15 Awesome Things to Do in Dallas This Weekend, November 13-16
Undermain Theatre See a bunch of bad bitches take on Russian folklore.
At Undermain Theatre, a new play puts a kickass spin on folklore. In Los Angeles-based playwright Meg Miroshnik's The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls an American woman returns to her home country, Russia, to study abroad. Upon arrival, the story takes an absurdist twist and the young girl quickly realizes that she'll have to be the heroine in this story. See the play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday or 8:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $10. More information at undermaintheatre.org.
Thursday, November 13
NICE
Ladies, be nice. Be cordial when some jerk tells you need to smile more, ok? And be polite when some cretin catcalls you as you're walking down the street. Just smile, acknowledge it, and enjoy the "compliment". The cat-calling, patronizing, unevolved dudes of the world NEED you to just be a sweetheart, k? You're expected to just be nice in all situations, regardless of your feelings. And in a timely bit of programming, the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group takes a look at exactly why that is in their upcoming performance NICE. Using edgy, evocative and aggressive choreography, the dance troupe examines the social expectations and constructs behind "niceness". The music is intense, the performance is delightfully weird and the takeaway will have you questioning the façade of niceness you exhibit even when you shouldn't have to. This fall premiere from DGDG will be staged at the Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora, beginning 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, November 23. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. and Monday at 8 p.m. Tickets are priced, well--nicely at $15 and may be purchased at ticketdfw.com. - Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Tête-à-Tête: "A Conversation with Draftsmen of the Apocalypse: Thor Johnson and Joachim West"
To know a bit more about Thor Johnson's history is to better understand his art, which often contains excessive mess and violence. If you've had it on your calendar to see the latest exhibition at CentralTrak, seize the opportunity to see the work and hear from two of the artists at 7 p.m. Thursday when both Johnson and Joachim West will discuss their work in the show. More information at centraltrak.net.
Aventures & Nouvelles Aventures
Take notice Dallas avant-garde fans, we don't get chances like this very often. Aventures and its slightly more structured "sequel" Nouvelles Aventures are amongst Gyorgy Ligeti's most fascinating works. Composed for three singers and instrumental septet, these miniature anti-operas (what the composer termed "mimodramas") are equal parts haunting, hilarious, and otherworldly. Complete with an imagined, almost animalistic language, these pieces present a non-sequitur drama concerning five emotions (ranging from desire to terror), each personified at different times by the three singers. Absurd, even deliciously grotesque, this is one modern masterstroke for which the term abstract isn't nearly strong enough. Guest Patrick Dupré Quigley conducts a program that also includes works by Mason Bates, Mayke Nas and Igor Santos. To top it off: the event, held at Caruth Auditorium (6101 Bishop Blvd.), is free. Be there at 8 p.m. Thursday. More info at smu.edu/meadows. - Jonathan Patrick
An Evening of Dance
See the future stars of dance when the talented students at Booker T. Washington perform at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday. School ensembles, their performing companies, Repertory Dance Company I, Repertory Dance Company II, and World Dance Ensemble, will each perform. Tickets are $15.
Latino Cultural Center
Friday, November 14
"The View Through the Lens: Capturing Cultural Shifts within the Latino Barrios of Dallas"
The Latino Cultural Center commissioned Dallas based Latino photographers Sheryl Anaya, Sal Barron, Dean Dominguez, Angelita Rodriguez and Orlando Sanchez Lugo to capture the life in Dallas' Latino-centric neighborhoods. The photography documents the lives of the city's residents and the swift changes in the neighborhood demographics. Swing by the opening reception from 6 - 9 p.m. Friday or through Saturday, January 3, 2015.
Ed Blackburn's Ancient History
I find myself pointing to shows at Mountain View College's Cliff Gallery quite a bit recently. I'm not sure if it's just a string of good shows, recently acquired awareness of the space, or if the programming has seen an uptick. Regardless, this weekend the space opens another interesting show. Fort Worth-based artist Ed Blackburn demonstrates interest in using his painting to tell stories. His pieces in Ancient History tell the stories of a man man unwilling to accept a repressive program who gets thrown into a lion's den and a woman who uncovers a genocide plot. See it in the opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday. Artist remarks at 6:30 p.m. More information.
Julieta Aguinaco: The Depth of Now
When I was a little girl, I had a fantasy about wearing my mother's wedding dress. Hers was the first white gown that represented marriage and happiness to me. As humans we learn traditions from our parents. We learn where in life to place value, and daughters learn from their mothers how to dress. This idea that an outfit can serve as a symbol of motherhood and family is a piece of Mexican artist Julieta Aguinaco's exhibition, The Depth of Now, that opens at Cydonia Gallery this weekend. For To My Daughter, she arranges a clothes rack with dresses from her grandmother, her mother and herself, while 101 photographs of the artist in the dresses line the walls. For Aguinaco, it's not just about the mother daughter dynamic, but about the complex history of her Mexican ancestry. See the exhibition at is opening recpetion from 6 -8 p.m. Friday at Cydonia (167 Payne St.), or thorugh December 27. Admission is free. The gallery is open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Wednesday - Sundays. More information at cydoniagallery.com.
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes is a funny lady. Her particular brand of DGAF comedy is smart, irreverent and well-informed, and by the way, she's pretty much the only working comedian today that can boast a tenure with the NSA. That's right--while many of her counterparts only have vocations in douchebaggery and idiocy (what's up Artie Lang!) to fall back on, Ms. Sykes has a bonafide career with the super secret spy agency on her resume. Not that she'd ever need to go back to that; Sykes has weathered three decades of showbiz successes, including an Emmy and a slew of other nominations for her television and film. These days, she's a mom, a GLBT activist, and an enduring entertainer who still packs 'em in for her on-point comedy shows. Dallas gets its chance to see this multi-faceted entertainer during her performance at the Majestic Theater, 1925 Elm Street, at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $49.50 to $59.50 at ticketmaster.com. - JDL
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