for a total body suspension workout that also super-strengthens your core.
BOSU® Bootcamp: Integrated Balance Training on an apparatus that is a cross between a core board and a stability ball. It’s fun, it’s challenging and it’s a total body workout for any fitness level!
Cardio Tai Box: Tai Box is a high energy; high impact blend of kicks and punches set to upbeat music. This class is the perfect combination of martial arts, boxing and cardiovascular training.
Fat Burning Pilates: Calorie burning cardio and pilates based toning combine to maximize your fat burning potential.
Retro-Robics: It’s a blast from the past! Work up a sweat with a touch of nostalgia in this heart-pumping, traditional aerobics class. This time around, legwarmers are optional!
Tread n’ Shed: This badass cardio class will put you on the treadmill to melt away calories. In it, you’ll use sprints and slow walks with varying speeds and ramp heights to get a workout that’s got all the ups and
downs of a roller coaster.
Yoga Body Sculpt: This strength-building Vinyasa flow class focuses on sculpting your buns and thighs while flattening your belly and strengthening your core. This workout is based on Crunch’s latest hot video.
ZUMBA®: This class fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a high energy, calorie blasting, total body dance based workout. Zumba® is a great mix of Latin flavor and international beats designed to tone your body from head to toe.
CRUNCH IS CURRENTLY HIRING CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINERS AT OUR NEWEST BRONX LOCATION IN THE HUB.THE CRUNCH PHILOSOPHY: There are no judgments here — No too much or not enough. No glares of disapproval. Here we keep open minds. We are nurturers. We seek only to encourage, empower and entertain. There is no one type. There is no one reason. There is no one way. What we are is a diverse community; what we have is a culture of fun; what there is, is room for everyone: all kinds of people with all kinds of goals who’ve chosen to come reach them with us. CRUNCH. NO JUDGEMENTS.CRUNCH perks:
• Great facilities with functional training areas, Premier Strength equipment, top-of-the-line cardio equipment and more
• Top compensation plan of any commercial gym
• Continuing education opportunities with in-house certifications and workshops offered monthly (i.e. discounted NASM-workshops, TRX-STC, TRX Rip Trainer, Kettlebell Concepts, Annette Lang, guest speakers/presenters and much, much more).
• Complimentary dotFIT Nutrition Certification
• Complimentary membership
• Semi-Annual Team Trips & Activities
• Discounts on services, products, and much more!
• Complimentary membership and discounts in club
• Semi-Annual Team Trips & ActivitiesEXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Ability to build clientele by administrating fitness assessments and safely conducting personal training sessions
• Ensures accurate administration of client programs, including dotFIT programs, supplement purchases, measurement tracking and workout programs
• Assists in all revenue generating activities, including but not limited to: complimentary workouts, supplement booths, body fat tables, seminars, and workshops
• Ability to sell the value and importance of personal training sessions to our members.
• Responsible for achieving personal monthly revenue objectives set forth by the company
• Organization skills and ability to maintain a neat presentation of the fitness floors at all times
• Ability to adjust and operate all fitness equipment
• Possess an enthusiastic, passionate, friendly and ambitious personality
PREFERRED EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:
• Current CPR
• Current dotFIT certification (or must be willing to obtain)
• Certification from organization recognized by Crunch (NASM, NSCA, ACSM, NCSF, ACE, AFAA, NESTA, TRX)
• High school diploma or general education degree (GED)
• A degree in a related field is preferred (Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Sports Medicine, Physical Education, Nutrition, Fitness Specialist, etc.)
EXPERIENCE:
• Personal Training experience preferred but not required
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Physical effort required for daily duties include lifting heavy weights, squatting, bending, reaching, spotting & prolonged standing and walking. Must be able to frequently lift and /or moves up to 45+ pounds
TO APPLY: Please email your resume (ptresumes@crunch.com) with the subject heading “Crunch at the Hub Personal Trainer” and include in the body of your email:
1. Why would you like to be a Personal Trainer at Crunch?
2. Do you currently hold a Personal Training Certification? If so, please list all applicable certifications.
3. What hours are you available to work during the week?
4. Have you interviewed for Crunch or worked for our company in the past? If so, please provide detail.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
do NOT contact us with unsolicited services or offers
Bronx Community College (BCC)’s Run the Bronx race will be held on May 3. This annual event was founded in 1978 by former college president and Tuskegee Airman Dr. Roscoe C. Brown.
Now in its 36th year, the Run has become a signature event for the borough. And there’s so much more to the day than just a high-spirited, friendly competition. Run the Bronx promotes fitness and wellness, a crucial issue in a borough that has the highest rates of asthma, diabetes and obesity in our city. BCC would like to further expand the annual race to encourage healthier habits and lifestyles in our common community and turn around these alarming statistics.
Last year’s Run the Bronx was a huge success. Over 1,200 runners, walkers, and volunteers, ranging in age from young children with their parents to senior citizens, descended on our historic campus for the festivities. This was an increase of 300 percent from previous years, making us confident we can do even better in 2014.
Our goal at Bronx Community College is simple: education for all. We serve a predominantly Black and Hispanic student body, providing our dreamers, strivers and achievers with life-changing academic programs that lead directly to rewarding careers or to the next step in their ongoing education.
April is National Poetry Month so I decided to search for poems on the Bronx. Instead of finding poems, the first thing I came across was this amazing 13 year old girl from the Bronx named Kioni Marshall aka Popcorn.
Check out these two amazing videos that were featured in the Daily News last year:
Bronx 6th Grader Wows NYC Poetry Scene
The Greatest Poet You’ve Ever Heard (Is 12 Years Old)
