Seymour Kushner: Lover of Dance

Seymour Kushner: One of Many Passions

It is well known that Seymour Kushner is a man of diverse interests and broad horizons. A fierce love of the arts is imbedded into the man’s character, and shows through his love of his publishing and recording company. His exploits as a businessman, audiophile, and adventurer are exhaustively documented. One thing about Seymour Kushner’s interests that is more obscure is his love of dance. He has been fortunate enough to witness performances by famous dance troupes at none other than the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Seymour Kushner: Brooklyn Academy of Music

Operating since 1861, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is America’s oldest performing arts center. Since its inception, it has cultivated a reputation as a leader in artistic innovation. As a fan of music and dance, Seymour Kushner has made a point of taking in performances at this legendary venue. It is easy to see why he favors this establishment; it presents and produces as many as 220 events every year, many of which have international origins.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music also houses a four-screen cinema as well as a restaurant and bar. In addition, it hosts the yearly Brooklyn tribute for the inspirational work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which is the biggest celebration for Dr. King in the city. In keeping with their support of Civil Rights, The Academy also has an extensive history of renowned political speakers and activists such as:

Langston Hughes
Sojourner Truth
Gertrude Stein
Susan B. Anthony

Seymour Kushner: A Personal Connection

It is only appropriate that a music lover and philanthropist such as Seymour Kushner has fostered a personal connection with this venerated establishment. The Academy’s commitment to Civil Rights and artistic fulfillment mirror Seymour’s passion for charity and love of art. Some of the artists he has seen at the Brooklyn Academy of Music include: Liz Lehrman, Twyla Tharpe, and Mark Morris. Seymour has truly allowed his love of the arts to enrich his life in a true example of living life to the fullest.

It’s remarkable that we have made it this far into our discussion of Seymour Kushner without a single mention of the fact that he is a small business owner; specifically, he owns a small publishing and recording company, which distributes its products worldwide. This is, of course, an important facet of who this man is, but, unlike so many of us, Seymour Kushner does not allow himself to be defined by what he does for a living; indeed, as we have witnessed, he has myriad interests, and he is involved in activities that are varied and eclectic.

By way of recap, consider the different passions held by Seymour Kushner:

For one thing, he holds an impressive academic track record. He has degrees in Business Management and in Music, and his academic research provided innovative combinations of the two fields. For a time, he thought about going into the business or orchestra business, but his fate ultimately veered in another direction.
Seymour Kushner also loves adventures in the outdoors. He is an avid cyclist, and at one time loved taking motorcycle journeys. He also loves Jeep-bound expeditions. He has jeeped through some of the most beautiful, rugged, and unforgettable areas in America and Canada, and has had some intense adventures along the way!
He even loves the research component of his outdoor treks, and counts among his most memorable moments the time he spent researching a Baja expedition at the Manhattan Explorers Club.
He is also a diehard music enthusiast, though his tastes are anything but narrow. He loved modern dance, and has witnessed performances from some of the world’s premier dance outfits. He also loves jazz, and has been in some of the country’s most storied jazz clubs.
Seymour Kushner also loves rock music—he says one of the most memorable and moving concerts he ever witnessed was the Concert for NYC, headlined by such luminaries as Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Mick Jagger.
Finally, we note that Seymour Kushner loves community service, and gives of his time to local soup kitchens—an experience he can only describe as “humbling.”

It seems like Seymour Kushner is the kind of guy who dabbles in a little bit of everything—if “dabble” is a word you can use to describe a guy who exhaustively plans cross-country jeeping expeditions, or whose love of music runs deeply into modern dance, jazz, Latin and Irish music, and rock. To be sure, he is a man with many interests and myriad curiosities, and in chronicling them, we have really only scratched the surface.

Certainly, his love of music and his penchant for adventure are both integral parts of who Seymour Kushner is, but did you know these other facts about him?

He once took a 6 week motorcycle-bound camping trip through the Northeast provinces of Canada, including Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. He has also motorcycled through the Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains and the Smokies.
Seymour Kushner has a BBA degree in Business Management and a Masters in Music. Much of his college research was combining the two fields. For example, he went to musical instrument factories and did time and motion studies and plant layout and material handling studies and presented his findings to management. Some of his suggested improvements were put into practice. For a brief time in his life, Seymour Kushner was interested in symphony orchestra management, though he ultimately decided to pursue small business ownership.
An avid track fan, Seymour Kushner competed in the running broad jump as well as the 100-yard dash when he was in high school. In college, he competed on the wrestling team. He still enjoys attending and watching track meets, particularly Olympic and NCAA events. It’s astounding, he says, how the track times have decreased and field events distances have increased over the years due to better diet, training, and sports science.

Clearly, Seymour Kushner is a man of many passions, and many curiosities—and he devoted himself to each of them with full-on vigor and intensity. He leads a highly interesting life because of it, and he would surely attest to the fact that each of his adventures is exciting and different from the last.

There is hardly any need to reiterate the fact that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were egregious, devastating, and simply heartwrenching. What we could all stand to be reminded of, time and time again, is that, as abominable as that day was, it at least birthed some moments of true beauty and inspiration, leading to both works of art and acts of charity that demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit. One of these events was the post-911 Concert for NYC—where music fan Seymour Kushner was in attendance.

We have already discussed the fact that Seymour Kushner has savored many memorable experiences in his life. Some of those experiences involve jeeping and motorcycling adventures. Others are strictly musical—unforgettable performances by jazz bands and dance troupes. According to Seymour Kushner, however, the most memorable and moving concert of his life was the Concert for NYC.

At the six-hour event, Seymour Kushner and his fellow attendees got to witness:

Legendary rock and roll band The Who, performing intense, muscular highlights from their landmark album Who’s Next.
The iconic rock god Mick Jagger, teaming with his fellow Rolling Stone Keith Richards, for a pair of soulful highlights.
Piano men Elton John and Billy Joel joining forces on John’s beloved “Your Song.”
A soul-stirring finale from pop icon, Beatle, and solo artist Paul McCartney, where he played both Beatles classics and solo hits, plus showcased the new composition “Freedom.”

And all of this came on top of performances by folks like Five for Fighting, Jay-Z, Eric Clapton and more, plus short films by the likes of Woody Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, and Kevin Smith. Says Seymour Kushner, the show was “overwhelming due to the intensity of the performances. You could tell that this was no regular performance for any of them. Unfortunately it was borne out of tragedy but showed the resiliency of the human condition.”

No wonder he counts this show among his most memorable adventures. The Concert for NYC was, no doubt, a soul-shaking, inspiring, and emotional event for everyone in attendance, and a show that won’t ever be forgotten.

We’ve mentioned that Seymour Kushner is a man who enjoys a good adventure, be it on the back of a motorcycle or in the driver’s seat of a jeep, or even in the Manhattan Explorer’s Club. But one of the things that makes Seymour Kushner a unique brand of adventurer is that he doesn’t have to go somewhere exotic, or even leave his home, in order to have a good time. His innate curiosity allows him to enjoy new experiences in his own community and his own house—and many of these experiences come while enjoying good music.

Indeed, Seymour Kushner has a long history as a music lover, and it shows in the passionate views he holds about music. Consider, if you will, his perspective on digital music files. According to Seymour Kushner, records and CDs offer a better listening experience than digital files, such as MP3s. While there is something to be said for the convenience and portability afforded by an iPod, Seymour Kushner believes that the act of compressing music files ultimately means compromising quality and clarity. As he puts it, “that thousands of dollars are spent in the recording studio in an effort to record pristine, high quality sound, only to have that sound lost.”

So clearly, this is a man who feels strongly about music—and his own tastes are impressively eclectic. Consider, if you will:

He loves modern dance. Some of his favorite contemporary dance groups, who he has seen at Brooklyn Academy of Music, include Twyla Tharpe, Pina Bausch, Liz Lehrman, Merce Cunningham and Mark Morris.
As a member of World Music Institute, he has attended many musical performances from around the world. His favorite genres include Latin music, Irish music, and music from the Middles East.
An avid jazz fan, Seymour Kushner has seen performances at the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, and Jazz Standard.
He also loves rock music, and was in attendance at the Concert for New York City, where he saw performances by Paul McCartney, Elton John, and The Who!

Each new listening experience is like an adventure for Seymour Kushner—and that, really, is the sign of a true music fan. His tastes are eclectic, and every album or performance he witnesses reignites his curiosity about all things musical.

There are plenty of ways to tour the United States. Some folks end up seeing the vast majority of the country simply through their work-related travels. Others, as retired persons, embark upon bus tours that allow them to see the country up close. Seymour Kushner has his own ways of seeing the country. Indeed, this man—who possesses an insatiable curiosity and a love of the outdoors—has seen some of the most exquisite parts of the U.S. and Canada, and he’s seen it as part of a grand adventure, either from in the confines of a jeep or the back of a motorcycle!

According to Seymour Kushner, one of the best parts of these adventures is the research and planning stage. “Part of the fun is the planning and preparation for these trips,” he notes. For his jeep-bound sojourn through the Baja peninsula, he was able to visit the Explorers Club in Manhattan where he conducted extensive research into his destination. “It was a thrill,” he recalls, “to see original editions of John Steinbeck’s book, entitled Sea of Cortez, in which he describes his fishing trips to the Baja region.” Imagine: Reading one of your favorite authors describe an area in vivid detail, then traveling to that area to savor it for yourself!

But of course, his adventures take him well beyond the four walls of a library, or even the Explorers Club. The trip through Baja involved carrying in water and gasoline supplies, plus camping gear as well as snakebite kits. Baja has 20 species of snakes, including one rattleless rattler—a particularly insidious, lethal fellow! Seymour Kushner does not necessarily consider himself to be a daredevil or a risk-taker, necessarily; he is simply happy to take whatever chances he needs to take in order to truly enjoy his outdoor adventures.

And that’s all to say nothing of his jeeping trip through Canyonlands; says Seymour Kushner, the scenery there was simply “spectacular.” Clearly, he is having experiences he will savor for the rest of his life—and he’s loving every minute of it!

Seymour Kushner: A Portrait of Curiosity

If someone had to summarize your life, and your character, in just one word, what would it be? In the case of Seymour Kushner, the word might be curiosity. Seymour Kushner is, indeed, a very curious man, the kind of person who holds a wide range of interests and devotes his attention and energy to each of them with enthusiasm and vigor. He is not someone whose passions are narrow; no, he seems to find interest and intrigue in many different facets of life, which has led him to have some unforgettable adventures and experiences.

After all, who else do you know, outside of Seymour Kushner, who can claim to have seen live concert performances from Mick Jagger and The Who, as well as some of the biggest names in modern dance? Who else do you know who has embarked upon jeep and motorcycle adventures all over the American Southwest and Canada? And who else are you aware of who has conducted patent research into parts used in musical instruments?

Clearly, the multi-faceted interests of Seymour Kushner have led him to enjoy a varied and interesting life. Consider just this partial list of some of his experiences:

He has jeeped through some of the most exotic and unforgettable areas in the United States, including Southeast Utah’s Canyonlands. He has also enjoyed adventures through the Smoky Mountains, Baja, and Canada.
He is a frequent spectator at jazz clubs, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and even rock and roll shows—including the storied, post-9/11 Concert for NYC, where he saw such legends as Paul McCartney and Elton John.
In researching one of his trips, he got to witness, up close and personal, original editions of works such as John Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez.
He has served faithfully in a local soup kitchen, something he calls a truly humbling experience.

The point is not that your life ought look exactly like Seymour Kushner’s, of course; just that curiosity can lead you in some strange and delightful directions, if only you give it a chance!