5 Things: Celebrate Brooklyn! and DanceFest India

This article was written by Megan Riesz and Amy Sara Clark.

1. Celebrate World Music. Tonight at Celebrate Brooklyn! the line-up is OS MUTANTES / JAVELIN / JANKA NABAY & THE BUBU GANG, which includes an eclectic collection of bands from Brazil, Brooklyn and Sierra Leon. Prospect Park Bandshell (enter at 9th street and Prospect Park West), 7 p.m. (but get there early for a good seat). 

2. Nurture your tween's creativity. Today there are also Free Songwriting Circles at Grand Army Plaza, led by Stephanie Carlin, a Prospect Heights singer-songwriter (and former PH Patch calendar editor), and other professional musicians. Sessions, which are for kids 7 to 12 years old, take place today, as well as July 13, and July 27 at 11 a.m. Free, but make sure to RSVP at the link. 

3. Ladybug release. To celebrate the end of the school year, join your kids in releasing hundreds of ladybugs into the garden of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Saturday at 145 Brooklyn Avenue. 1:30 to 2 p.m. All ages are welcome.

4. Give Back. Help safe the life of one of New York City’s Finest during the Bone Marrow Drive for NYPD Officer Dean Monaco. Forest City Ratner Companies will host bone marrow drives for NYPD Officer Dean Monaco with Delete Blood Cancer. Monaco was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and he needs a bone marrow transplant. All it takes to register as a potential life saver for Monaco, and others fighting blood cancer, is a quick swab of your cheeks. Atlantic Terminal (first floor, on the mall side between Mrs. Fields and Payless Shoe Store). 12 to 3 p.m.

5. Shaking Up Shakespeare. See Smith Street Stage’s unique performance of “Julius Caesar,” which features Sarah Dacey Charles as the Roman leader and live original music. Carroll Park on Carroll Street between Court and Smith Streets. Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are free.

5.5 Dancing Queen. Check out “Sacred Vision,” a night of performances highlighting the dance rhythms of ancient India. The event is part of the six-day DanceFest INDIA! festival in Brooklyn. Kumble Theater at Long Island University. Flatbush Avenue Extension. Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the show.