Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Boston Common

stormtroopers-marching-to-the-movies
Star Wars fans of the Boston area rejoice! If you’ve been dying to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens on the big screen again or you missed it when it was on the big screen the first time around, you’re going to love this one. Mayor Martin J. Walsh, in partnership with the Skating Club of Boston, is holding the last of his 2016 series of movie nights at the Boston Common Frog Pond from approximately 7:00 P.M. to approximately 10:30 P.M. tonight (Friday, September 23, 2016).

This event, which is sponsored by Northeastern University and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department as part of their ParkARTS program, will let you see Star Wars: The Force Awakens in its entirety while you devour all of the free popcorn (courtesy of AMC Loews Theatres) that you can get your hands on. The movie itself will begin at dusk, but you may want to get there a little early to find a good spot to sit and make sure that you don’t miss the beginning of the film. For more information on the Boston Common Movie Nights’ presentation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is completely free and open to the public, please visit the Boston Common Movie Nights’ Facebook Event page or the Boston Parks and Recreation Department Facebook page.

Photo credit: taymtaym via Visual Hunt / CC BY

The Cure for Your Friday the 13th Woes

Giant Bubble
Friday the 13th is once again upon us, and it is certainly a day that many people dread. In fact, if you are one of the large number of individuals that is filled with nothing but disgust every time you hear the words “Friday” and the “13th” in the same sentence, you may be looking for something that you can do with your family after the day is over. Fortunately, if this is indeed the case, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department may have exactly what you are looking for. This is because the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and Mayor Martin J. Walsh are hosting the Boston Bubble Festival on Boston Common from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, May 14, 2016). This event will allow you and your children to learn about the science behind bubbles, see live bubble demonstrations with some of the biggest floating bubbles you’ve ever seen, make your own bubbles at a series of bubble stations, listen to music, and participate in a wide variety of other kid-friendly activities. For more information on the Boston Bubble Festival, which is completely free and open to the public, please visit the Boston Bubble Festival’s Facebook page.

Photo credit: elPadawan via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA

Move Your Body This Summer

Zumba Crowd
Dancing has existed as a form of expression since prehistoric times, and while the form of popular dance has certainly changed over the millennia, there is no sign that the desire to move our bodies to the sound of music will ever truly fade. However, as the old saying goes, “it takes two to tango”, and there’s really no doubt that it can be truly lonely and depressing to spend all of your time dancing by yourself. In fact, unless you dance in a fashion that you really don’t want anyone else to see (in which case you should get out on the dance floor and take Susanna Clark and Richard Leigh’s advice and “Dance like nobody’s watching”), it’s pretty hard to keep up the motivation to improve your dancing skills and improve your body without other people. As a result, if you’re looking for a way to find some people that you can move your body with, you may want to check out some of these events.

First, if you’re looking for a way to not only learn some of the basics of dancing but also to see skilled dancers demonstrate their abilities, the Dance for World Community Festival may be exactly what you’re looking for. This is because the Dance for World Community Festival, which is scheduled to take place at the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge from 12:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, June 13, 2015), is designed to expose newcomers to the world of dance and show everyone how dance can truly connect us all. This festival will feature activities for kids, a dance party that will allow you to dance in the streets, introductory dance classes, food, over 80 dance performances, and more. For more information on the Dance for World Community Festival, which is completely free and open to the public, please visit the Dance for World Community website.

Secondly, if you’re interested in actually taking dance classes and you’ve always wanted to learn how to line dance, the Franklin Park Coalition may have the perfect opportunity for you to do exactly that. In fact, the Franklin Park Coalition is hosting a free line dancing class every Wednesday from now until September 16th at Refectory Hill. This class, which runs from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. (or until it’s too dark and everyone has collapsed from exhaustion), will give novices and experts alike the opportunity to learn and enjoy line dances from around the country. For more information on the Line Dancing classes sponsored by the Franklin Park Coalition and the Boston Rhythm Riders, please visit the Franklin Park Coalition’s Program page.

Finally, if you’re not really into line dancing, but you’d like to learn how to salsa or Zumba, you may want to check out some of the classes offered by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Boston Public Health Commission are sponsoring a series of free fitness classes this summer as part of their Boston Parks Summer Fitness Series. These classes include boot camps, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts, line dancing, salsa dancing, tai chi, yoga, and Zumba. For more information on the classes that are being offered this summer by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, including times and locations, please take a look at a copy of the Boston Public Health Commission’s 2015 Summer Fitness Series Brochure.

Photo credit: Cimm / Foter / CC BY