The Eleven Best Things to Do in Miami This Week

Thursday, August 20 

As the summer winds down, music fans feel a distinct chill in the air. Could it be the brilliant, salty breeze floating across the bay? Maybe it's emanating from the cool kids gathering under the stars behind Pérez Art Museum Miami (1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami). Actually, it's all of those things plus the mellow romance dripping from the fingers of Mike Diaz, also known as South Florida's resident indie darling MillionYoung. The so-called chillwave master will conjure a lovemakin' mood when he storms the outdoor stage as part of PAMM's successful Third Thursday concert series, brought to you in divine partnership with the tried-and-true trendsetters of Poplife.

MillYo is topping off some new musical delights to be recorded as part of his latest album in early 2016, and you'll more than likely hear some of those tidbits Thursday evening. Bookending his live performance will be sets by Diego Martinelli and NALA, as well as delicious noms and happy-hour drink specials.

The party starts at 6 p.m., and tickets cost $16, but space is limited. Visit pamm.org. 

Anthony Swofford's 2003 book, Jarhead, ushered in a new era of veterans' literature. His autobiographical account of the first Persian Gulf War was an unflattering portrayal of his war lust through the recruitment, training, deployment, and postwar process. It was an eye-opening and accessible work for a whole generation of readers. It was a door blown open in the nascent days of the Iraq War and a new generation experiencing the horrors of war. Postwar assimilation has not been easy for many returning veterans, and this country faces myriad challenges when it comes to dealing with their care, but for many veterans, writing and the arts are the cathartic experience needed to ease back into civilian life.

The Combat Hippies are a local collective of veteran performing artists who participated in a Miami Dade College Live Arts veterans' creative-writing initiative, a long-term workshop that performed this past April at the Betsy Hotel during the O, Miami Poetry Festival.

Led by theater artist Teo Castellanos and accompanied by local rapper Brimstone127, the Combat Hippies will host an open mike at Books & Books (265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables) this Thursday at 8 p.m. Though the event will serve as a staging rehearsal for their September 11 theatrical performance at MDC's Teatro Prometeo, Conscience Under Fire, it is open to veterans and nonveterans in the spirit of community as well as an intimate look at the lives and experiences of our military neighbors in South Florida. 

We all want it. We all think about it every day. Hell, we all work for it: money. Money makes the world go 'round and makes our heads spin along. But have we ever stopped to think about the maddening effects of greed? New World School of the Arts graduate Theo Reyna's latest play, Lazy Fair, analyzes just how powerful too much money can be by answering the questions "What if it were possible to make too much? What would happen to those who dared? Might it fulfill them? Consume them? Drive them to ruin?" You'll have to see for yourself to find out.

Starring Mad Cat Theatre Company members Ken Clement, Meredith Bartmon, and Andy Quiroga, Lazy Fair opens Thursday at the Sandbox at Miami Theater Center (9816 NE Second Ave., Miami Shores). Tickets cost $25, and showtime is 8 p.m. Performances will run Thursday through Sunday until September 6. Visit madcattheatre.org.

The IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival returns for its 17th edition. The three-day extravaganza will feature a series of dance workshops, dance parties, panel discussions, and live music. The fest will end with the premiere of "Under Heaven and Earth," a dance choreographed specifically for the festival. The performance will explore the impact of the Mariel Boatlift on Miami's cultural fabric.

Founded by Afro-Cuban choreographer and dancer Neri Torres, the festival preserves and keeps alive the long and vibrant tradition of Afro-Cuban dance, a style taken from blended heritages and histories. And the because the event is a celebration, it's open to everyone, regardless of heritage or dance experience. The festival is a chance, Torres says, to "engage in a celebration of the folk traditions of the African diaspora in Latin America and the U.S."

The IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival begins this Thursday and ends Saturday at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St., Miami). Events are scheduled throughout the weekend, and prices vary from $15 for individual performances to $230 for a three-day pass. Visit ife-ile.org.

The internet is a world without rules. Well, there are rules, but they're about trolls and porn and "pics or it didn't happen." There are no standards or practices concerning art and creativity, which means the digital realm is the exciting frontier of a new aesthetic. We're a couple of decades into this crazy, lawless state, but we're still just learning the tricks of the trade, and people are doing some really interesting things. Part of the fun is how nontraditional and open-form a web-based world can be, but nothing yet compares to the physical enjoyment of reality.

The Institute of Contemporary Art (4040 NE Second Ave., Miami) doesn't want to put a leash on the movement, but it's ready to give up wall space to ten talented digital artists as part of its exhibition series "Open Call." Finalists have been chosen from a competitive bunch of newcomers and established artists alike, because showcasing emerging and established artists side by side is what "Open Call" is all about.

Pass by this Friday at 7 p.m. for a free peek at the works during the official opening reception. Visit icamiami.org. 

Happy hour can conjure images of jalapeño poppers and watered-down cosmos, along with booming flat-screens and gaggles of 20-something lightweights. Thankfully, Miami is full of spots catering to the more sophisticated booze lover, like the Wolfsonian-FIU. Every third Friday of the month, the Wolfsonian Café welcomes visitors to its free happy hour. From 4 to 9 p.m., guests can enjoy half-priced beer, wine, and mixed-drink specials, plus live music and artist showcases. Once you're properly buzzed, you can stroll through the museum's extensive collections, holding everything from architecture and interior design to paintings, sculptures, and photography. You can also tour the museum's current exhibitions, including "Women, Art, and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise," the largest presentation of Newcomb arts and crafts in more than 25 years.

Happy hour begins Friday at 4 p.m. at the Wolfsonian Café (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach), with free gallery admission and free guided tours beginning at 6. Visit wolfsonian.org.

Saturday, August 22

It may feel like summer year-round in South Florida, but that's really an illusion. The seasons here come and go like anywhere else — albeit with fewer temperature changes. And if you want to bask in the beauty of butterflies, late summer is the season. At the Deering Estate at Cutler's Summer Butterfly Walk, you can spend an August morning ambling across the grounds in search of several rare, elegant species of former caterpillars.

A naturalist will lead the tour, and you and other curious folks armed with camera phones will seek out the likes of dina yellow, dingy purplewing, and atala butterflies, as well as the 30-some other species onsite.

If nothing else, it'll give you faith in the power of change, because if a caterpillar can become a butterfly, anything is possible, right?

The walk takes place Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Deering Estate at Cutler (16701 SW 72nd Ave., Palmetto Bay). It's free with regular estate admission: $12 for adults, $7 for children (ages 4 to 14), and free for Deering Estate Foundation members. Visit deeringestate.com. 

The brain is the sexiest part of the human body despite what certain hip-hop artists have to say about the subject. There's so much gratuitous ass on TV and online that becoming desensitized is inevitable. After all, one lens on what makes something or someone sexy can get boring pretty quickly. Perhaps the perfect way to reset your mind's sexy receptors is exploring sensuality from history, from different cultures, and in many blush-inducing media.

Miami's hub for all sexy artwork, the World Erotic Art Museum, invites locals to a unique inaugural event, Sexposé. Presented by the fun-loving life hackers and community builders of Night School, Sexposé features speakers who delve into the history, psychology, and cultural impact of human sexuality. Guests will learn why virginity doesn't exist, how sexual imagery is used in advertising, and the history and economics of sex work, among other topics. Think of it as a sexified TED talk.

Sexposé runs Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight, with presentations from 9 to 10:30 p.m., at the World Erotic Art Museum (1205 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Tickets cost $49 to $69 and must be purchased in advance. The fee includes an open bar, appetizers, and museum admission, which gives access to all galleries throughout the evening. For this titillating event, cocktail attire is suggested. Visit weam.com. 

Miamians move to the beats of their own drummers. Pero, but really. With so many communities represented in our fair city, we quite literally have all kinds of drummers drumming all kinds of beats. Taking this idea to the next level, the Miami Music Club in the Design District will host its first Drummer's Night. The new culture collective has asked drummers from all over town to come up with "percussion-based performances," allowing for a wide range of interpretations. Some recognizable Miami names have already been confirmed, including Emile Milgrim of Sweat Records and her record label Other Electricities, Beatriz Monteavaro of hardcore band Holly Hunt, and "rave black acid" group Dim Past. Other percussionists set for the evening include Anthony Alvarez, Andrew Kerr, Don King, TT, Felipe Torres, Richard Vazquez, and Miami Music Club founder Dave Rodriguez. More artists will be announced.

Set times for each drummer will also be slotted soon. Drummer's Night takes place at Miami Music Club (91 NE 40th St., Miami) this Saturday at 9 p.m. Cover is $5 at the door. Visit facebook.com/miamimusicclub. 

Tuesday, August 25  

As part of its fall lectures series, Locust Roundtables, Locust Projects brings in artists and creatives who live and work in Miami. This Tuesday, the nonprofit gallery will welcome Asif Farooq, a conceptual artist who marries the seemingly disparate fields of art and engineering. Farooq is at work making a full-scale Soviet fighter plane out of paper, revealing the fragility of modern engineering marvels. His lecture at Locust will explore the concepts that underpin his work, concentrating on 20th-century engineering developments and their role in global conflict, particularly the Cold War, which deeply influenced the Miami-based Farooq.

Farooq's lecture begins at 7 p.m. at Locust Projects (3852 N. Miami Ave., Miami). Admission is free. Locust Roundtables are scheduled to run weekly through October 21. Visit locustprojects.org. 

Everyone knows how amazing yoga is, but straining to hear your instructor can put a major crimp in your asana style. Luckily, Yoga SoundTrek is all about personalizing your experience on the mat and making sure you're attuned to every side angle and downward dog — all with epic background music. Once you make it to your mat, you'll be equipped with wireless LED headphones that'll help you tune in to Ansa Yoga's Jennifer Pansa as she guides your session. Plus, DJ Karri will spin some apropos tunes.

In addition to Zen energy, there'll be Suja cold-pressed juice, garden-infused cocktails from Airstream Apothecary, and complimentary squeezes by Zeel Massage. Basically, it's like yoga on steroids (only not really, because that would kinda miss the point).

The class runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. this Tuesday at 90 NE 17th St. in Miami. You must be 21 or older, and RSVP is required. Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/events/722091374561665.