This Ring Cycle Comes With Gloves

News, Quotes, Companies, Videos
U.S. EDITION Home
Wednesday, March 13, 2013 As of 10:09 PM EDT
World
U.S.
New York
Business
Tech
Subscribe
Markets
Market Data
Opinion
Life & Culture
Real Estate
SEARCH
Log In
Management
News Sports Culture Real Estate
TOP STORIES IN NEW YORK
1 of 12
Quinn Lags on
Overrides
NY CULTURE
2 of 12
Cannibal Trial
Defendant Is
Convicted
3 of 12
Tax-Policy Web
Lures 'Spider-Man'
Film Here
4 of 12
Condo Project
Makes Splash After
25 Years
March 13, 2013, 10:09 p.m. ET
This Ring Cycle Comes With Gloves
Comments
Article
Email
MORE IN NEW YORK­CULTURE »
Print
By AN D Y BATTAGL IA
Philip Montgomery for The Wall Street Journal
Cellist Dan Barrett at Gleason's Gym in Dumbo, where and his artist collective will stage a unique
event.
In this corner—weighing in at approximately 10 pounds, from parts unknown but
presumably in the trunk of a tree—a cello!
A recent afternoon at Gleason's Gym in Dumbo offered the unusual sight: musician
Dan Barrett in the ring, up against the ropes and working his hands, sending
sonorous notes from his cello into the combative clamor of the world­famous boxing
mecca.
On Saturday, Mr. Barrett will climb into the ring again for the occasion of "Strike!," a
unique performance event that will feature a mix of classical music, boxing and dance
at the 75­year­old facility that has seen legends like Jake LaMotta, Cassius Clay,
Gerry Cooney and Mike Tyson pass through its doors.
"I find a purity of function in a boxing ring," said Mr. Barrett, the mastermind of the
event and the leader of the ensemble International Street Cannibals—a New York­
based collective of musicians, composers, videographers, audio technicians,
dancers, puppeteers and visual artists. "When you go inside a gym, you see
Available to WSJ.com Subscribers
U.S. Probes Gold
everything arranged not in any way toward decoration or symbolic function but toward
a very practical human function of usage. This, I think, is a very good guideline for
art."
Mingling the art of boxing with the art of art is the main objective of "Strike!," which
marries two of Mr. Barrett's aesthetic passions. "I'm an ardent student of boxing
analysis," he said. "So commonly we denigrate sports fans by saying they have low
attention spans, but if we watch them watch, their observations are highly nuanced.
Enjoyment of sports is commensurate with capacity to analyze."
Enlarge Image
Philip Montgomery for The Wall Street Journal
Gleason's Gym owner Bruce Silverglade and
cellist Dan Barrett at the Brooklyn boxing mecca.
The two are collaborating on a unique event.
Though he has trained a bit in the past
and follows the sport voraciously, Mr.
Barrett, who is 55, found a more
decorated boxing foil in Bruce
Silverglade, the 66­year­old fight­game
fixture who took over as owner of
Gleason's in 1982. These days the gym,
which was founded in the Bronx in 1937,
maintains 1,100 members who work out
there as aspiring professional boxers
and recreational hobbyists alike.
Gleason's also plays home to "Give a
Kid a Dream," a charitable program that offers free training to disadvantaged youth. "I
have kids who come to us from the projects, who are in a situation they didn't put
themselves in, and I like to do anything I can to expand their horizons or introduce
them to something they would not normally be introduced to," Mr. Silverglade said.
Staged as a benefit for the children's initiative, "Strike!" certainly expands horizons.
Stretching across three boxing rings, the event will feature bouts between youngsters
in the program, aged 11 to 17, with performances of classical music and dance
interspersed. Musical selections include a premiere of a piece by Mr. Barrett titled
"Technical Knock Out"—for French horn, bass trombone, violin, electric guitar and
percussion—and others reminiscent of work by Bartok and Wagner.
"They're not meant to draw attention but to galvanize," Mr. Barrett said of the
compositions, another of which bears the title "March of the Balonie Sandwiches."
"There's a certain turnover that happens to the arm in most punches, and that also
happens [to a musician] with a bow. There are physical parallels."
Pricing
The Almighty Dollar Is Back
Capital: Baby Steps on Deficit Fix
Big Sugar Is Set for a
Sweet Bailout
Don't Miss
[?]
Five Things Harder
to Buy Than Guns
At Whole Foods,
Low Prices Mean
Trouble in Aisle 2
Why Your Boss is
Dumping Your Wife
Most Popular
Emailed
Read
Video
Commented
1.
Catholic Church Looks to New World
2.
Apple Goes on the Defensive
3.
'Father Jorge' Rose From Modest Roots
4.
Florida Official Resigns Amid Probe
5.
Opinion: Best of the Web Today: Can This Non-Marriage
Be Saved?
The dance portion of the program was designed by choreographer Megan Sipe, who
took some lessons at Gleason's to get a feel for the movements and machinations of
boxing. "I went into this knowing nothing about boxing," Ms. Sipe said. "What's been
great about it is that the boxers have been really interested in what we're doing.
There's been real exchange. There's real artistry and rhythm to boxing. Some of the
footwork they do they even call 'dancing.'"
Weather Journal: Back Into the Cold Before Spring
Blooms
A chilly mid­March day is in store for Thursday as skies clear and
spring gets one day closer.
Showcasing the more refined aspects of boxing is part of the purpose of "Strike!"—
and for Gleason's Gym in general. "Hollywood never gives a true presentation of a
boxing gym," Mr. Silverglade said. "When 'Raging Bull' came in here"—Martin
Scorsese shot portions of his classic film at Gleason's second location, in Manhattan
—"they used smoke and guys with fedoras and cigars. But in reality it's a clean place
and everybody is nice."
At St. Patrick's, Eagerly Watching the Pope Pick
Geniality, with the promise of exertion in and around the ring, appeals to Naisha
Santini, a young boxer enrolled in the "Give a Kid a Dream" program.
"When you have a lot of problems and a lot on your mind, once you walk through that
door, it's like everything goes away," said Ms. Santini, 19, who travels from her home
in Williamsburg to train at Gleason's. "Nothing else matters. When I'm on the bag, I
take out my stress and the world around me doesn't bother me no more."
Artists of all kinds often say the same about their own studios—they are places
Real­time coverage of greater New York
Brooklyn Teen Hit by Seven Police Bullets
An autopsy on the 16­year­old boy killed by New
York City police this week found he was hit by
seven bullets, including three in the back side of
his body.
Suspected Driver Indicted for Fleeing Deadly Brooklyn
Crash
Newtown 'Still Really Raw,' Superintendent Says
See All
RSS Feed
More in New York­Culture
Tax-Policy Web Lures 'Spider-Man' Film
Getting Around Greater New York
Starting Address
where skills are honed, dreams are realized, and appearances are irrelevant. Said Mr.
Silverglade of Gleason's, "You can sweat here and nobody cares what you look like."
OR Intersection or Popular Restaurant/Place
Destination Address
OR Intersection or Popular Restaurant/Place
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
MORE IN
Be the first to comment
Email
Print
New York­Culture »
Related Topics
Order Reprints
Broadway Shows
Lincoln Center
Metropolitan Opera
NY Philharmonic
American Ballet Theater
Museum of Modern Art
Public Arrest Records
(Recommended) 1) Enter Name, State. 2) Access Full Background Checks.
www.InstantCheckmate.com
1 TIP TO LOSE STOMACH FAT
This interesting article shows how coffee bean fights stomach fat.
health­news­journal.com
"Top 2013" Work At Home
Read Our Review! Before Joining Any Work At Home Programs!
www.canada­grants.us
1 Shocking Tip Kills Fat
Celebrity Doctor Uncovers 1 Simple Trick To A Flat Stomach.
www.HealthDiscoveriesJournal.com
Don't Miss
Barron's Buzz:
Gulfstream's New
$65M Best Seller
McKayla Maroney Is
Impressed With Her
Endorsement
Five Cities Where
Houses Are Still Cheap
Unsold iPhones Pile
Up at Leap Wireless
Man Cheats Credit Score
He Added 126 Points To His Credit Score Using This 1 Easy Tip
www.CreditRepairFromHome.com
Earn 5500$ Within 1 Week
With a Deposit of 250$ you can Reach Huge Amounts of Profits!
www.banker­secrets.com
Daily Wall Street Advice
Expert Advice on How to Buy, Sell, & Profit in Today's Stock Market!
www.Wallstreetdaily.com
Content from our Sponsors You Might Like
The Great Pinots of Oregon's Chummy
Vintners
On the Path of Garden-Chic Style
What to Look for in a New Pope
No Beards--And That's Final
Fallen NY millionaire guilty of drug, gun
dealing
What's this?
WWE/TNA: The 30 Biggest Scandals in Pro
Wrestling History (Bleacher Report)
Are You Normal in the Bedroom? (Men's Fitness)
Top 10 NFL Undrafted Free Agents
(ThePostGame)
Remembering Bodybuilding Legend "The
Myth" Sergio Oliva (Muscle & Fitness)
5 Expensive Hobbies (Investopedia)
Add a Comment
JOURNAL COMMUNITY
Community rules
To add a comment please
Log in
Create an Account
Your real name is required
for commenting.
Track replies to my comment
CLEAR
[?]
Content from our Sponsors
POST
INVESTOPEDIA
DAILY FINANCE
ANCESTRY.COM
5 Failed Currencies
And Why They
Crashed
Why You Should
Cancel Your Cell
Phone Contract
Michelle Obama's
mixed race heritage
proved by DNA.