Buy your tickets today here and use code wepdonor1 for a special discount (50% off).

Betsey Johnson “Bollywood Style” fashion show, presented by Molecule Communications. The designer revisits her closet to show never seen before vintage pieces and will sashay down the runway- Bollywood style

Comedy by Sandra Bernhard & Taylor Negron

Dance performance by Rioult.

Indian Cuisine

Move & Groove to Dhol, Bollywood Beats and Bhangra

An evening you won’t soon forget!

Proceeds: This fundraising event hosted by Molecule Communications brings celebrity and fashion together to raise funds for students of Women’s Education Project (WEP), a non-profit organization helping young women living on less than $1 a day in India, to succeed in college and careers.

All proceeds will benefit the Women’s Education Project (WEP)

Of course, it doesn’t have to be that hard.  If you’re willing to try a little finagling, perhaps you can get a seat at that corner table sooner than the hostess suggested.

This week’s Helpful Resource spotlight presents a fun article from Gourmet.  It’s the story of what happens when you try to slip a tip to the maître d’ in order to get seated at a high class, sold out New York restaurant.

If you’ve never tried it before, it gives a great glimpse into the secret rules of the restaurant scene.  James Bond would never wait for a table.  Why should you?  Go on, live a little.

You can read the article HERE (gourmet.com)

The festival showcases a unique selection of talented individuals and groups, specializing in off the wall innovation.

Under the Radar (UTR) is an annual theater festival that spotlights international artists ranging from emerging talents to masters in the field. The festival is a wild mix of works by ensembles, solo artists, writers, and creators. The ultimate goal of UTR is to offer a crash course in theater that is exciting, independent, and experimental, created by some of the most dynamic artists working today.

Given New York’s rich theatre culture, the festival attracts a crowd of high browed enthusiasts that will surely share your passion for live performance art.

For more information, check out Under The Radar’s official website (undertheradarfestival.com)

Gone To New York is here to prove that it’s not an impossible or impractical pipe dream; moving to New York is easier than it sounds.  To help kick off your year, here’s a great starter checklist to get the ball rolling… or dropping?

What Are Your New York Dreams?

The best part of starting a new project, or planning your new life, is to let yourself dream of the possibilities.  Why do you want to move to New York?  What do you want to do when you first get here?  If money were no object, what part of the city would you like to live in?  If you could have any job you want, what would you do?  If you could get a table at any overhyped, overpriced trendy restaurant in Greenwich village, where would you dine?

Start dreaming about the ideal situation.  It’ll help you get excited.  Look through our pas articles about fun events or unique New York treasures.  You’ll have much more motivation and a clearer idea of what you want, so you can trust your instinct when you have to start making decisions.

Start A Budget

While you don’t need to save millions of dollars to make the move, it’s good to begin creating a realistic, conservative estimate of what you’ll need for a smooth transition.  Even canned tuna and ramen cost money.  Here are some good questions to consider when budgeting:

• How will you (and your stuff) get here?
• What are your current monthly costs?  What do you expect will change?
• How much will you expect to pay for rent?
• Will you need to pay off your current lease or cancel any contracts?
• How much of an emergency fund will you need to feel comfortable?
• How much sightseeing and partying do you want to do when you first arrive?
• Can you secure a job or income before moving?  If not, how long can your savings stretch until you find a new job?
• What costs can you cut or eliminate?
• Are any of your rich grandparents getting sicker?

Of course you may not know all these answers just yet.  That’s fine.  You’ll figure them out as you plan.  Don’t fall in the trap of overwhelming yourself with fear.  Some people spend their whole lives planning and never actually do anything!

While these costs may look high, think of creative ways you can cut them down.  Perhaps you can delay some of your sightseeing, since you’ll be living here now?   Perhaps you can find temporary accommodation, or make a few sacrifices to ensure long term prosperity?

Look Into Housing

Start browsing different neighborhoods and listings to get a better idea of what’s out there and what you can expect to pay for rent.  Utilize our apartment hunting tools to help you in your search.  Ask yourself:

• Do you want to hire a broker?
• Is there a neighborhood you’re particularly interested in?
• Do you know where you’ll be working yet?
• What apartment amenities are you not willing to compromise on?
• Can Aunt Linda’s nephew’s girlfriend’s accountant let you crash on his couch for a few nights?

Look Into Jobs

Rather then letting a job define your dreams, live the life you want and trust that there’s a job out there to accommodate them.  Do you want to work from home?  Do you want a job that involves a lot of travel?  Do you want a job that actually pays amounts of American monies, rather than college credit and empty promises?  Knowing what you want will make the job hunt easier.

Start with our helpful resources related to finding a job, or our Career Spotlight series.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Does your current company have an office or partner in New York?  Is there any possibility of transferring?
• Do you need to get a visa or company sponsor?
• Who do you know that might be able to give you some leads?  If you look hard enough you can find some New York contacts; it’s a big city.
• Can you take on a temp position?
• What type of salary can you expect?  Jobs in the big city tend to pay more than in other parts of the country.

Once you start asking around, you’ll be surprised at what unexpected opportunities present themselves.  If you tell people what you want – to find a job and move to New York – they’ll be happy to let you know if they hear of anything.  People like helping people, for some weird reason.

After that, it’s all downhill.  Or… uphill.  Well, downhill, in that you won’t have to pedal, but uphill, in the sense that you’re achieving more and moving up in life.  Or do those cancel out?  Maybe it’s a plateau?  Except you’ll be moving forward.  How about a mesa, but with a nice view… no, wait.  An elevator.  An elevator to the top with a doorman to do the tedious task of pushing a button.  There we go.  Now that’s the New York dream!

So what are you waiting for?  It’s 2013, and it’s time to start living.  Especially since the Mayans were wrong!  So get a move on!  Literally.

In this week’s update to our Helpful Resources series, we take a look at a great website that’s compiled detailed data on New York City.

A quick browse through all the facts and figures of NYC Data will tell you right away just how impressive the big apple is.   How many other cities can say they have 170 museums, 55 dance companies, 7 major sports teams, 37 orchestras, and 117 colleges and universities?

The list gives detailed demographics, economic breakdowns, fiscal data, explanations of the different environmental initiatives, and even a consumer price index.  Try using that when haggling with a cabbie!

This sites gives you pretty much everything you’ll need to know about the big city.  For detail-oriented planners trying to calculate every little thing before moving, it’ll prove incredibly useful.

You can find NYC Data HERE (baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata).

If you’re not too excited to stand in a sea of drunken sweaty tourists waiting for a ball 13 blocks away, counting down to the start of a 3 hour traffic jam until you can get home and pass out in a glitter lined pile of your own vomit, then why not try Brooklyn?  The fireworks will be pretty, with more open space to waltz about and celebrate!

Check out Brooklyn’s dazzling New Year’s display with the Grand Army Plaza fireworks, just off of Prospect Park. This free event is fun for all ages. The fireworks begin at midnight, but get there early if you come by car; parking spots can be scarce. The best places for viewing are along Prospect Park’s West Drive and between Grand Army Plaza and 9th Street.

It’ll be a fun change of pace and a great opportunity to think of all the fun times you had in 2011, along with the many more New York moments to come in the New Year.

For directions, check out this event summary (prospectpark.org)

Your New Home

Especially for families born and raised in New York City, the holidays are absolutely beautiful.  With the entire city decorated in lights, ribbons, bells, and garland, and enough Christmas trees to fill the forest they were torn from, it’s a truly magical landscape you need to see to believe.

If you’re new to New York, be sure to soak it all in.  Go ice skating at Bryant Park.  See the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.  Drink hot cocoa at Lily O’Brien’s Chocolate Cafe.  With all these great new traditions to enjoy, perhaps you won’t feel as homesick if you’re unable to make it home for the holidays.  And don’t forget the comforting familiarity of a warm Starbucks.

Your Old Home

Just because you’ve made the move, doesn’t mean you can’t return home every now and then to tell your family what they’re missing.  Since New York is an international hub with a wide variety of travel options, getting home shouldn’t be too hard.  Though snowstorm delays and higher ticket prices can complicate things, utilizing your savvy business skills will ensure a good deal on your trip home.

Your New Friends From Your Old Home

If you’re homesick for home but can’t seem to get home, why not find comfort in your new friends from your old home?  Did that make sense?  Since New York is a huge city with a ton of foreigners, ex-patriates, and out-of-state Americans like yourself, surely you’ll have no trouble making friends as homesick as yourself.  Maybe even some from your home town.

Even if you’re from the smallest of country towns, you can probably find another big fish that managed to escape their small pond.  Reach out to them.  Perhaps you’ll find comfort swapping stories about home.  Perhaps you can carpool or travel back home together.  Or perhaps you can simply become friends and make the holidays a little less lonely.

Check out helpful sites like Meetup and InterNations.

Bring Family Home

The best thing about living in the big city is that family loves to visit.  While they may not have the courage to make the move, they’re certainly just as curious as you were.  Maybe they can come to you and celebrate the holidays in the warmth of the cityscape.

So as you bundle up under the covers this Holiday season, know that you’re not alone.  While homesickness may come and go, you’re always in the hearts of friends and loved ones.

Here are some helpful tips to make your New Year’s Eve extra memorable:

Timing is Everything.  It’s not just the countdown clock you need to pay attention to.  The crowds arrive very early, and the good spots are filled up as early as 3pm.  As the evening goes on, the streets are closed off one by one and the incoming spectators are pushed farther and farther away from the action.  Getting there too late could mean watching the event from Central Park trying to decipher a faint glow in the distance.

Plus it’s worth getting a good spot so you can hear all of the great music.  New Year’s Eve 2012 will include performances by Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen.  It’ll be a great way to ring in the New Year.  Just make sure you pee well in advance, because finding a bathroom amidst the chaos is a tricky endeavor!

If you happen to know anyone with an apartment, office, or hotel room near Times Square, they are your new best friends.  In fact, you might want to spend the better part of the year trying to meet these people.  New Year’s Eve is much more fun to watch from a warm, secluded balcony with loved ones than between two overweight foreigners trying to translate the countdown into whatever crazy numeric system they’re accustomed to.

For detailed information about how to get there, what to expect, and a schedule of all the performances, check out the official website. (timessquarenyc.org)

Times Square is definitely a fun place with a lot of excitement.  If you’re moving to New York, why not bite the bullet and dive headfirst into perhaps the most well known New York tradition of all?  Go ahead and take advantage of this opportunity.  It’s worth it!

Coney Island, often referred to as “America’s playground,” is New York’s most iconic beach and boardwalk.  From the annual Mermaid Parade to the seaside summer concerts, there’s a lot of fun to be had in this hotspot located at the southern tip of Brooklyn.

While some of the attractions, like Luna Park, are closed for the winter, other attractions like the New York Aquarium are open all year round.  And of course, the beach is always available for a quick dip!

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club, the oldest winter bathing organization in the United States, usually hosts a christmas day swim in the icy waters.  It definitely puts a fun twist on any  Christmas day celebration!

This year it looks like they’re favoring New Year’s Day, which should provide even more opportunity to let loose and get wild.

Find more information for the event HERE. (crowdrise.com/ConeyIslandPolarDip)

For more information on the New York Aquarium, check out their official website. (nyaquarium.com)

While some could make an argument for performers to move to Hollywood, or Miami (if their artistic dream is to jiggle in a bikini on a boat with T-Pain), New York has always been the heart of the theater world, with plenty of opportunities, jobs, and resources for all three professions.

In this addition to our Career Spotlight series, we’ll take a look at a few valuable resources every aspiring superstars should know about.

While we all know the cliché of an 18 year old orphaned farm girl taking the next bus to Manhattan after her jerk bar owner boss stole her tips and told her some line about giving up on her dreams of being a dancer and “…by the way you should date me,” there’s certainly some truth to it.  Aspiring performers are all taking a risk when they venture far away from home to pursue a profession with little stability and incredible competition.  But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it.

The best thing about living in the big city is that you’re not alone.  You’ll meet a ton of fellow artists struggling just as hard as you are to get their ballet shoe in the door.  You should make friends with your fellow performers, maybe even share a cheap studio with them, because they’ll be your biggest supporters and industry connections once your 6 years of tap lessons finally pay off.

Education

For formal training, New York is full of esteemed performing arts schools, training programs, acting coaches, runway walk-throughs, casting calls, and urban youth dance circles waiting to see you bring it.

These range from one-day seminars to four year degrees.  You’ll have to do some research to see which ones will best meet your goals, but here is a list of programs to get you started:

The Juilliard School

The New York Conservatory For Dramatic Arts

The American Academy of Dramatic Arts

The Actors Studio

Tisch School Of The Arts at NYU

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Barbizon Modeling School

American Musical And Dramatic Academy

New York Film Academy

Stella Adler Studio of Acting

Susan Batson Studio

Actors Connection

Lee Strasberg’s Method Acting School

Broadway Dance Center

Dance New Amsterdam

Mark Morris Dance Group

Steps on Broadway

Acting School for Film and Television

Acting Studio

Circle In The Square Theatre School

TVI Actors Studio

Here are some more lists to comb through…

List of New York Acting Schools

List of New York Modeling Schools

NYC Dance Classes By Type

Resources

Here’s some more helpful info you might be looking for.

Acting Tips And Techniques

Tips For Modeling

Answers4Dancers

When you’re looking for auditions, extra work, and casting calls, here are some great leads:

Central Casting

Actors Access

Backstage

Broadway Auditions

Dance Auditions

Stage Agent

Actors Equity Auditions

Open Modeling Calls

Model Mayhem

It may help if you make a google alert for something you’re looking for, like “Brazilian Dance Auditions” or “Calling All Hot Blondes.”

Networking

Of course you’ll need to mix and mingle with key players in the industry to expand your opportunities.

One important thing to note is that in New York, Sunday was meant for partying.  Since most Broadway shows go dark on Monday, broadway performers tend to party it up on Sundays.

Aside from hooking up with strangers in nightclubs and stalking celebrities at restaurants, there are plenty of great places to meet people in the industry and get your name out there.  Here are some ideas on how to network:

Be Ready – “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”  You should always be ready to jump on any opportunity you may come across.  This means having a portfolio, resume, headshots, or reel ready to go.  As these can take days or weeks to put together, you don’t want to keep a casting agent waiting should they ask you for one.  Having a rehearsed monologue, song, or dance to whip out couldn’t hurt either.  You never know when chance may come knocking at your door.

Get Proactive – Waiting for your agent to call, or for the lead of that play to finally keel over, isn’t exactly a reliable main line of attack.  Think outside the box, spread your efforts across multiple leads, and have clear goals.

So many people go to audition after audition hoping for someone to say “yes.”  While this is certainly a big part of the job, in today’s era of Youtube stardom and viral marketing, it’s worth investing time in self-promotion.

For starters, why don’t you put on your own showcase or one-man show?  There are a ton of theaters in the city looking for creative souls who know how to fill seats.  Not only is it good practice, but you can have creative control over how you present yourself, invite industry and agents, and recruit a team to collaborate with.

Amateur photographers are always looking for models to work with.  You can form a mutually beneficial partnership with them to build your portfolio while gaining valuable experience and exposure.  Does your friend’s band need a back-up dancer for their music video?  Does your aspiring fashionista friend need someone to show off their new threads?  Look for ways to team up with people and help each other move forward.

Have A Goal – Going to endless cattle calls can be draining and time consuming, whether or not they lead anywhere.  Instead of blindly going through the motions, have a goal and purpose for each event.  Is there a specific skill you’d like to work on?  Can you practice your accent or character while talking to other people in line?  Will people-watching give you valuable insight?  Can you try to befriend 3 people at each event?  Since time is your most valuable asset, use it efficiently.

Do The Work – Getting better is going to take effort.  Whether you’re taking classes, getting experience from unpaid Craigslist gigs, or simply practicing in front of a mirror every morning, you have to do the work.  A lot of studios offer work study programs or internships.  Not only can this be a great way to get free and discount classes, but it can help you build stronger relationships with powerful key players.  A few hours a week interning for a casting director may be well worth the time in the long run.

Hang In There – Don’t get discouraged.  While it’s certainly an uphill battle full of rejection and obstacles, it’s not impossible.  Enjoy the process.  If you truly enjoy the art, your creative pursuit should be fun and entertaining.  Passion is the biggest catalyst for success.    As long as you’re moving forward, constantly learning, and making step-by-step progress towards your goals, you’re in great shape!

There’s a reason people are drawn to the big city lights.  New York is meant for superstars.  It’s a vibrant metropolis full of opportunity.  You’ll have much more access to a career in the performing arts in New York than in a smaller city with few connections.  Plus, the New York experience will be an unforgettable journey you’ll learn to appreciate.

So if you’re thinking of moving to New York to pursue your dreams, don’t let fear get in the way.  Embrace it, make a plan to overcome it, and make it work!