WEST CHELSEA ARTISTS OPEN STUDIOS TOUR
This annual self-guided tour gives you the opportunity to enter the minds — and the work spaces — of more than 30 West Chelsea artists, in nine buildings along the High Line between Westbeth Artists building and the West Chelsea Arts building. In close proximity to the tools of the trade and the fruits of their labors, this event encourages dialogue and provides a window into the creative process. Best of all? Much of what’s on display is up for grabs, at considerably better rates than what you’d pay in a gallery setting.
Free. From 12-6 p.m. on Sat. & Sun., June 13 & 14, in the West Chelsea Gallery District. The self-guided tour starts at the West Chelsea Arts building (508-526 W. 26th St. btw. 10th & 11th Aves.), where visitors can pick up tour maps. For more info, visit westchelseaartists.com. Maps also available now at the stores of event sponsor, DaVinci Artist Supply (132 W. 21st, 137 E. 23rd & 170 E. 70th Sts.), Westbeth Artists Housing (lobby, 55 Bethune St.), Macelleria Restaurant (48 Gansevoort Ave.), Skyframe (141 W. 28th St. 12th fl.) and Vasari Classic Artists’ Oil Colors 547 W. 27th St. Suite 628).
CAITY & CYNDI’S BOOBS: NAVIGATING THE SCIENCE OF GENETIC TESTING FOR CANCER RISK
A few decades ago, they would have gone to the bookstore and bought a copy of “First You Cry” — Betty Rollin’s culture-changing 1976 account of her breast cancer diagnosis. But for Caitlin Brodnick and Cyndi Freeman, coping mechanisms deployed upon testing positive for the breast cancer gene included drinking heavily, becoming a stripper, gaining newfound respect for Angeline Jolie and coming up with a killer plan to stay alive. As science rapidly advances in its ability to predict our medical future, prevention becomes a matter of everything from surgery to preemptively choosing embryos based on genetics.
Delving into everything from ethics to health care to sexuality, seasoned storytellers Brodnick and Freeman will come clean on their own diagnosis, then converse in a panel session moderated by Erin Barker (a senior producer for Story Collider, which presents true, science-themed stories). A Q&A follows the panel. All three women are veterans of The Moth and prolific autobiographers in a variety of mediums — making this an evening whose sober topic is handled with graphic honesty and a strong dose of medicinal humor.
Sat., June 13, 8 p.m. at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place btw. First Ave. & Ave. A). For tickets ($15, $12 for students), visit horseTRADE.info.
HUDSON RIVER DANCE FESTIVAL
The inaugural edition of the Hudson River Dance Festival puts its focus on modern American dance, with performances from three dynamic companies known for their frequent appearances at The Joyce Theater (a festival co-sponsor).
Among the featured works: The Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform 1991’s “Company B,” which juxtaposes Andrews Sisters songs with the sacrifices made by those who lived through the vocal group’s World War II heyday. “Nascimento,” a classic from the Parsons Dance canon, is a high-flying celebration of the Brazilian spirit penned by one of that country’s premiere composers after he saw the troupe perform at Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro. More graceful athleticism is on display, when Ballet Hispanico performs “Sombrerísimo,” in which six male dancers evoke the surrealist world of the Belgian painter René Magritte (he of the paintings of men in bowler hats).
Free. An identical program plays on Wed. & Thurs., June 17 & 18, 6:30 p.m. at Hudson River Park’s Pier 63 Lawn (23rd St. & the Hudson River). For the full schedule, visit hudsonriverpark.org/events.
–BY SCOTT STIFFLER
