Dog day at
the movies

HERE KITTY: Pony (L) and Eric Hart in Beware of Dog

“The cat and dog were both excellent to work with,” says Daniel Perlmutter of two of the stars in his new short Beware of Dog, which makes its screen debut this Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) at 8 p.m. as part of A Night at the Movies alongside Vengeance by Lanan Adcock.

This is the first major solo project from Perlmutter, who’s been making movies with his Automatic Vaudeville cohorts Seth W. Owen and the Mirror’s Mark Slutsky since 1998. And although Beware is essentially a solo venture, it’s still an Automatic Vaudeville Studios production.

“It’s a whole new Automatic Vaudeville movie for a whole new world,” Perlmutter explains. Though he assures me that they “will still do some of the old stuff,” and are working on a feature, the studio is undoubtedly headed “in a new direction and Beware is the first movie.” Chilling, but exciting stuff, for anyone familiar with their repertoire.

Of the film itself, which follows a few interconnected characters through the Mile-End to an original score by Chad Jones, Perlmutter remains cagey, revealing only that “it’s a weird one.” Admission is $5.

by SACHA JACKSON

Cuban revolucion

CONGA LINE! Brando beats the drum while author
Guillermo Cabrera Infante looks on

Christopher Columbus described Cuba as “the most beautiful land eyes have ever seen.” Now Montrealers can see for themselves more recent depictions of this warm and sunny island in the exhibition Cuba! Art and History From 1868 to Today at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Showing starlets, high society, revolution and everyday scenes, the photographs alone are worth a visit. I also enjoyed the section on Cuban nightlife from the 1950s, complete with recorded music.

It is a huge exhibition, so if you go, make sure you see the series of drawings by Marcelo Pogolotti, the documentary photos of Walker Evans and the group of posters that spell out REVOLUCION.

Cuba is known for having one of the more interesting contemporary art scenes in the world, and this exhibition includes work by Ana Mendieta, Tania Bruguera and Los Carpinteros, amongst others.

Every Friday night at 6 p.m., you can also see films about Cuba for free. Next week, Friday, Feb. 15, the screening includes a rarely seen work by Claude Jutras: Arts Cuba from 1977. As well, the Cinémathéque québecoise presents Cuban cinematic masterpieces throughout the winter. Until June 8, info: (514) 285-2000 or www.mmfa.qc.ca.

by CHRISTINE REDFERN

Toe tapping

Hoofers out there, if you’re looking for something to do Sunday nights, head over to the Montreal Tap Jam Project run by tap dance teacher Tanya Rivard.

After attending a tap jam in New York City, Rivard decided to start one up here in Montreal. Since September, she’s been gathering like-minded folk to share their moves and ideas at this weekly event where “a bunch of tap dancers get together, trade steps and music and create rhythms together,” she explains.

The sessions welcome dancers of all skill levels, and the last Sunday of every month, Rivard leads an improv class designed for beginners. “It’s not about learning a routine, it’s an alphabet where you can create sentences, rhythms and words,” she says.

Rivard says the plan is to eventually get a full-fledged tap jam going with live musicians. But for now, you can check out her beginner classes, Sundays at 7 p.m. at the Conservatoire de Danse de Montreal (215 Jean Talon W.), $5. For more info, look for them on Facebook or MySpace.

by MARITES CARINO

Dada’s home

The adventurous curatorial philosophy of D.Kimm has created a perfect storm of polymorphous pandemonium with Cabaret Dada, this Friday, Feb. 8th’s closing spectacle of Festival Voix d’Amériques.

“I’m planning on doing both an hommage and a ‘deshommage’ to Hugo Ball,” says host Alexis O’Hara. “After much deliberation, I have a ‘winner’ look planned—I’ll have a lot of costume ‘modifications’ occurring over the course of the night.”

The heady line-up includes camp darlings 2boyz, surreal rockiste Dominique Pétrin, puppeteer Marcelle Hudon, Dayna McLeod and Pascal Angelo Fioramore.

“Dayna’s work is some of the most intelligent/absurd in the cabaret circuit, and she’s been touring the world with the piece she’s presenting,” O’Hara says. “Pascal seems a born Dadaist in his manner of confronting and confusing the worlds of spoken word and pop music, and he’s just terribly sexy in a completely surprising way.”

The mayhem unfolds at 8:30 p.m. at Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent), for $15.

by VINCENT TINGUELY

Is it art?

BRUSH UPTrust a company that makes shit scrubbers of George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton and Osama Bin Laden (the latest public figure to get his likeness emblazoned on a household product) to get all the best jokes into their press kit: “This is no ‘smear’ campaign,” and “Do your ‘doodie’ as a good American,” are just two of the zingers found on their site. The most surprising aspect of this product, however, is Bush’s personal endorsement, or at least his personal thanks.

You can check out the letter from the President at www.theoriginalbowlbuddy.com

Arts hole

ILLUSTRATED DANCER: Kimberley de Jong, a dancer with Compagnie Marie Chouinard, is the subject of a number of drawings by illustrator and graphic designer Israel Charney. Created between 2003–2004, the works presented in The Kim Sisters are on view at l’!llustre Galerie (372 Ste-Catherine W., #123) until March 1. The vernissage takes place tonight, Thursday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. • STUDENT STRIKE: Childhood drawings, feminist superstars and beauty pageants for pre-schoolers are just some of the subjects featured in the new group show at Concordia’s VAV Gallery (1395 René-Lévesque W.). POM POM, with work by Maude Pilon, Kirsten McCrea and Jasmine Bakalarz, is on till Feb. 15.

Artistat

The number of Afro-Canadian artists featured at Mosaik Art (4897 St-Laurent) in the new exhibition Inheritance, which opens Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m.: 4