Tapping into New York

07/02/2024

Thank you, Mayor Adams, for restoring funding to libraries. It's the right decision!

05/29/2024

As we await the verdict in the Trump trial - you might want to check out the never before told story of my father currently published in The Village Sun::

BY KATHRYN ADISMAN | When the jury in the defamation lawsuit awards E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million, my half-sister comments, “A sweeping victory for all…

04/10/2024

This should have been mandatory reading before the 2016 election. It was listed on his website by journalist Sydney Schanberg., who, along with Wayne Barrett, of the Village Voice, were among the first to warn us about Donald Trump. I laughed so hard I cried. It's not funny.

"A tale of sound and fury, told by an idiot, signifying nothing." The indelible phrase is from Macbeth, Shakespeare's drama of a regicide whose bloody ambition and untethered soul tears apart his country. But it perfectly captures Donald Trump's campaign for president.

03/17/2024

my former yoga teacher is affiliated with ABT, but I'm pretty sure my ballet aficionado high school friend who got me tix to see Nureyev and Fonteyn in "Swan Lake" hung out at nyc ballet, in the 60s, where I believe they performed.

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and the New York City Ballet (NYCB) are two of the most prominent ballet companies in the world. Both are based in New York City and have been performing for more than 75 years. While they share many similarities, they also have some distinct differences that set them a...

03/17/2024

Did anyone else see Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev perform in NYC ca. 1967?

Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, the perfect partnership, the greatest dance partners of the history of ballet.

01/31/2024

Barbara Duffy lived in my building for many years. She is the one tap dancer I wanted to book for our Cornelia Street Cafe show 2015-16 I couldn’t get. I miss her energy. I used to hear her singing as she ran up the stairs. I was in her apartment once and she showed me where she practiced her routines. She helped me decide in 2004 to buy my studio by recommending I read Dr. Phil. And I did! I’m sharing this old video because she’s such an Up as in Up-lifting. And we all need that. Now more than ever!

Barbara Duffy in Tap & Jazz Show

01/18/2024

This is very funny: Letterman marathon monologs on the fiasco that was the Jay Leno vs Conan O'Brien Tonight Show host war. Maybe this is where it all went off the trolly in the culture. My feeling is that anytime something Unfair happens it has rippling repercussions. I sometimes wonder if Leno's accident while working on one of his cars was karmic payback? https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=377720244909443&aggr_v_ids[0]=377720244909443¬if_id=1705549062021209¬if_t=watch_follower_video_explicit&ref=notif

06/09/2023

Sign of the times? I was out for an hour. A package I was expecting was lying in the front vestibule. For a second it crossed my mind to pick it up and take it with me, but I knew I’d be right back, so I left it where it was. Less than an hour later, when I returned to the building, my package was gone. This is the second time a clothing package from UniQlo was taken. In both instances I had finally! bought a couple of “nice” things for myself - a skirt and a dress and a Henley tank on sale - as an incentive to emerge from my isolation. The last time just before Christmas, the store refunded me but the sale item was gone and I canceled the order that they offered to fill at no cost. This time, they no longer were offering a refund, plus I’d have to wait for an investigation at their end, by which time my stuff will likely be out of stock. I know I tend to overreact, but I can’t tell you how demoralizing I find it that someone in my own building might be the thief. It seems a stretch a delivery dude will swipe a women’s clothing bag. And the time parameter was so narrow. When I notified the super he texted back: “make a police report” In what evidence? I can’t prove it was stolen, it’s a building problem and we need cameras! The manager? He didn’t bother to answer my email. What a world we are in. No ethical compass. I’ve lived in the building 30 plus years and only in the last year experienced three thefts. What to do?

11/07/2022

https://youtu.be/ckQvhXk1df4

ARMAND Ruhlman takes us into the battle for the soul of a neighborhood.

In a remarkable poetic tour de force, Armand Ruhlman gives voice to the horror of a neighborhood under assault. Hiding out in his cave on East 9th Street, th...

07/12/2022

FB Friends: I have just been kept out of groups that I created and prevented from posting in a group I’m already a member of. This post is inside a group when I just want to post on home page. What’s going on? Can someone explain changes and how to circumvent new hassles FB created. This is the fastest way to lose me as a user.

12/17/2021

“Tapping into New York” was the name of our first show at Cornelia Street Cafe - a glimpse into how that came about can be seen on City Lore’s Poetry of Everyday Life blogpost in “K’s Ghost City.” So, escape today’s pandemic and take a ride with me across Bleecker Street, once upon a time…

https://citylore.org/ks-ghost-city-haunted-by-new-yorks-vanished-sites/

Guest Blog by Kathryn Adisman on Ghost Sites of Greenwich Village Afterword by Steve Zeitlin and Molly Garfinkel Collage by Elaine Norman Poetry of Everyday Life Blogpost #22 Produced in collaboration with Voices: Journal of New York Folklore.

05/27/2021

Thanks to New Friend Norman for reminding me that May 25 was national tap dance day in honor of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson whose birthday it is!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Robinson

Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949) was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid Black American entertainer in America during the first half of the 20th century.[1][2] His long career mirrored changes...

11/17/2020

A night to remember!
November 17, 2015 at Cornelia Street Cafe. Here is the Finale of our show featuring mixed genre artist and tap dancer extraordinaire BRENDA BUFALINO accompanied on guitar by KENDELL KARDT. What makes her memoir of NYC venues especially poignant now is that Cornelia Street Cafe itself is gone and I heard Smalls is closing. Brenda brings to life a NYC that may never be again. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/CzdS4Zr9UH0

BRENDA BUFALINO at CORNELIA STREET CAFE performing "Those Were the Days" in "TAPPING INTO NEW YORK" November 17, 2015

10/26/2020

Sorry we didn’t use this song in our Tap show

His 1968 hit “Mr. Bojangles” was covered by everyone from Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr., and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

09/29/2020

“Tapping into New York” is the title of our first show at Cornelia Street Cafe, which debuted Jan. 20, 2015, happening to coincide with the first tap dancer ever to win a MacArthur genius grant - Michelle Dorrance! The premise of our show was unusual: combine NYC memoir and tap dance. It derived from Michael “toes” Tiranoff voicing a wish to do a tap show and me simultaneously expressing a wish to do a memoir show to Robin Hirsch, owner of Cornelia Street Cafe in June 2014. Both Toes and I had a bit of a history with CSC. Toes worked there as a dishwasher; I briefly waited tables in the ‘80s. I had also taken part in Jackie Sheeler’s “Pink Pony” open mic in the late ‘90s and in 2013-14 was a semi-regular in Tulis McCall’s “Monologues and Madness.” Six months after our mutual wish, the proverbial light bulb went off - why not combine the 2? On a paper napkin I jotted down the words “tapping into the city” “tapping into nyc” “tapping into New York” AHAH! I never really expected to hear back from Robin when I pitched my idea. I tried to reach Toes first but as fate would have it I didn’t find out he wasn’t interested until After I was offered a date for a show 6 weeks hence. Do you want the date or not? With no cast or feature I had to make a split second decision. A voice in my head and a friend named Kendell said, Take the date. As fate would also have it, I was in contact with Terri Mintz, host of “WORD The Story Telling Show” about a story of mine she was considering and Terri was happy to share secrets of her trade as a host. Everything seemed to be conspiring to make it happen. My poetry dance & theatre background came into play to create a unique event! Our first show was a hit! Thanks in great part to our feature, elegant tap dancer-mime Hank Smith (stage manager of TV’s “Sesame Street”!), who was recommended by my Feldenkrais student, professional acrobat and clown John Towsen. It was truly a case of serendipity where in spite of missteps (face facts! I’d never curated or hosted a Show before!), all the pieces came together as if meant to be. Our wonderful company consisted of poet and drummer Fred Simpson, veteran CSC performer who was introduced to me by Su Polo. Along with Su, the company included folks I knew and trusted: Ron Kolm, Alice J.Klugherz, Armand A. Ruhlman and Kendell Kardt - together they represented the fields of storytelling, theatre, film, music, as well as poetry and dance. My dream was to create an ensemble of regulars with a changing feature. It was truly a mixed genre kind of show and anything but boring. In my memory that first show was my favorite and there’s no video to contradict me!

Watch award-winning tap dance company Dorrance Dance for an online event exploring creativity, innovation, and the tradition of tap dance as an agent for social change.

05/25/2019

Our second show at Cornelia Street Cafe—great company

"Tapping into New York" at Cornelia Street Cafe, with special guest Brenda Bufalino, hosted by K. In order of appearance: Brenda, Kendell Kardt, Alice Klughe...

02/08/2019

Our 2nd Cornelia Street Cafe show featuring tap dance legend Brenda Bufalino

BRENDA BUFALINO at CORNELIA STREET CAFE performing "Those Were the Days" in "TAPPING INTO NEW YORK" November 17, 2015

02/01/2019

This was our 2nd "Tapping into New York" show out of five. Four took place at Cornelia Street Cafe. This is the only show we did outside and it's a marathon in 4 parts, with a rambling open and me rambling on.

"Writers R Tappers 2" Show at Three of Cups Lounge, March 24, 2015. Pt 4 Conclusion: Performers in order of appearance: Dorothy Friedman; Susan Yung; Kathryn...

08/03/2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LOPZNhsBXY

2 of the very best dancers, classic tappdance & Jazz - Stepptanz & Jazz

05/18/2018

I created this page to accompany our first show at Cornelia Street Cafe: " Tapping into New York" - a combination of memoir and tap.

01/12/2018

Last Part of Show from the ARCHIVES: https://youtu.be/TUjZ9RcPJho

"Writers R Tappers 2" Show at Three of Cups Lounge, March 24, 2015. Pt 4 Conclusion: Performers in order of appearance: Dorothy Friedman; Susan Yung; Kathryn...

01/11/2018

From the Archives: March 2015 - Three of Cups Lounge

"Writers R Tappers 2" Show - 3 of Cups Lounge, March 24, 2015. Performers in order of appearance: Barbara Rosenthal (continued); Mitch Corber; Alice Klugherz...

01/11/2018

https://youtu.be/i0111TnpKD4

"Writers R Tappers 2" Show - 3 of Cups Lounge, March 24, 2015. Performers in order of appearance: Barbara Rosenthal (continued); Mitch Corber; Alice Klugherz...

12/24/2017

K's City Blog will soon report on the garage pictured on the page. It is on the chopping block, which is where I live. Jane street. The demo could begin right after The Holidays end. I may have to move. For real this time.

08/25/2017

50 years to ... nothing. https://rayonthego.com/2017/08/05/riviera-cafe-will-shut-down-after-48-years-in-the-west-village/

Riviera Cafe Will Shut Down After 48 Years In The West Village If I was asked what my top ten NYC bars were this one would probably not make it, and yet I have so many memories related to it. I fir…

07/10/2017

in the real city now."Vanishing City, Vanishing Dream" was the title of my 1996 project. Looks like that bad dream is come true.

In a new episode of “Scheer Intelligence,” host and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer and author Peter Moskowitz discuss gentrification, poverty and the concept of housing as a human right. Transcript added. - 2017/06/16

05/14/2017

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-were-the-60s-really-like-tickets-34160140901
Show Friday, May 19, 6-8 PM. Real World takes over... As soon as the show is done, the s**t goes on - tearing down the 100 year old garage and putting up a condo - a twist on the Joni Mitchell song.

Join Children of the '60s as we celebrate a cultural revolution that is still alive in US! On Malcolm X's Birthday! Chapter 2: Beyond Peace & Love. Inspired by the news Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature and by a literal question the host was asked by her younger brother, "What...

04/29/2017

It's sad this old garage that has been a mainstay of my block will be demo'd...

01/01/2017

http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-vanishings.html

a.k.a. The Book of Lamentations: a bitterly nostalgic look at a city in the process of going extinct

12/11/2016

In TWO DAYS...

Tue, December 13, 6:00 PM - Doors Open: 5:45 PM
TAPPING INTO NEW YORK: The Winter Solstice Show
Come join us for a Full Moon Celebration of the turning toward the light with an evening of music, memoir & tap dancing.
Kendell Kardt, piano/vocals; poet Fred Simspon, percussion
Ron Kolm, Su Polo, memoirists. Hosted by: K
Special Guest: THE FABULOUS FOOTLIGHTS, tap dance duo of Toes Tiranoff* & Megan Haungs.
*".. a tapper whom Woody Allen might have created..."
-- Jennifer Dunning, NYT
$10 cover; $10 min. Call for Reservations: 212-989-9319