Friday, February 22, 2008

Lexa dances at St. John's University

Dear Friends,
The Book Celebration- Concert and Dance -has been rescheduled.
Please save Saturday, March 29, 2008, 6pm.
Stay tuned for more information and details.


DUE TO THE SNOW STORM, ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY WILL BE CLOSED TODAY. THIS EVENT WILL BE RESCHEDULED IN APRIL. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

Dr. Ninah Beliavsky cordially invites you to a

BOOK CELEBRATION


Imagination, Cognition and Language Acquisition:

A Unified Approach to Theory and Practice


  • Dr. Clyde Coreil, Editor-in-chief
  • Dr. Ninah Beliavsky, Associate Editor

    The Program will include a violin-piano recital by Yuri and Daniel Beliavsky and a special performance of Argentine tango

    by Ninah Beliavsky and Lexa Roséan.

    FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2008

    MARILLAC AUDITORIUM

    6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

    St. John’s University

    8000 Utopia Parkway

    Jamaica, NY 11439

    Refreshments will be served

    Admission is Free

    Sponsored by the Department of Languages and Literatures and

    St. John’s College

    ___________________________________

The book is dedicated to Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, a Russian educational psychologist who died in 1934 at the age of 37. In words of tribute written especially for this publication, Dr. Gita Lvovna Vygotsky, daughter of Lev Vygotsky and Dr. Yelena Kravtsova, granddaughter of Lev Vygotsky, refer to him as "one of the most famous and influential psychologists of the twentieth century….Although he spent only the last ten years in pursuit of his scientific dreams, Vygotsky remains one of the most quoted and most respected of psychologists."

This sentiment is echoed by Dr. Beliavsky in the foreword, who suggested that "by joining the visionary forces of two great educators, Lev Vygotsky and Howard Gardner [of Harvard University], we can….develop a universal approach of furthering children's abilities as we nurture their individual intelligences." Dr. Beliavsky refers to Vygotsky's concept of the "Zone of Proximal Development" and to Gardner's theory that all individuals have at least eight intelligences—mathematical, linguistic, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. —that should be used to measure one's "I.Q." or intelligence quotient.

Dr. Clyde Coreil is a Professor of English as a Second Language at New Jersey City University and is the editor of the Journal of Imagination in Language Learning and Teaching. He holds a M.F.A. degree in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University and Ph.D. in Linguistics from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. The new publication by N.J.C.U. is the second of a two-volume study of the relation between education and the imagination. The first, Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner and New Methods of College Teaching was edited by Dr. Coreil in 2003 after a conference at which Dr. Gardner was keynote speaker. ccoreil@njcu.edu

Dr. Ninah Beliavsky is Associate Professor at St. John's University. She teaches English as a Second Language and Hebrew Language at the Department of Languages and Literatures. She holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a B.A. in linguistics and psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Madison. She also studied in Tel Aviv University in Israel and in Sorbonne University in France. Ninah's interests include child language acquisition and bringing music, art and dance into her language classroom. In July 2007, Ninah won second place in the First USA Tango Stage Championship.

Yuri Beliavsky has had a distinguished career as a concert violinist. He performed and recorded with the Grand Symphony Orchestra of Soviet Union Radio and Television, the Jerusalem Symphony, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Between 1972 and 1974, Yuri made several recordings with the Jerusalem Symphony, among them Mozart's Concerto No.3 in G-Major, K. 216, Bartok's Violin Concerto No.1, and Bruch's Kol Nidre, which was recorded just before Yuri joined the Israeli army during the Yom Kippur War. In 1986-87, Yuri created a series of special programs for WFMR, the Classical Radio Station in Milwaukee, called "A Historical Perspective on the Art of Violin Playing since the Beginning of the Recording Era." His lectures have been aired in New York ,on the Russian Radio- Davidzon- station. Yuri also lectures in the New York public libraries and concretizes regularly. bedany32@aol.com

Daniel Beliavsky, Ph.D., began his professional performance career at the age of 15, when he debuted with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Zdenek Macal. He has been a soloist with orchestras in the USA and Europe, most notably the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Daniel Beliavsky is a Steinway Artist and one of only 16 Steinway Supporting Personalities in the United States. His discography includes the world-premiere recording of composer Lukas Foss' complete works for solo piano, Ecstasy and Poetry (Schubert and Chopin ) and From Italy to Russia (Scarlatti, Bach, Mussorgsky) on the Sonatabop.com label. Daniel had recently received his Doctorate in Music Theory and Composition from New York University. He is an Assistant Professor and teaches at Montclaire College and Queensborough College. deb228@nyu.edu

Lexa Roséan writer, poet, playwright, and performer - teaches and dances Argentine Tango and in 2007, she placed 3rd dancing the lead in the U.S. Tango Salon Championship and was the first woman leader officially invited to dance in the Mundial Competition in Buenos Aires. Lexa teaches group lessons on Tues and Wed evenings and has her own milonga. She is also available for private tango lessons.

Judischer Tango: Ich hab' kein Heimatland (I have no Motherland)

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Goose and Gander

Ok, maybe it's just me, but if a fella invites me to dance,
I expect him to lead.
This week in the milongas, I've had a lot of guys running after me on the dance floor, waving their arms, jumping up and down in front of my face and yelling: 'Oh pick me! Pick me! Lead me!".
Is this a new technique? Should the ladies employ it as well to get dances? No offense guys but if a lady tried to corner me like that I'd run away too. Call me old fashioned but I prefer the cabeceo and I practice it as both a leader and a follower. If you gents want to follow, you should let yourselves in for the WHOLE experience and that includes wallflowering. I want you to sit and bat your eyelashes at me or wink from across the room and wait for my nod of the head. I want to find you with my eyes when the music is right for you to be in my arms. As far as I'm concerned, inviting someone to dance when you intend to lead is like offering a ride. Inviting someone to dance when you intend to follow is like asking for one. Call me a bull headed macha, but that's how I see it.
p.s. I also like my followers in heels!

Monday, February 4, 2008