WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 28, 2019 19
Irish pride marches again in west Queens Sunday
Martin Luther in Maspeth expands fi ne arts program
BY MARK HALLUM
MHALLUM@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
Performance art students at
Maspeth’s Martin Luther
School (MLS) will soon get to
take dance classes as an elective, as
the Christian academy broadens
its horizons.
The school announced that it
will be expanding the role of Laura
Zambelli, a current instructor, to
lead the dance program, beginning
fall 2019. The program will be
offered to students from grades
six through 12.
“At MLS, we constantly seek
ways to match our courses and
program offerings with our
students’ interests, so this is a
BUZZ
clearly a winner,” MLS Principal
Donna Younghese said. “We are as
proud of our Arts as we are of our
Academics and our Athletics.”
Zambelli has the experience
to back her new appointment,
according to the school, having
spent 30 years with Queens
Dance Academy, starting from
the age of 8.
She now has 12 years of dance
instruction experience, twice
performing at Walt Disney World
with Queens Dance Academy, in
her repertoire. She has a specialty
in teaching tap and has won
awards for both her group and
solo routines.
Martin Luther School is located
at 60-02 Maspeth Ave. For more
info, visit martinluthernyc.org.
BY STEPHEN LEPORE
SLEPORE@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
A special anniversary
commemoration will mark
the St. Pat’s for All Parade —
the city’s most inclusive celebration
of Ireland — in Sunnyside and
Woodside on March 3.
The St. Pat’s For All Parade
celebrates its 20th anniversary
this coming Sunday, as revelers
from around the city and the
world parade through Sunnyside
and Woodside to celebrate the
culture and contributions of the
Irish. The parade stands out as
welcoming all those who want to
enjoy the wearing of the green
regardless of race, gender, creed or
sexual orientation.
The official parade begins at 2
p.m. on March 3, but the celebration
kicks off two days earlier on March
1. The parade will host a special 20th
anniversary event which is billed as
a reception and concert to benefit
the parade.
The event will be held at the Irish
Arts Center in Manhattan. Tickets
are available on the parade’s
website, stpatsforall.org.
The march was the first St.
Patrick’s Day Parade in the city to
encourage members of the LGBTQ
community to participate under a
banner. Even as the St. Patrick’s Day
Parade in Manhattan now permits
LGBT organizations to march, the St.
Pat’s for All Parade continues this
For the 20th year in a row, the St. Pat’s for All Parade will march through Sunnyside and Woodside on March 3.
File photo/RIDGEWOOD TIMES
Laura Zambelli will spearhead the new dance program at Martin Luther
School in Maspeth. Photo courtesy of Martin Luther School
tradition, growing into one of the
largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations
in New York City.
As in previous years, the event
will celebrate two big contributors
to Irish culture as grand marshals.
Both of this year’s honorees come
from the arts in Fionnula Flanagan
and Seán Curran.
Flanagan is an actress currently
starring in “The Ferryman” on
Broadway who previously performed
in a film that celebrated the women
who most influenced famed Irish
author James Joyce, in addition to
appearances on “Lost,” “Law and
Order: Special Victims Unit” and
various “Star Trek” series. She’s a
native of the Irish capital of Dublin.
Curran is a renowned
choreographer and director for
opera and theater, as well as an
award-winning original cast member
of “STOMP!” His 30 works for Seán
Curran Company are characterized
by collaborations across artistic
genres. Founded in 1997, the company
has toured to nearly 100 venues in
the U.S., Europe and Asia and has
presented home seasons in New York
City as part of the Brooklyn Academy
of Music 2015 and 2018 Next Wave
Festivals and at The Joyce Theater.
If you’re interested in participating,
visit the St. Pat’s for All Parade
website for more details.
/martinluthernyc.org
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/WWW.QNS.COM
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/stpatsforall.org
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