Samantha Levine joined New York City’s Department of Education in 1998 as a teacher. Her primary responsibilities involve developing and executing lesson plans to help students improve in the areas of reading, writing, and math. In her free time, teacher Samantha Levine is a travel enthusiast. She has spent time in many countries and US states, and has a strong fondness for Walt Disney World, particularly the Epcot and Hollywood Studios parks.In 2017, Walt Disney amusement parks once again beat out global competition for the title of most popular parks in the world. Despite a 0.5 percent decrease in attendance compared to 2016, Disney parks attracted more than 20 million visitors, a sizable portion of the 233 million total individuals who visited theme parks for the year. Disney parks throughout the United States and Japan represented seven of the 10 highest grossing parks in 2017, and 12 of the top 25. Universal Studios, Disney’s primary competition, had four parks in the top 25.The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, stood as the single most popular park for 2017, while its Anaheim, California, counterpart, Disneyland, ranked second overall. Tokyo Disney Sea, Epcot at Walt Disney World, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios occupied the fifth through eighth positions, respectively.
A graduate of City University of New York’s Brooklyn College, Samantha Levine has been working in New York City for more than two decades. In her free time, Samantha Levine enjoys Broadway shows and has seen such productions as Beauty and the Beast, the Phantom of the Opera, and Chicago. The history of Broadway theater dates back to 1750, when Walter Murray and Thomas Kean opened a theater company on Nassau Street that was capable of holding 280 patrons. This theater primarily showed ballad operas and Shakespearean plays until all theater productions stopped in New York because of the Revolutionary War.After the war concluded in 1798, the 2,000-seat Park Theater was built and began hosting theater productions once again. The construction of this theater began a new era for the New York theater scene, and between 1800 and 1850, several additional theaters opened in the city, including the Bowery Theatre and the Astor Place Theatre. Throughout this time, the primary shows at New York theatres were still Shakespearean plays, but this changed in the middle of the century when musicals were first performed.The first-ever long-run musical in New York was The Elves, which played for 50 performances. It was later followed by other long-run shows, such as The Seven Sisters and The Black Brook, the latter of which ran for 474 performances. Theatre in New York also began showing vaudeville productions in 1881.By the 1900s, Broadway productions started becoming more expensive and ambitious. Many theaters placed electric lights and signage outside to draw attention, and despite competition from motion pictures, theater productions continued to grow in popularity. After the Great Depression, shows remained in theaters for more than 1,000 performances, and by the 1920s, many American playwrights rose to prominence. Since then, Broadway has remained a mainstay for theater-lovers from around the world.
A resident of New York City, Samantha Levine works with schools and educational administrators to improve learning outcomes for students. During her free time, Samantha Levine pursues a diverse range of hobbies, which include visiting art museums and attending Broadway shows. Among others, she lists Chicago as one of her favorite Broadway musicals.Chicago debuted in 1975 and featured the songs of legendary musical duo John Kander and Fred Ebb. The musical's original run was moderately successful, eventually closing after nearly 1,000 performances. In 1996, however, a revival of the show took Broadway by storm. Premiering at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in November of 1996, the Chicago revival won a staggering six awards at the 1997 Tony Awards. The production has since gone on to become the longest-running Broadway musical in history, with runs in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, London, and many other cities around the world. In March of 2018, the Broadway world honored John Kander on his 90th birthday. Broadway stars gathered at the Laurie Beechman Theatre on March 21 to celebrate the legendary composer who, in addition to Chicago, provided the music for other classics, such as Cabaret and Kiss of the Spiderwoman. The celebrants included Tony-award winners Karen Ziemba and Lillias White, as well as other well-known Broadway figures, such as Lucia Spina and David Sabella.
An educator with the New York Department of Education, Samantha Levine holds a master of science in reading from City University of New York-Brooklyn College. Outside of work, Samantha Levine enjoys practicing yoga in her free time.Downward-facing dog is one of the most fundamental poses in yoga, and one of the most challenging for newcomers. Here are three tips to help you improve your downward dog.1. Set up your “four legs” - Place your hands shoulder distance apart and keep your feet hip distance apart. This alignment allows you to use your shoulders and hips as support for the rest of your body, minimizing the strain on the muscles in your arms and legs. 2. Rotate your upper arms externally - Once you have established your base, rotate your shoulders away from your ears, like you are trying to hide your underarms from the people next to you. Because this alignment transfers the weight from your deltoid muscles to your rotator cuff muscles, it may feel difficult at first. 3. Keep your hips up - Elevate your hips by bending the knees slightly and drawing the belly in toward the spine. This ensures that your back will be straight and aligned with your head and neck.
Samantha Levine is a New York-based educator who designs student-specific lesson plans to help students improve their writing and reading skills. When she isn't working, Samantha Levine enjoys cooking healthy meals and counts lemons as a favorite ingredient. A versatile fruit, lemon can be used to enhance the flavor of fish, add zest to chicken dishes, or cap off a meal as a tart dessert, such as lemon bars. Here are three dishes that make great use of lemons.1. Lemon garlic tilapia - This simple baked fish recipe involves pouring lemon juice and melted butter over the tilapia fillets, and then sprinkling them with garlic, parsley, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 2. Grilled lemon herb pork chops - Marinate pork chops for at least two hours in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Remove the chops and boil the remaining marinade; remove from heat and reserve. On an outdoor grill, oil grate and cook chops 5-7 minutes on each side, basting often with marinade. 3. Lemon chicken stir fry - Begin by grating 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and squeezing 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Whisk the juice with 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a small bowl. Cook sliced chicken for about 4-5 minutes in a large skillet and transfer to a plate. Add mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, garlic, and lemon zest to the skillet, and cook until fragrant and tender. Finally, add sauce and stir until it thickens.
