While walking on Sunday in Central Park with Yossi and Jonathan (Tepp for short), we ran into an acrobatic show that made us stop short. The three of us were walking across the park from the Macaulay building on the West Side, to the Jewish Museum on the East Side. We saw a crowd of people gathered around a staircase, so, of course, we needed to see what everyone was stopping to look at. There was a performance going on by the Afrobats. The Afrobats is a street performing group that performs in Central Park on the weekends. We were captivated by the flips and laughs that the performers provided. The three of us had nointention of pausing on our walk, but we could not look away. It was a great reason to stop, and we are all glad we did. The next time I walk through the park, I willbe on the lookout for these amazing street performers. Look at the highlights from The Afrobats.
The Arts in NYC, Professor Smaldone, Fall 2011
Queens College
I’ve actually seen these guys perform last year. I can’t believe they are still doing it, but it’s tough job market out here, so why not. The acrobats are also pretty funny, and they incorporate humor (often crude) into their show as well. Their in-your-face attitude couldn’t have a better home than in Central Park.
Amazing. Central Park is great for street performers.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘2076277624 which is not a hashcash value.
The Afrobats once again bring up the question (at least for me) as to what is considered art. Are they just a bunch of street performers meant to entertain the masses (of which they do an excellent job), or could they even be considered a more sophisticated art form? On the one hand, they are not exhibited in any particular theater or museum and they are not a widely accepted art form. On the other hand, they do exhibit spectacular flips and dance moves that I and many other people could not replicate and are beautiful (at least in my opinion). They also elicit emotions of happiness and excitement from their audience, which can be considered characteristics of art. Ultimately, art is very subjective. While I think they are an art form with unique artistic characteristics, others may disagree.
This is one example of the special relationship that New York City has with art.
Art in the city is inescapable, no matter how much you avoid galleries.
I made a similar post about a different street-performing group that performs near Time Square. Just like graffiti, these acrobats are the urban “street” versions of art.
You don’t have to go to an opera to listen to music, just walk into a subway station.
New York City is timelessly bound to art, and it is certainly not only for those who can afford to purchase it. Public galleries exist all over the city, subsidized by wealthy philanthropists. If nothing else, you can always observe street performers, without spending much more than a quarter. This is a peculiar quality of New York City: its unavoidable relationship with art.