It was another animated and emotional event for Figure Skating in Harlem (FSH), which held its Reaching for the Stars Gala on April 17. Hosted by Vladimir Duthiers of CBS News, the honorees, guests and alumni were joined by U.S. Olympic skaters, including four from the 2022 team event, who earlier this year were officially recognized as gold medalists after a two-year delay.

The evening’s honorees were Tina Davis, Daria Forde, Alicia Hall Moran, and Cynthia Romano. Davis is the head of enterprise marketing and brand engagement at Citi and a member of FSH’s board. Romano, a former figure skater, is the senior managing director at FTI Consulting.

An accomplished singer and actress, Hall Moran is a long-time skater and FSH supporter. This year she was a twice-weekly volunteer skating instructor. “The ability to pop onto the ice as a Black woman fully engaged in her Blackness and stand in her Harlem neighborhood on ice with girls of color studying a sport and an artform feels very natural to me,” she said.

Forde, a 2020 computer science graduate from Barnard College, said FSH instilled confidence in her. “It means so much to me to be honored by a program that was pivotal with my trajectory and allowed me to see what it looked like to be a part of a true community,” said Forde. “Being in that environment at such a young age allowed me to know that I can enter whatever environment I want to and succeed.”

It’s been an eventful year for FSH. The performance team skated in the exhibition at the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Columbus, Ohio. During career week, a group of students went to Estee Lauder headquarters where they learned how to make and market products. The most remarkable experience was a trip last summer to South Africa for 11 girls, which FSH founder/CEO Sharon Cohen said was “magical.”

High school junior Zayda Rojas, a member of FSH for 10 years, described the trip as life changing and an opportunity to travel to the place of their ancestors.  

“I could see different cultures, how they interacted, the foods that they ate,” she said. “I felt loved and I felt nourished by the people. They were very welcoming and inclusive. I learned a lot about them and a lot about myself.”

The post Figure Skating in Harlem continues to reach for the stars appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

As New Yorkers, we all keep an eye on Michelin’s restaurant picks to see which spots we should put on our MEL (must-eat list), whether it’s on the budget-friendly Bib Gourmand recommendation or a dining room deemed worthy of a prestigious Michelin star. But now, the organization wants to become the authority on great hotels.

On Wednesday, Michelin announced its 124 U.S. hotels that it awarded “Michelin Keys” to, including 27 New York City hotels. 

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“Steadfast in our field-based approach, the Michelin Guide inspectors drew up this unprecedented list to share their best hotel experiences in the US. Every establishment awarded One, Two or Three Michelin Keys is a gem sculpted by talented professionals,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the Michelin Guide. “Using the Michelin Guide digital platforms, travelers can filter their search and book awarded hotels for stays that we hope will be unforgettable.”

According to Michelin, hotels with Michelin Keys are “the chicest coastal retreats, the most relaxing, quiet hideaways, and the most spectacular urban oases.”

Here’s the breakdown of Keys, what they mean, and which NYC hotels received them: 

One Key

What it means: A Very Special Stay

“This is a true gem with its own character and personality. It may break the mould, offer something different or simply be one of the best of its type. Service always goes the extra mile and provides significantly more than similarly priced establishments,” Michelin states.

The One Key hotels in NYC are as follows:

1. Hotel Central Park
2. Baccarat Hotel & Residences
3. Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
4. Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad
5. The Beekman – A Thompson Hotel
6. The Bowery Hotel
7. The Greenwich Hotel
8. The Hotel Chelsea
9. The Lowell
10. The Ludlow Hotel
11. The Mercer
12. The Peninsula New York
13. The Wall Street Hotel
14. Warren Street Hotel
15. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
16. Ace Hotel Brooklyn
17. Wythe Hotel

In its guide, Michelin says that the Wythe Hotel is a larger hotel given the number of rooms but it still remains “affordable” with suites priced at under $400 a night. “It exemplifies the character of the neighborhood with an admirable attention to detail.” Its critics also like that it serves delicacies inspired by Parisian and NYC favorites. We gave it four stars when we reviewed it in 2018. It’s also on our list of the best hotels in Williamsburg.

It also says that The Ritz-Carlton NoMad has the perfect balance of classic luxury, noting its Eastern Mediterranean restaurant with Chef José Andrès. We gave it five stars last year and placed it on our best hotels in NYC list, too.

Finally, Michelin lets us in on another One Key pick—Hotel Chelsea New York. We awarded it five stars this week! Michelin says it’s “another veritable artists’ haven” and “brings NY’s historic charm into the modern era with an impressive, nostalgic authenticity.”

Two Keys

What it means: An Exceptional Stay

“Somewhere truly unique and exceptional in every way, where a memorable experience is always guaranteed. A hotel of character, personality and charm that’s operated with obvious pride and considerable care. Eyecatching design or architecture, and a real sense of the locale make this an exceptional place to stay,” says Michelin.

Two Key Hotels in NYC are as follows:

1. The Fifth Avenue Hotel
2. The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
3. The Mark Hotel
4. Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s New York
5. Nine Orchard
6. Pendry Manhattan West

Michelin cites that Nine Orchard, within the former Jarmulowsky Bank building, still retains its “century-old grandeur” even though its rooms are “a little more subdued.” It also likes that its minimalist style is still warm and the rooms have custom-designed and custom-programmed sound systems.

Three Keys

What it means: An Extraordinary Stay

“It’s all about astonishment and indulgence here—this is the ultimate in comfort and service, style and elegance. It is one of the world’s most remarkable and extraordinary hotels and a destination in itself for that trip of a lifetime. All the elements of truly great hospitality are here to ensure any stay will live long in the memory and hearts,” Michelin says.

Three Key Hotels in NYC are as follows:

1. Crosby Street Hotel, Firmdale Hotels
2. The Whitby Hotel, Firmdale Hotels
3. Aman New York
4. Casa Cipriani New York

Michelin says Cipriani New York’s 47 rooms and suites are “remarkably restrained in their opulence” (think quiet luxury) unlike its ornate facade. The river views offered makes it “unlike any hotel in town” and the hotel’s Jazz Café is the “perfect place to enjoy live music.”

The new Aman New York, which made headlines last year for being the most expensive hotel in the city (it was around $4,200 per night then), is a “self-contained world of luxury right in the heart of Manhattan.” Michelin says that service is “ever-present and ever professional to accompany guests during their stay.” It better be given that price tag.

* This article was originally published here

NEW YORK (AP) — Facing widespread unhappiness over its response to the Israel-Hamas war, the writers’ group PEN America has called off its annual awards ceremony. Dozens of nominees had dropped out of the event, which was to have taken place next week.

PEN, a literary and free expression organization, hands out hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes each year, including $75,000 for the PEN/Jean Stein Award for best book. But with nine of the 10 Jean Stein finalists withdrawing, along with nominees in categories ranging from translation to poetry, continuing with the ceremony at The Town Hall in Manhattan proved unworkable.

Among those dropping out was debut novel finalist Rachel Eliza Griffiths, wife of former PEN president Salman Rushdie.

“This is a beloved event and an enormous amount of work goes into it, so we all regret this outcome but ultimately concluded it was not possible to carry out a celebration in the way we had hoped and planned,” PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement Monday.

The cancellation comes as tensions over the war have spread throughout the country, from college campuses to political events to roadways, which at times have been blocked by protesters everywhere from Illinois to California.

Since the war began last October, authors affiliated with PEN have repeatedly denounced the organization for allegedly favoring Israel and downplaying atrocities against Palestinian writers and journalists. In an open letter published last month, and endorsed by Naomi Klein and Lorrie Moore among others, the signers criticized PEN for not mobilizing “any substantial coordinated support” for Palestinians and for not upholding its mission to “dispel all hatreds and to champion the ideal of one humanity living in peace and equality in one world.”

PEN has responded by citing that it has condemned the loss of life in Gaza, called for a ceasefire and helped set up a $100,000 emergency fund for Palestinian writers. Last week, PEN America President Jennifer Finney Boylan announced that a committee was being formed to review the organization’s work, “not just over the last six months, but indeed, going back a decade, to ensure we are aligned with our mission and make recommendations about how we respond to future conflicts.”

Critics have said that the relief fund is too small and noted that PEN waited until March to endorse a ceasefire, five months after the war began.

Stein finalists had included Justin Torres’ “Blackouts,” winner last fall of the National Book Award for fiction, and Catherine Lacey’s “Biography of X.” At the request of the estate for Jean Stein, an author and oral historian who died in 2017, the prize money will be donated to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

“Jean Stein was a passionate advocate for Palestinian rights who published, supported, and celebrated Palestinian writers and visual artists,” reads a statement from Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Wendy Vanden Heuvel and Bill Clegg, on behalf of the Stein estate. “While she established the PEN America award in her name to bring attention to and provide meaningful support to writers of the highest literary achievement, we know she would have respected the stance and sacrifice of the writers who have withdrawn from contention this year.”

Camille T. Dungy’s “Soil” had been the only remaining Stein award contender.

PEN announced Monday that judges had selected a handful of winners, among them Javier Fuentes’ “Countries of Origin” for debut novel, the PEN/Hemingway award. Playwright/screenwriter Tony Kushner will still receive the PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award. Other honorary awards include the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature, given to the late Maryse Condé.

Some authors have called for the resignation of Nossel and other top officials. Lacey, in an Instagram post last week, wrote that PEN needed to “make big changes in the leadership and move into a new era.” More than a dozen awards finalists endorsed a recent letter that demanded Nossel, Boylan and others step down and alleged that PEN had “shown blatant disregard of our collective values.”

A PEN spokesperson said it had no plans to respond to calls for Nossel and others to resign.

PEN’s other high-profile spring events — the “World Voices” festivals in New York and Los Angeles, and the gala at the American Museum of Natural History — will go ahead as scheduled. Klein and Moore are among the writers who have said they will not attend the World Voices festival, which Rushdie helped establish 20 years ago. Rushdie and other former PEN presidents, including Jennifer Egan and Andrew Solomon, had recently published a letter urging the literary community to participate in the festival.

“The festival was conceived amid conflict to draw together diverse authors and thinkers at a time of deepening and deadly geopolitical tension after 9/11,” the letter reads in part.

“We believe in PEN America and the festival and urge that, even at a time of discord, readers and writers will once again find a way to come together to jointly quest for insight and inspiration.”

The post PEN America calls off awards ceremony amid criticism over its response to Israel-Hamas war appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Line dancing is to most New Yorkers what a queer club might be to people living in rural Texas: Something they know exists in some far-off place but carries with it a tinge of discomfort. What a lot of people in this corner of the country don’t realize is that there is actually a rich tradition of queer clubs and line dancing converging—and there’s one collective determined to carry on that legacy. 

Stud Country was founded by Bailey Salisbury and Sean Monaghan, two friends who met in the punk scene at the California College of the Arts in Oakland. Together, they’ve created a wildly successful, nation-wide queer party where people can strap on their boots, learn how to line dance, and be surrounded by other queer people. Line dancing at Stud Country can happen to the sound of classic country songs, but it also happens to tracks by Britney Spears, Troye Sivan, and Ariana Grande.

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Salisbury and Monaghan started Stud Country in California, and since 2021, they’ve been throwing events in New York City—most prominently at the Brooklyn Bowl—several times a year. If you’re like me and aren’t completely sure what line dancing is, it’s essentially a choreographed dance that you do in a line and consists of steps you repeat in synchronicity with others around you. The electric slide and cha cha slides are types of line dances, but there are many other lineages and genres to the dance, including the more traditional, country-centered line dancing that Stud Country was founded on. 

When you go to a Stud Country event in New York, you can expect it to be a place to socialize, make friends and, per Salisbury and Monaghan, “get really sweaty.” You don’t need to know how to line dance already, but you definitely need to be eager about learning. They’ll guide you through two-step, how to partner dance, and if you decide you like it, you can come back again and again until you can call yourself a legit line dancer. 

There’s a whole queer lineage that’s been around for 40 years. We’re very connected to this history, a lot of people think it’s a novelty, but it’s not.

Line dancing became popular in clubs as early as the 1950s, and like most dance styles that involve any form of physical contact, it has a pretty rigid set of rules around gender. But queer line dancers throughout the country have been quietly subverting the genre for years. According to some sources, the queer obsession with line dancing began around the ’80s and ’90s, when tracks like “Achy Breaky Heart” brought country music into the cities where a lot of queer people congregated. “There’s a whole queer lineage that’s been around for 40 years,” Monaghan tells Time Out. “We’re very connected to this history, a lot of people think it’s a novelty, but it’s not.”

Although it might not seem like it for those of us who don’t know much about line dancing, it can actually be a pretty sexy genre. You build up tension and rapport while dancing in synchronicity with other people, and the tension climaxes when you choose a partner to dance with. But beyond the physicality of it all, queer line dancing can be a spiritual way for people to stay connected to their heritage without having to perpetuate gender roles that don’t feel authentic to them.

Salisbury and Monaghan want to continue the legacy of queer line dancing because they found so much of themselves and their own community there. The previous generation of line dancers are getting older and some of the queer clubs that were central to the line dancing community have been shut down. In fact, the closure of Oil Can Harry’s, the oldest gay club in L.A., is part of what prompted Salisbury and Monaghan to start Stud Country. They feel the responsibility to create an intergenerational space that honors the experience of queer elders, while also launching line dancing in the queer community into a new era that feels fresh. “We wanted to dig up the history and find the dances,” Salisbury said. “We wanted to create a space where our friends would also come to and not feel weird.”

Like many genres that are rooted in some sort of tradition, line dancing’s survival is contingent on its willingness to change with the times. So while you’ll hear all the classic country songs, you’ll also get contemporary country, ’90s country, alternative rock, and iconic gay club songs. Part of Stud Country’s goal is to show people how expansive line dancing can actually be. Talking to Salisbury and Monaghan, I get the sense that the sky’s the limit. 

Of course, I had to ask if they think Beyonce’s newest album Cowboy Carter will bring a resurgence of line dancing in queer communities. Although they can’t say for sure, they said that it might re-invigorate younger people to try it out and that they’re already starting to see more interest from queer people of color who want to learn how to line dance.

But beyond any fads, Stud Country wants to tear down notions of what line dancing should be. “At Stud Country, you get to choose what you do,” Monaghan says.

Stud Country’s next event in New York will be on April 30 at the Brooklyn Bowl. You can check out their full calendar and other updates on their website, or you can follow them on Instagram.

* This article was originally published here