JUST KIDDING at Symphony Space Offers Weekly Music, Dance and Theatre Experiences in November

In November, Symphony Space's Just Kidding continues a season of curiosity and wonder with interactive concerts with top artists, a kid-powered dance performance, a family trivia quiz show, and internationally touring children's theatre companies. Adults and kids alike will enjoy simplified, lower ticket prices this season, at $17 per ticket, $14 for members (babies under 6 months admitted free).

Tickets and more details are available online now.

Saturday, November 5 at 11 am:
Sonia de los Santos and Elena Moon Park

Two frequent collaborators with Dan Zanes offer a morning of folk music from around the world (in English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, Tibetan, and Taiwanese). Sonia De Los Santos grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. Since 2007, she has been touring the world, singing in English and Spanish, playing guitar, mandolin, and jarana. Her 2015 album Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island won a Parents' Choice Foundation Gold Award. Elena Moon Park is a musician and educator living in Brooklyn. Her album Rabbit Days and Dumplings has drawn wide critical acclaim. She plays fiddle, trumpet, mandolin, spoons, ukulele and is also a freelance musician in NYC who likes to play contemporary classical music. Catch a (English captioned) preview of Sonia and Elena's enchanting multilingual show in theirYouTube performance of the Korean children's song "Sol Nal."

Saturday, November 12 at 11 am and 2 pm
Cardboard Explosion
"You'll never look at a discarded shipping box in the same way."~ Boston Globe

Five original stories come to life using nothing but cardboard and the power of imagination. With help from the audience, puppeteer Brad Shur transforms simple cardboard shapes into elaborate characters, then sets them to action. The audience will help Brad outsmart dragons, choose a superpower, and train adorable animal sidekicks. Brad Shur grew up making art out of any materials he could find. In puppetry, Brad discovered a medium that let him share his passion for all forms of creativity: sculpting, writing, performing, and more. As a puppet builder, Brad has created characters for American Idol, Dolly Parton, and a number of theater companies and independent performers. As a teaching artist, Brad has led workshops at the Center for Puppetry Arts, the National Puppetry Conference, the Puppeteers of America National Puppetry Festival, and at camps, schools, and colleges across New England.

Sunday, November 13 at 2 pm:?
The Big Family Quiz Thing

After a blockbuster inaugural event last spring, the Big Family Quiz Thing-a fast-moving, interactive live quiz game for all ages-returns to Symphony Space for three events during the 2016-17 season.The whole family gets to compete in a fast and funny multimedia team-trivia spectacular-from history to sports to pop culture to the indefinable-led by Quizmaster Extraordinaire EdP and sponsored byMommyNearest. Plus, the audience members may win loads of great prizes.The Big Family Quiz Thing is the kid-friendly edition of the Big Quiz Thing. Created by Quizmaster Noah Tarnow, the BQT has produced its multimedia trivia spectacular since 2002, for hundreds of corporate clients and fund-raising organizations nationwide. Two more Big Family Quiz Thing events are scheduled for January and March at Symphony Space. Learn more at bigquizthing.com.

Saturday, November 19 at 2 pm:
National Dance Institute --
The Celebration Team

A yearly favorite with Just Kidding audiences, NDI returns to present an afternoon of kids dancing for kids. This year's performance includes selections from NDI's 2016 Event of the Year, Words with Wings. More than 200 dancers will dance to choreography and music inspired by a wide range of poets including Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman and X.J. Kennedy.

Founded by ballet star Jacques d'Amboise, National Dance Institute (NDI), has transformed the lives of more than 2 million children through award-winning arts and learning programs, and through their spectacular and colorful public performances for more than 40 years. The Celebration Team dancers are kids ages 9 to 15, drawn from schools throughout the NYC metro area. Learn more at nationaldance.org.

More about Just Kidding
Symphony Space's Just Kidding series, now in its twelfth year, offers interactive music, theatre and dance experiences for every family with children ages 2 and up.

"We aim for an eclectic mix," explains Darren Critz, a father and performing arts director."It's exciting to be able to offer such a great variety of musical genres without having to pigeonhole ourselves. Childhood is about discovery, and we want to offer a lot for kids to see, hear and discover for themselves."

Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway, New York, NY 10025 (Upper West Side, at 95th Street).