We must admit when we see a shaggy-haired guy playing an acoustic guitar with one of those harmonica-holding doohickeys attached, we want to run for cover. Few have the skills and the sense of irony -- let alone the coordination -- to carry the folk thing off without looking like a character from A Mighty Wind. Singer/ songwriter Rod McDonald is an exception. A resident of Delray Beach since 1995, he spent twenty years in New York City, playing in Greenwich Village nightclubs and releasing his socially conscious songs on compilations courtesy of the Fast Folk movement. Tonight at 7:00 McDonald croons his tunes not in a cramped, smoky club but on the lush green lawn of the Barnacle State Historic Site (3485 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove) for its Barnacle Under Moonlight series. Admission is $5. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. Call 305-448-9445. -- By Nina Korman
Sat 5/17
Dance Moves
Born in Siberia, based in South Florida, ballet master and choreographer Vladimir Issaev has traversed cultures and continents. He has created ballets in Russia, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, plus taught and choreographed in Russia, Spain, Canada, and throughout the United States. As artistic director of Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida since 1997, Issaev offers audiences a high-caliber Russian classical and neoclassical repertoire. Tonight at 7:00 at the North Miami Beach Performing Arts Theater (17011 NE 19th Ave., North Miami Beach), the season-ending Spring Gala will feature classical works and Issaev's own choreography. One of the pieces, "El Encuentro," recently earned accolades at Palm Springs, California's Dance under the Stars Choreography Festival, where Issaev also received the New Choreographer Award. Guest performers include soloists from California, Orlando, and Caracas, Venezuela. Tickets cost $20 and $25. Call 305-935-3232. -- Mia Leonin
Wed 5/21
Funny Bizness
Local Comedy Jam
Whether you're a 'ho, a bitch, or a lady, the comedians who jam every Wednesday night at Annie Mae's 4400 Club (4400 NW 7th Ave.) can set you straight. The lively party palace on the outskirts of Allapattah provides local comics a place to jam with a raunchy open mike night that can conceivably double as a community forum about getting pleasured, orally or otherwise. Local pros Sky Dogg, Jason Capp, Slow Motion, and Victor Guiton sizzle. The show begins around 10:00 p.m. Admission is free. Call 786-290-6561. -- Juan Carlos Rodriguez
