Merce Mania

Merce Cunningham, dance’s avant doyen, makes his first-ever appearance in Miami next week, kicking off a citywide bash honoring the pioneer choreographer’s life and work. Celebrating the collaborative spirit that has characterized Cunningham’s five-decade career, South Florida’s major cultural organizations have come together, beginning with a show at the Museum…

People Under the Stairs

“People Under the Stairs” and “Vacuuming Gave Me Carpal Tunnel”: Locust Projects cobbled “People Under the Stairs” in a fortnight, and despite the rush, the show fires on all cylinders. A quartet of locals tinkered with illusions of depth in the gallery space, at times tilling the field of commonplace,…

Royal Flush

Marie Antoinette (Sony) Sofia Coppola’s third feature grabs you by your frilly lapels from the jump, with Gang of Four’s “Natural’s Not in It” showering guitar chords all over the credits as Kirsten Dunst nods to the audience, as if to say, Hang tight — this thing’s gonna be a…

Do Not Disturb

Lately, the Nintendo DS has become a virtual Monster.com. You can play a defense attorney (Phoenix Wright), surgeon (Trauma Center), and even a cook (Cooking Mama). Now, thanks to Hotel Dusk: Room 215, you can add private eye to that list. But don’t expect the sexy detective work of Chinatown…

Our top DVD picks for the week of February 13

Bicycle Thieves: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) The Boy From Lebanon (Picture This) The Butcher Boy (Warner Bros.) The Cave of the Yellow Dog (Tartan) The Departed (Warner Bros.) Devil’s Den (Starz) F**K (ThinkFilm) Green for Danger: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) The Hills: The Complete First Season (Paramount) Hustle: Complete Season…

Mood Indigo

It’s a spectacular barrage of percussion and music! It’s a display of magic and illusion! It’s one of the running gags from Arrested Development! That’s right, Blue Man Group is coming to Miami. The Group’s current How to Be a Megastar 2.0 tour finds everyone’s favorite monochromatic performance art group…

On Your Bike!

In the Eighties, there were an estimated 500 million bicycles in China. As more people obtained have cars in recent years, pollution has become so awful that the government has ordered built-over bike paths to be restored. Like those once hidden lanes, Dr. Paul Gannon believes, the South Beach bike…

Disguising the Tentacles

What has eight legs and is smarter than your average reality television star? If you guessed the octopus, the most popular of the cephalopods, you get the prize. The tentacled undersea creature has long held the fascination of scientists, and for Dr. Roger Hanlon, the attraction began in his late…

Get in My Belly!

You don’t have to look in the mirror and see a fat bastard. According to natural health expert and author Letha Hadady you’re just a comfort-food-seeking bear. In her book Feed Your Tiger, the Asian health specialist puts your chunky ass into one of four dominant animal types: tiger, bear,…

Patron Saint o’ NASCAR

If you holler “Long live Dale Earnhardt” in a crowded Wal-Mart, you’re likely to hear a hearty cheer rise up from the crowd. Say what you like about NASCAR fans: The sport is huge, and Dale’s laundry list of wins, and then his tragic 2001 death on the track, makes…

Butcher in the Bushes

Art fiends and aesthetes, get out of the darkroom and into the light. The Center for Visual Communication is presenting new, dramatic large-scale black-and-white photography from renowned artist Clyde Butcher as the inaugural exhibition of its new Wynwood gallery. Butcher is to the Everglades what Ansel Adams was to Yosemite…

Dragons and Lions and Pigs, Oh My

If you’re wandering along Miracle Mile today and happen to hear booming drums and cymbals in the distance, don’t be afraid. In an effort to bring a splash of color and culture to the “City Beautiful,” Coral Gables is hosting a Chinese New Year celebration at Merrick Park, across from…

St. Stephen’s Stroll

Spend this Presidents’ Day weekend in the heart of the Grove taking in art and sipping English tea. The annual St. Stephen’s Art & Craft Show is under way every day of this three-day weekend from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The epicenter of the celebration is St. Stephen’s Church…

They’re Every Woman

The Dance Now Ensemble is like the June Cleaver-meets-Courtney Love of local dance troupes. Now in its seventh season, the traditional yet edgy group presents Donne: Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Lovers, a performance that spans the history of dance from classical ballet to avant-garde. Its perfect fusion of modern dance, jazz,…

Superstition Ain’t the Way

Many believe that if a black cat is near, it’s time to walk the other way, and fast. If not, be prepared to step into a manure-filled puddle, lose your winning lottery ticket, and spill red wine on your couture shirt. Unfortunately for our dark-haired fuzzy friends, this superstition places…

Spiritual Fare

Gluttons beware! Today’s best meal deal comes with a catch: You’ll have to cook your food before you can eat it during two outstanding hands-on cooking classes. The 11:00 a.m. class takes place at Two Chefs, where you’ll learn the intricacies of Cooking With Spirits. Lobster bisque with cognac, poached…

Shake Your Bon Bon

Each year, hordes of sinners and saints flock to Brazil to boogie down in the streets during Carnaval, the Roman Catholic ritual marking the start of Lent. As a sort of farewell to the flesh, revelers don costumes, beat drums, and dance like crazy. But if this year’s Christmas bonus…

Heartbeats and Hard Beats

The promise of strong drinks, thumping music, and good company is enough reason to get most people riled up for a night on the town. But the most all that drinking will get you is a hangover the next day and phone calls from a person you don’t remember. Let’s…

Sex or Sickness

“It’s like triage,” declares Octavio Campos of the provocative outreach labs he describes as equal parts “health intervention and visceral theatrical education.” Tonight at 8:00, the altmeister presents Subversive Cabaret II: Sex Without Condoms, featuring a panel of South Florida HIV/AIDS doctors and activists who will be engaging the audience…

Looking for a Boat Friend?

Have you recently earned, won, or defrauded the government of millions of dollars? Are you still searching for that special someone who can offer you the love, stock options, and the gold ingots you’ve always dreamed of? Is the phrase “floating cocktail barge” music to your ears? If you answered…

The Soundtrack of Despair

Since your baby left you, you’ve found a new place to dwell, but your heart is still residing comfortably in the doldrums. The perfect music for this moment is a playlist of tunes set to the melody of dejection and despair, better known as the blues. At the first annual…

Expressions of Hope

For over four decades, South Africans lived under a government-imposed blanket of oppression. While the years of racial discrimination officially ended in 1998, many of the practices created by apartheid still exist in the conflicted country. Yael Farber, an award-winning writer and director raised in Johannesburg, has created many artistic…