Dancing the dream

The body and its exploration has always been a propellant for Ginette Laurin’s creativity, but with her new work ANGELs, the choreographer wanted to go one step further. “I asked the dancers to talk to me about their stage fantasies,” she says. “Like things they have always wanted to do on stage but never have.”

The dancers in turn shot back with a wide spread of scenarios, from dancing with a grandfather to exploring one’s dark side. “They weren’t used to working in this way because usually it’s the choreographer who fantasizes about what he or she wants to do,” explains Laurin. “So doing the opposite was not so obvious.”

Laurin is reluctant to tell all about her own on-stage desires, but confesses we’ll see one of them revealed during the show, hinting, “I think it’s one of the fantasies that every choreographer would have.” Catch ANGELs at the Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle Feb. 9–11 and Feb.14–16 at 8 p.m., 790-1245. —Marites Carino

Extreme bowling

Torontonian Nathaniel G. Moore takes the pop literary world by storm with his first novel, Bowlbrawl. Full of action photos and faux sports journal excerpts, Bowlbrawl traces the career of Robert Towell, who injects WWF-inspired mayhem into the staid world of bowling.

“It’s important for people to know that Bowlbrawl isn’t a one-punch trick,” Moore insists. “Many people always say, ‘So they hit each other with balls?’ I get that all the time. It would be a retarded book if that is all that happened.”

Moore reads, Alexis O’Hara and Catherine Kidd perform, Ladies Luncheon rock and Bold Saber covers the Bowlbrawl hit, “Do Not Stand in the Way of My Inevitable Victory.” It’s this Feb. 13, 9 p.m., at the Jupiter Room (3874 St-Laurent), free. —Vincent Tinguely

Vas ist das?

Twelve eclectic, envelope-pushing projects make up the fifth edition of the interdisciplinary Vasistas festival that runs over the next two weeks at Théâtre La Chapelle (3700 St-Dominique). Whether this art leaves you feeling good, bad or indifferent, these are works that you won’t experience elsewhere.

Tonight, Feb. 9, local Sylvie Cotton performs and launches her new book Je préfère tout. Tomorrow, Feb. 10, meet and discuss the two-part installation Histoires Possibles by leading digital artist Grégory Chatonsky from France. Next weekend, witness a coming together of theatre, technology and media with the Quebec City-based group Rhizome on Feb. 17 and Toronto’s Emergency.Exit on Feb. 18. See the complete line-up at www.lachapelle.org, info: 843-7738. —Christine Redfern

Binary delights

An exhibition titled Database Imaginary seems like an oxymoron at first glance. Aren’t databases the bastion of dry facts, codes and numbers? Yet, 18 artists take a closer look at databases and reveal some novel insights to get your synapses firing.

For example, Lev Manovich’s film Soft Cinema: Mission to Earth didn’t start with a script, its narrative is created from a large database of hundreds of video clips, images, sounds and text. The Preemptive Media collective brings to the fore the mobile digital technologies imbedded in everyday environments, such as barcodes and radio frequency identification devices (RFID). Their work raises the alarm on these invisible, discreet technologies that collect and trade your personal information. Hacker and self-described geek-nerd Cory Arcangel tricks Quicktime software into playing the computer’s RAM, a huge data file that changes daily, back as video art. Co-curator Sarah Cook will give a guided tour of all the eye-opening works tonight, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. during the opening reception. At the Saidye’s Liane and Danny Taran Gallery (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine), 739-2301, until March 2. —Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

ATTN: MODERN LOVERS: Just in time for Valentine’s day and the promotion of its stylish new “L’Amour” collection of cell phones, Nokia Canada has come up with a system to tell what your date’s thinking based on his or her cell phone behaviour. Here’s what their thinktank has come up with: If he puts it on the table during your first dinner, he’s on the chase—cell phones are status symbols and you’re the hunted. If she hands you her phone with her left hand, it’s a sign she’s connected to your soul and she’s “acting with tenderness and spontaneity.” If he turns on his cell in the middle of your date, he’s bored or distracted. Duh. If she takes out her phone at the end of the night to get your number, it’s a good sign (but you’re probably still going home alone). The “L’Amour” collection can be perused at www.nokia.ca.

ArtsHole

HEAVY READ: A giant cast-lead book lifted into the Musée d’art contemporain by crane is the centrepiece—but by no means the core—of the upcoming Anselm Keifer exhibition, Heaven and Earth. Work from the German artist, spanning more than 30 years, can be found at the museum from Feb. 10–April 30. • BIG O SEXPO: Lingerie, toys, beauty products, DVDs, swingers club services and just about everything else related to sex are on display and up for grabs at the annual Salon de l’amour et de la séduction expo this weekend, Feb. 10–12, at the Olympic Stadium. Visit www.amouretseduction.com for more info.

ARTISTAT: Number of countries represented in the European-born Temps d’Images festival, an avant-garde bridging of performance and visual art unfolding at Usine C (1345 Lalonde) between Feb. 14–25—www.usine-c.com for details: 10

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