In the blink of an eye, Queens went from Valentine’s Day romance to Lunar New Year fire horses. Other options include jewelry, disco, birds, healing, and throat singing. Please read on.
Feb. 20, Jewelry Workshop with Live Performances, 3 pm. Laila Farzana, Zariya Kamal, and Aria Kamal offer spoken word performances. Then, JCAL Visual Voices artist Alma Leya leads a workshop to create neck pieces designed to reflect participants’ inner selves. Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, 161-04 Jamaica Ave.
Feb. 20, Frederick Douglass Birthday Party, 1 pm. A party for Civil Rights leader Frederick Douglass, who chose to celebrate his birthday on Feb. 14. A reading circle and bookmark workshop are on the agenda. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave.
Feb. 21, DJ Poetics Workshop, 1 pm. Sherese Francis teaches about Jamaican poetry and the Jamaica-based Dub poetry. Then it’s on to free writing prompts while listening to Dub poets, exploring poetic forms similar to the practices found within Dub music, and experimenting with a new form Francis invented. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave.
Feb. 21, Crazy Talented Asians & Friends, 5 pm. Celebrate storytelling with animated shorts and motion design by Asian-American and Asian artists and their friends. The sixth annual festival showcases the work and talents of animators from across the globe. Arrive at 5 pm to see animations on the big screen. Then, stick around for a mixer at 6:30 pm. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Feb. 21, Lunar New Year, 12:30 pm. Celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse with MC Dom Wong, Glow Community Center, NY Wutang School of Kung Fu, QBG Tai Chi, Rochelle Kwan of Chinatown Records, Lina Liu (face-changing performance), and Korean Drummers from the YWCA of Queens. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
Feb. 21, Disco Skyview, 2 pm. A 1980s Hong Kong–inspired Disco celebration designed as a festive after-party to the Flushing Lunar New Year Parade. Live music, dance, a retro fashion contest, wishing tree, red envelope raffle, and traditional LNY snacks. The Shops at Skyview, 40-24 College Point Blvd., Flushing.
Feb. 22, Tuvergen Band: Mongolian Folk Fusion, 2:15 pm. Experience how traditional Mongolian music reflects the sounds of wind, water, animals, and the steppe grasslands. At the heart of this tradition is throat singing, a vocal technique in which a single voice produces multiple tones at once, echoing the layered harmonies of the surrounding environment. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Feb. 21, SARAH, 7 pm. SARAH is a dance work-in-progress examining Kurdish experiences, cultural memory, and political changes in the context of Saddam Hussein’s violent rule and 2005 trial before the Iraqi Special Tribunal. The duet highlights the violent and destabilizing impact of war on human relationships, bodily autonomy, and expression. Culture Lab LIC, 5-25 46th Ave.
Feb. 22, Percussia Presents Drums Around the World, 1 pm. Queens-based Percussia and Music for Autism take the audience on a trip around the world, using percussion instruments, chants, and rhythms from Brazil, West Africa, India, Cuba, and China. Commonpoint Queens, 58-20 Little Neck Pkwy.
Feb. 22, Lunar New Year Celebration, 11:30 am. Chinese Theatre Works offers an original budaixi traditional glove-puppetry production that features the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Then, the puppeteers talk about their handmade puppets and make an optical toy. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Feb. 22, Birds, 1 pm. A family-friendly afternoon during which participants make decorative bird feeders and learn how to use binoculars and observe birds in the wild. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing.
Feb. 22, Lunar New Year Celebration, 1 pm. The New York Chinese Cultural Center returns with its signature program to welcome the Year of the Horse. Traditional folk dances, cultural performances, and hands-on activities mix with calligraphy and ink brush painting workshops. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Feb. 22, Feast or Famine, 1 pm. Experienced educator Chris Lord-Barry lectures about life in Queens in the 18th century, especially the chores and hearth cooking. Butter making is included. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Glen Oaks.
Feb. 22, A Love Letter to Lieder: From Gretchen to Jenny, 3 pm. This concert traces German song through some of its most unforgettable heroines. Mezzo-soprano Olivia Grugan joins pianist Christopher Bradshaw to perform Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Korngold, and Weill. Church of the Redeemer, 30-14 Crescent St., Long Island City.
Feb. 23, Skimming the Surface: Movement Healing Workshop, 6:30 pm. This workshop supports adults in releasing stress, letting go of emotional blockages, and reconnecting with their bodies and feelings. Through guided exercises, participants gently bring stuck energy to the surface, encouraging self-discovery and emotional release. Maspeth Town Hall, 53-37 72nd St.
Feb. 24, Somatic Healing Group, June 30. Valerie Green, a Certified Practitioner in Core Energetics, Body/Mind Fitness, and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, leads 10 biweekly sessions during which participants express their feelings and take risks. Her body-and-spirit dialogues treat everything from abuse to addiction, anger, anxiety, body image, depression, injury, life transitions, personal growth, PTSD, relationships, self esteem, and shame. $475. Always from 7 pm to 9 pm on Feb. 24, March 10, March 24, April 7, April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2, June 16, and June 30. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., Ste. 211, Long Island City.
Feb. 25. Riddim Section Presents: Edmar Castañeda, 8 pm. This series returns with Edmar Castañeda, a Colombia-born harp virtuoso. He merges Jazz with a diverse set of styles and genres while bringing unbridled attention to a somewhat unfamiliar instrument. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave.
Feb. 26: Irish & Classical Turkish, 7 pm. The Crossroads Concerts series continues with Eren Erdogan (kaval), Taulant Mehmeti (çifteli/guitar), Nezih Antakli (Darbuka, Riqq, Bendir), Eileen Goodman (flute/tin whistle), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., Long Island City.
Feb. 26, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, March 1. The Acting Company presents one of William Shakespeare’s most widely performed plays,. In this fast-paced, crowd-pleasing comedy, young lovers flee to an enchanted forest where amateur actors rehearse a play. With help from a mystical flower, the fairy king and queen’s mischievous servant Puck creates chaos for these unsuspecting humans, leading to mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, and comical transformations. Shows are on Feb. 26 at 7:30 pm and March 1 at 3 pm. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Feb. 26, Free STEM Night: Food Science, 5:30 pm. Explore the science behind what humans eat via hands-on activities, demos, and food science. Designed for teens and young adults, the night also highlights real-world STEM pathways and careers connected to food science, health, and innovation. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.