50 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JUNE 24, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Unique performance space in the heart of Queens welcomes creatives
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Nothing can keep a determined
creatives down — not
even a freaking pandemic.
If you’re a local artist of any
fl avor, who’s been feeling creatively
stifl ed, now’s the time to
spread your wings and fl y —
‘cause Queens’ arts scene is fi nally
coming back.
And that means you may
be looking for a unique place
where you can do your own
thing. If so, get thee to Genesis
Underground, a newly launched,
much-needed rehearsal and performance
space in the heart of
Queens that is also available for
art exhibits, personal events and
more.
“Special programs throughout
the year will feature artists,
whose work is representative of
their cultural background and
heritage, and we give preference
to Queens-based artists,” co-creator
Rene David Alkalay told
QNS. “In conjunction with the
Genesis Society, our primary
goal is to establish inter-cultural
dialogue within our community.”
And participation by folks in
surrounding neighborhoods —
whether they’re artists or arts
lovers — is encouraged.
Located at 102-02
Metropolitan Ave. in Forest
Hills (with their main
entrance on the lower level
of 71st Avenue), Genesis
Underground will be offering
various cultural projects
presented by choreographers,
dancers, visual artists, singersongwriters,
poets and writers,
according to Alkalay. He also
noted that audiences for performances
are welcome.
Meanwhile, the Genesis
Underground House Band is
Photo courtesy of Genesis Underground’s David Alkalay
already rehearsing there, and
sometimes other musicians
come by and sit in with the
band for a set.
“After a lifetime of involvement
with music and dance,
it became very clear that there
were few places available in
Queens for rehearsal and
performance,” Alkalay said.
“There are, of course, major
stages, but smaller venues are
indeed at a premium, and now
more than ever, we believed it
would be of great service to the
arts community.”
Alkalay and Steven Cornell,
who collaborated on this joint
project, both said they have
“a strong commitment to the
arts” and share in the belief
that “it is the arts that bring
people together,” and that it is
by the arts that “cross-cultural
dialogue finds meaning.”
For more information and
reservations, visit their website
at genesisunderground.us, call
347-497-3673 or email genesis613@
gmail.com.
Genesis Tree of Life, a yoga
and wellness center, is located
there, too. This separate entity
has been offering yoga classes,
meditation and holistic wellness
services to the New York
community for 26 years.
“Many of the students who
have been with us for so many
years, are very much our family,”
said Alkalay, who runs the
wellness center. “We have been
the home of many exceptional
teachers during the course
of these years, and hundreds
of people have told us that our
center and our services have
been life-transforming and, in
some cases, said that we have
saved their lives.”
Indeed, Genesis Tree of
Life distinguishes itself with
its diversity of programs. And
now, Genesis Underground is
in the spotlight.
Rob MacKay, director of marketing
for Queens Economic
Development Corporation
(QEDC), told QNS that he
wishes all the new and established
programs well, “for the
sake of the employees and the
stores in the general area.”
“COVID hit Metropolitan
Avenue hard, and it’s time
for a renaissance,” MacKay
said. “Who better than David
Alkalay to lead it?”
L.I. resident hopes to inspire kids with fi rst children’s book
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A Long Island resident’s new
illustrated book of bedtime stories
for children ages 3 to 6 years old
aims to spark creativity in a child’s
imagination and let them explore
and learn one story at a time.
Benjamin Morganlander, of
Eastport, is the author and publisher
of his fi rst children’s book,
“Kismet & Kasey’s Adventures told
in Rhyme,” which is available for
purchase on Amazon.
“It’s very cute and anybody
that has read it loves it,” said
Morganlander, who wrote the compilation
of 12 rhyming stories, each
with a diff erent topic such as birthdays,
magic, colors and counting.
“My hope is that someone
who reads these stories will see
the value of having children go to
sleep with good thoughts in mind
as opposed to what’s going on in
this world.”
Morganlander’s inspiration for
the stories stems from his two cats
at home, Kismet and Kasey, who he
developed as characters voicing the
stories he wrote 30 years ago in the
hopes of one day publishing them.
“I always imagined in my head
that they had the intellect of a
3-year-old. Everything they did
was adorable,” Morganlander said.
“To me, they’re a great and curious
intellectual animal when given the
proper attention. Can you imagine
if they spoke and were able to communicate
with people? I put a voice
to the animals. Th ey do things that
are imaginative and very creative.”
According to Morganlander, he
had sent the stories to a friend in
California who was connected to
an agent that worked with Disney.
Although Morganlander received
a contract with the agent, he says
Disney decided to not move forward
with the idea.
“Th ey liked the stories, but they
didn’t like that I developed the
characters and they didn’t want it,”
Morganlander said. “Th e two cats
in themselves are my creations, and
they wanted to develop their own
characters at the time.”
Aft er that, Morganlander says,
the stories were sitting in his drawer
for 30 years while he raised his
children and continued running
his business, Karlin’s Decorators in
Whitestone, a premier source for
all interior design needs — including
custom window shades, draperies
and reupholstery.
It wasn’t until Morganlander’s
son saw the stories in the drawer,
and was able to publish a book on
Amazon, he said.
Today, Morganlander says he
hopes that an agent or children’s
book publisher will use each story
as a book, such as the golden books
which is a vibrantly colored children’s
series populated by cute
creatures and intrepid locomotives.
“Th at’s how the book is designed
— you can get 11 books out of
that,” Morganlander said. “Th e stories
are relevant for what a 3-yearold
would be thinking about, such
as colors and counting. It’s relevant
in a sweet way to children.”
As the past year has been challenging
for many, especially children,
Morganlander says it might
help to read a bedtime story to a
child is disturbed by the COVID-
19 pandemic. He says he hopes
more people will read “Kismet &
Kasey’s Adventures told in Rhyme”
to their children.
The Genesis Underground House Band
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