Two decades of Danse

The open-air, freebie shows in the park will soon be no more, so make an effort and take in the last dance spectacle this weekend at the Théâtre de Verdure in Parc Lafontaine.

In celebration of its 20th birthday, Montréal Danse’s artistic director Kathy Casey has assembled a program that looks back to their early days, showcasing excerpts from the dozens of choreographies they’ve created and produced over the last two decades. Revisit some of my faves like 1997 piece Lettre d’amour à Tarantino by Paula de Vasconcelos or José Navas’s ENTER:LAST from ’98. Besides action on the stage, there’s action on the screen, since Casey has included a selection of films in the line-up. The shows run Aug. 19 and 20, 8:30 p.m. —Marites Carino

By hole-y design

Inside the Sponge is a humorous look at Simmons Hall, a student residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The award-winning building by architect Steven Holl is loved by architects, but this exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture expresses the not-so-flattering opinions of the students who live within its walls.

Built in 2002, the building is often referred to as “The Sponge,” as indeed that was the conceptual metaphor behind its design. It is visually porous, with large free-form ‘holes’ that pass vertically through the building, creating some very unusual spaces. The photographs of the interior common rooms are truly spectacular, with natural light coming in from above and undulating walls. This exhibition provides a less reverent, but much more amusing viewpoint—through videos, T-shirts and various statistics, the residents have a good time poking holes in this architectural masterpiece. Inside the Sponge runs until Nov. 12. —Christine Redfern

Chasing Dickey

Since his novels started hitting the stands 10 years ago, New York Times best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey has penned 12 books, numerous short stories and six graphic novels. “It’s that college work mentality,” Dickey explains. “Just going from one project to the next.” On his first visit to Montreal, he’s promoting book number 13, Chasing Destiny. “That’s one good thing about the job I’ve got now,” says Dickey. “I get to see a lot of different places and a lot of different subcultures, which definitely helps me as a writer. I like watching the local news, the newspapers—what’s going on locally. And you know what? If you’re African-American, if you’re Black, it’s pretty much the same struggle whether there was slavery there or not!” Dickey will read, discuss his works and sign books this Saturday, Aug. 19, doors 5 p.m., show 6 p.m., at Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (84 Ste-Catherine W.) $20. —Vincent Tinguely

Films with stars

Get over to Lafontaine Park’s Théâtre de Verdure next Tuesday night, Aug. 22, to attend the free outdoor screening of Videos by Women in the Park organised by Groupe Intervention Vidéo (www.givideo.org). This year marks the 15th anniversary of this event and it is packed full of exciting shorts, from one to 10 minutes duration, created by 17 of our most interesting video-makers. Bell Canada Video Prize winner Chantal DuPont’s latest, Karma, and Dana Claxton’s Regatta City, made from hilarious old regatta footage, are on the bill. As is Les négatifs de McLaren by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre, in which she reuses Norman McLaren’s animation techniques to explore his personal view of film-making. Brigitte Labrasseur’s piece Étincelante presents a poem by Inuit poet Emily Novalinga. And who can resist checking out Tamara Vukov’s (aka pomegrenade) Freak Girls? It’s a parade of knife-throwers, burlesque dancers and lady boxers culled from old Coney Island and early vaudeville films. The films start at 8:30 p.m., free. —Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

TEEN BUZZ: Regardless of how many rock shows you pummel your eardrums with, everybody experiences gradual high-frequency hearing loss as they age. With this knowledge, some clever adult has come up with a device to “annoy 90% of under-20-year-olds” and posted it on the popular DIY-instructions Web site, www.instructables.com. Like a dog whistle for punk-ass kids, the trick is nothing but a high-pitched buzz mp3—one that the average 30-something and up won’t likely hear. If you’re both old and an asshole, simply download it, burn it to CD and cruise around town with your stereo up and your windows open. Or, if you’re just the curious type, try playing the buzz for different people to test the science of hearing loss for yourself. It’s available at www.instructables.com/id/E39K0TXETPEQB0A7F8/.

ArtsHole

ALL IN THE STEPFAMILY: The late-British shock playwright Sarah Kane’s second script Phaedra’s Love takes to the Théâtre-Ste-Catherine (264 Ste-Catherine E.) stage this weekend. Darkroom Theatre Projects takes on Kane’s “radical retelling” of the Phaedra myth, rife with obsession, destruction, violence and forbidden love (that would be Phaedra’s for her stepson). It runs Aug. 18–19 & 22–26, 8 p.m., $12, 284-3939. • Camel-like creatures made of motorcycle parts, the underbelly of deteriorating snowmobile and robotic moving monitors showing landscapes all go into Éric Raymond’s Headlights exhibition, a techno-sculptural take on the effects of technology on how we view our contemporary environment. It opens at Art Mûr (5826 St-Hubert) Aug. 19, 3–5 p.m., and runs through Sept. 23.

ARTISTAT: Approximate number of hot air balloons floating in the summer sky just south of the city at the International de montgolfières de St-Jean-sur-Richelieu until Aug. 20, www.montgolfieres.com: 125

>> Arts Listings