QUEENS
STREAMS
Livestreamed classes
and events keep Astoria
community connected
22 APRI L 2 0 2 0
Photo courtesy of Queens Craft Brigade
The Repressions/Photo courtesy of Astoria Music Collective
Billy Conahan/Photo courtesy of Astoria Music Collective
As bars, restaurants, stores and
gyms have been closed in a
state-mandated effort to slow the
spread of the coronavirus, residents
have been mostly stuck at
home unable to enjoy their usual
fitness classes, meet up with
friends and take part in Astoria nightlife.
However, many businesses and event
organizers have been using livestreams
and social media to continue reaching
out to the community. Their online
classes and digital events help maintain
a sense of normalcy for their audiences
and provide a source of relief
while the city is at a standstill.
James Orfanos, the co-owner of New
York Martial Arts Academy, which has
one of its four locations on Broadway
and Crescent, has been letting his students
continue their Jeet Kune Do training
by providing livestreamed classes
via the school’s Instagram and YouTube
pages Monday through Friday at 7 p.m.
and a Saturday class at noon.
Orfanos immediately made the decision
to keep classes going in some way
for students to continue enjoying the
benefits of the martial art from home.
“Our livestreamed classes will be
taught the same as regular class,”
said Orfanos. “Our students can still
get good information and train in
their living room. We’re obviously not
giving up. I want to make sure that the
students are still training, especially
now when everyone is stir-crazy at
home. It’ll be a good way to get the
students' energy up.”
While personal trainers and fitness
facilities seem to be following
suit in offering their classes online
for members to work on their physical
health, Astoria Music Collective
founders Miguel Hernandez and
Karen Adelman have decided to
keep their music showcases going
through live sessions called “AMC
Digital Sessions” streamed through
their Facebook page for artists and
listeners to enjoy.
Normally, the AMC performs throughout
bars and venues in the neighborhood,
but the duo is determined to
keep the show going any way they can.
“Although we can’t gather in person,
through digital sessions we can
come together to support and rejoice
in each other, and maybe bring
a little warmth to uncertain times,”
Adelman said. “It may not be exactly
a sense of normalcy, but it’s extremely
comforting to see and hear
our friends continue to celebrate life
through our shared love of music.”
Queens Craft Brigade, which holds
monthly makers markets, will be having
an online event on April 19 in
order to bring people together and
to continue being a platform for artists
to show and sell their work. As
their events for the next few months
will likely be postponed, the group’s
founder Robert Duffy took their event
online. The event will show homebound
residents different ways to tap
into their creative side and continue
to show makers' work.
Recalculating/Photo courtesy of Astoria Music Collective
“We want to find a way for people
to still connect,” Duffy said. “We hope
to have a forum for people to talk with
each other, maybe learn a skill, and just
be with each other. If it goes well we
may do them on a more regular basis;
we’re all in this together.”
BY JESSICA MILITELLO
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT