It may not be the newest country on the block, but at 56 years Pakistan is definitely not the oldest. The civilization, though, has been around since well before this Great guy named Alexander went tromping over the Hindu Kush back around 329 A.D. Celebrate the rich culture of this country on the Indian subcontinent at the 56th Pakistan Independence Day, with ethnic food stalls, arts and crafts, talent shows, and children's song and dance performances. Then make way for the professionals, among them noted Pakistani singers Jawad Ahmad, Faakhir, Babar Ali, and Aavish, as well as dance performances from Sara Chaudry and Farah Shah. Sign up for a chance to win a VCR, TV, or a round-trip ticket to Pakistan. The event runs from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at Bayfront Park (301 Biscayne Blvd.). Tickets cost $8. Call 954-970-4558. -- By John Anderson
Friday August 29
Motion Pictures
The VIII International Ballet Festival of Miami isn't just for fans of classical dance. Opening tonight at the Tower Theater (1508 SW 8th St.), the fest includes a documentary film series of the works of Dominique Delouche. The French filmmaker became well-known not just for recording ballet to film but also for capturing the touching transfer of knowledge from one generation of dancers to the next. At 9:00 Katia et Volodia screens. The 1988 movie showcases Russian legends Ekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev, who will receive a Life for Dance award later in the festival. Tomorrow night at 8:00 are more Delouche films: Violette et Mr. B (2001), starring the Balanchine favorite Violette Verdy and other N.Y.C. ballet luminaries; Serge Peretti, Le Dernier Italien (1997), which was filmed shortly before the preeminent star's death; and Alicia Markova, La Legende (2002), in which the Diaghilev protégée coaches dancers of the Paris Opera in Le Rossignol. Cost is $5. Call 305-549-7711. -- By Margaret Griffis
Thursday August 28
Writers - Book Deal
Over the years novelists such as Edith Wharton, E.M. Forster, and John Gardner have penned how-to-write-fiction tomes. The latest? John Dufresne. The FIU professor and famed author of acclaimed novels Louisiana Power & Light, Love Warps the Mind a Little, and Deep in the Shade of Paradise offers his foolproof rules for being a wily wordsmith in The Lie That Tells a Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction. Among his canny commandments: Thou Shalt Not Be Obscure, Thou Shalt Show and Not Tell, and, our favorite, Thou Shalt Steal. At $25.95 a pop, we agree. Dufresne appears at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes & Noble (12405 N. Kendall Dr.). Admission is free. Call 305-598-7727. -- By Nina Korman
Saturday August 30
Apocalypse Then
Haitian fest honors the spirits
Thirteen years before Toussaint L'Ouverture liberated the Haitian people from French rule, warrior spirits were invoked in a vodou ceremony to ensure a victory. That ceremony was called Bwakayiman, and although it is not officially recognized in Haiti as a national holiday, historians, artists, and spiritualists have been celebrating the event to honor the ethereal roots of revolution.
In Miami, Jude "Papaloko" Thegenus will be marking the event with an exhibition of his paintings, live drumming, and a performance by his band, Loray Mystik. The night will also feature an authentic vodou ceremony led by Hengan Papa Paul and Manbo Marie Carmel. The priest and priestess will be honoring the gods of iron, war, wind, fire, and water, who originally guided the slave revolt to success. "The ceremony will honor the spirits and the ancestors," Thegenus says. "We're not going to do Bwakayiman if we're not going to have a revolution."
So what's the point, you may ask?
"To teach people that what we do is beautiful," Thegenus says. "There is nothing wrong with vodou. We did Bwakayiman to be free." -- By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
The event begins at 7:00 p.m. at Jakmel Art Gallery, 2301 Biscayne Blvd. Admission costs $5. Call 305-573-1631.
Thursday August 28
Wave Goodbye
French films finish run
Those who want more from their flicks than a fight to the death between horror movie villains Freddy and Jason, and don't mind extended takes and chatty interaction between actors, will be sorry to see the Wolfsonian-FIU's (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) French New Wave Cinema Series end. At 7:00 p.m. the last installment, Eric Rohmer's My Night at Maud's, unspools. The 1969 work stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as a devout Catholic in search of the perfect woman to marry. He spots a beautiful blonde (Marie-Christine Barrault) in church one day but soon meets the more complex Maud (Françoise Fabian). Attempts to resist Maud's charms provoke a crisis of faith for Trintignant's character. Entrance is free with $5 museum admission. Call 305-535-2644. -- By Nina Korman
