Asia Major

Sat 4/28

Now that Iraq, the cradle of civilization, has been bombed to bits and the remains have been hastily demolished or looted by its own citizens, what other part of the world still exists to teach us something? Remember Asia? It's no accident the Orient is still going strong, never mind that little SARS debacle. Today from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. the Museum of Contemporary Art (770 NE 125th St., North Miami) salutes Pan-Asian culture with Teen Day 2003: East/West Fusion Fest. Kids can expect dance and musical performances, plus demonstrations of stir-fry cooking and martial arts. Art and poetry workshops led by local artists will include Japanese calligraphy, kabuki art, storyboard animation and Japanese anime characters, samurai art, and haiku poetry. Henna tattoos will be available too. Admission is free but registration for workshops is encouraged. Call 305-893-6211. --By Nina Korman Sun 4/27 Bird Do Good

Freedom's just another word for ... a little bird, or so says the Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) fairy tale called "The Nightingale." Focusing on an ungrateful Chinese emperor and his loyal feathered friend that changes everyone's lives with its enchanting song, the story is one of hundreds penned by the Danish writer. His mix of folklore and imagination also went into other classics such as "The Ugly Duckling," "The Red Shoes," and "The Emperor's New Clothes." With lavish costumes and captivating action, the story is staged for kids ages six through ten at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale). It's all courtesy of the Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration and the Broward Center's Family Fun Sweets-N-Seats Series, which tries to foster appreciation for live theater in kids. Why? So they won't recoil in horror when you try to drag them to a revival of Cats in twenty years. Tickets cost $11. Call 954-462-0222. -- Nina Korman