january 29
Public Works Film Series: See for yourself how bad times really were during the Depression by checking out the adjuncts to the exhibition "Public Works" at the Wolfsonian-FIU (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). In addition to a series of lectures and performances commencing next week, the museum is launching six cinematic programs -- comedies, dramas, documentaries -- that will give you a taste of the Thirties. Tonight at 7:00 p.m. watch the 1933 Disney cartoon "The Three Little Pigs" and two arresting documentaries by Pare Lorentz, known as FDR's filmmaker. Featuring cinematography by Paul Strand, Ralph Steiner, and Leo Hurwitz and an original score by Virgil Thomson, The Plow That Broke the Plains, made in 1936, promoted conservation as a way to rejuvenate poorly managed land in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl. The River (1937), another collaboration by Lorentz and Thomson, deals with the Mississippi River Basin and Roosevelt's troubled Tennessee Valley Authority projects. Both films provoked howls from the film industry, which objected to "government-sponsored competition." Admission costs three dollars. Call 535-2622. (NK)
friday
january 30
Miami Film Festival: Celebrating its quince, or fifteenth birthday, the Miami Film Festival opens tonight at 7:30 at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts (174 E. Flagler St.) with the U.S. premiere of The Chambermaid and the Titanic, the dramatic second installment in festival fave Bigas Luna's "Trilogy of Women." Twenty-six films from thirteen countries will be screened over the next ten days, and for the first time ever an "Audience Choice Award" will be given to the most popular film. (Votes will be collected from audience members after each screening.) Two important filmmakers -- Italy's Michelangelo Antonioni and Japan's Takeshi Kitano -- will be saluted. In addition to the movies, Miami-Dade Community College's Wolfson Campus (300 NE Second Ave.) hosts a series of lectures and workshops beginning on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. that examine filmmaking in South Florida as well as innovative technology and production in movies and television. Admission to the lectures and workshops is free; admission to the films ranges from $8 to $25. See "Calendar Listings" on page 35 for a complete schedule of events or call 372-0925. (NK)
Uhambo, the Journey: Through traditional African song and dance, tribal drumming, and black township pop, Johannesburg's Sibikwa Players tell the story of one man's coming of age in the time of apartheid. The five-member, all-male South African theater troupe was formed in the late Eighties to provide alternative education for kids kept out of school because of riots and teachers' strikes. Their shows continue to deal with issues of racism and violence in an attempt to ensure that the lessons of apartheid are well learned. Sponsored by the Cultura del Lobo performing arts series, the Sibikwa Players perform Uhambo, the Journey tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 at Miami-Dade Community College's Wolfson Auditorium (300 NE Second Ave.). Tickets cost ten dollars. Call 237-3010. (JC)
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: In 1958 Alvin Ailey and a group of young black modern dancers performed at the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association in New York City, and American dance was never the same. Originally from Texas, Ailey created more than 70 ballets that poignantly drew from black cultural life. (Two of his most acclaimed works, Blues Suite and Revelations, were inspired by his childhood experiences in Sunday school.) The modest Ailey never intended that his company be a showcase for his work alone. Over the past 40 years the dancers have performed more than 150 works by 50 choreographers, including classic works and newly commissioned pieces. Ailey died in 1989, but his 31-member company survives and continues to dazzle audiences under the direction of dancer/choreographer Judith Jamison, who was often Ailey's muse. At the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale) tonight at 8:00, tomorrow at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m., behold the grace of the dancers as they passionately interpret a variety of works. Each performance features the company's signature piece Revelations, a powerful 30-minute work delineating black heritage and set to spirituals, gospel, song-sermons, and blues. Tickets range from $15 to $45. Call 532-3491. (NK)
saturday
january 31
Star Trek: Federation Science, and Phffft: Sound in Space: Calling all Trekkies, sci-fi, and sound fans. The Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium (3280 S. Miami Ave.) has two exhibitions just for you. Wannabe Captain Kirks can explore the final frontier with "Star Trek: Federation Science," an interactive exhibition including 40 modular displays that examine physics, practical astronomy, and physiology. Gawk at props and costumes used in the Star Trek movies and the hit TV show, then take command of the Enterprise, beam yourself up to an alien planet, or turn into a Klingon. In conjunction with the museum show, the planetarium is presenting "Star Trek: The Planetarium Experience," a special under-the-dome multimedia show. Noise junkies will be thrilled with "Phffft: Sound in Space," a sound installation created by the Seattle-based composer, sculptor, and inventor Trimpin. "Phffft" consists of an array of wind instruments (brass horns, whistles, and more), some made by hand from found objects. These musical gadgets contain more than 200 computer-programmed acoustic sound-making components; spectators activate the sounds. Both "Star Trek" events run through May 3, "Phffft" through March 29. Admission ranges from six to ten dollars. Call 854-4247. (NK)
Flame Fest: Watch Lincoln Road go up in flames. Don't worry, a pyromaniac on Rollerblades has not been set loose. But the open-air mall is still very hot and bound to get hotter this weekend when the Belvetro Glass Gallery (934 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach) throws its Flame Fest. Beginning at 10:00 a.m. and going until 6:00 p.m. today and tomorrow, six glass artists will be on hand to discuss their techniques, give demonstrations of their work, and maybe even let you help them out a bit. Today catch Emilio Santini, from Murano, Italy, known for his replicas of historic Italian goblets and human figures; Suellen Fowler, who specializes in diminutive, jewellike bottles and sculptures; and Milon Townsend, who is creating a series of flameworked human figures in movement. Tomorrow see Shane Fero, who mixes humor with his inspirations from mythology, psychology, and anthropology; Robert Mickelesen, creator of classical forms that display a whimsical touch; and North Carolina's Fred Birkhill, known for his vivid, surreal pieces. Admission is a tax-deductible ten dollars per session; proceeds benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. Call 673-6677. (NK)
Miami Film Festival: See Friday.
Uhambo, the Journey: See Friday.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: See Friday.
sunday
february 1
The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940: Blame it all on Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Reading too many of their novels made you a frustrated bohemian; you wish you had lived in Paris during the Twenties like the thousands of Americans -- especially the artsy types like Gertrude Stein, Isadora Duncan, Sidney Bechet, and Josephine Baker -- who gravitated to that moveable feast. Ahhh yes, strolling into Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare and Co., quaffing absinthe in a quaint outdoor cafe, listening to jazz in a seedy cabaret. So freewheeling, so exotic, so incredibly cheap. Well, the Nineties version of the City of Light has changed a mite. (Hamburgers cost more than snails, and absinthe is illegal.) But don't hang up your beret just yet. The Miami-Dade Public Library (101 W. Flagler St.), courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, is hosting its largest and most comprehensive exhibition ever -- one that will give you a proper taste of time travel. "The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940" transports you to this fecund era with photos, letters, paintings, postcards, caricatures, posters, kiosks, and best of all, a replica of Montmartre Boulevard. All they need for complete authenticity is some Hemingway look-alike doling out punches in the nose. Feel like an expatriate through April 5. Admission is free. For hours call 375-2665. (NK)
Miami Film Festival: See Friday.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: See Friday.
Star Trek: Federation, and Phffft: Sound in Space: See Saturday.
Flame Fest: See Saturday.
monday
february 2
Glenn Miller Orchestra: When you think of all the musicians who have died prematurely under disputed circumstances, the name Glenn Miller doesn't usually leap to mind. But recent news has it that he jitterbugged through the Pearly Gates not in a mysterious plane crash over the English Channel but rocking and rolling until his ticker tuckered out in a Paris brothel. Either way, today's swing kingdom is probably wider (and wilder) than Miller would ever have envisioned. There's a whole new generation of martini-gulping lounge prowlers listening to swing-inspired music from bands such as the Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Tonight at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) you can swing to the Glenn Miller Orchestra performing some of the songs that got the whole thing rolling. Showtime is 8:00 p.m. Tickets cost $20. Call 673-7300. (LB)
Miami Film Festival: See Friday.
Star Trek: Federation, and Phffft: Sound in Space: See Saturday.
The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940: See Sunday.
tuesday
february 3
Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington: Few musicians equal the astounding output of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. A composer, orchestrator, and bandleader, Ellington had a 55-year career that produced more than 1000 songs ("Sophisticated Lady," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Satin Doll," "Take the 'A' Train"), several theatrical and religious works, and scores of scores for movies. "Beyond Category," also organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, contains 150 reproductions of sheet music, posters, photographs, and other documents that trace the evolution of jazz and tell the story of the Duke's incredible musical life. The exhibition runs through March 1 at North Dade Regional Library (2455 NW 183rd St.). Admission is free. For hours call 625-6424. (NK)
Miami Film Festival: See Friday.
Star Trek: Federation, and Phffft: Sound in Space: See Saturday.
The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940: See Sunday.
wednesday
february 4
La Traviata: The Florida Grand Opera enters the world of high society once again with Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata (The Fallen Woman). Set in 1850s Paris, the story (based on Alexandre Dumas's play La Dame Aux Camelias and made into the 1936 film Camille, starring Greta Garbo) concerns sickly socialite Violetta, whose last grasp at love with well-bred but superficial Alfredo is destroyed by his compassionless father. Mexican soprano Olivia Gorra stars with American tenor Jay Hunter Morris. The opera opens tonight at 8:00 at Dade County Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St.). Additional performances are on February 7, 10, and 13 at 8:00 and February 15 at 2:00 p.m. All performances are in Italian with projected English subtitles. Tickets range from $18 to $125. Call 854-7890. (NK)
Miami Film Festival: See Friday.
Star Trek: Federation, and Phffft: Sound in Space: See Saturday.
The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940: See Sunday.
Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington: See Tuesday.
