Dance this mess around

>> Kick up your heels for International Dance Day

by MARITES CARINO

April 28 is Kiss Your Mate Day, May 3 is Lumpy Egg Day, and National Candied Orange Peel Day soon follows. But how, pray tell, does one celebrate those?

On a broader note, this Saturday, April 29, people will be dancing in the streets to celebrate International Dance Day, which started almost 20 years ago. Festivities will be taking place worldwide and here in Montreal the city will be bustling with activity, thanks to the Regroupement que#201;#233;be#201;#233;cois de la danse, a local organization devoted to promoting dance.

First off, if you really want to get into it, there are workshops which will be offered throughout the day. If you can stand to get out of bed early on a Saturday morning, a dance class will be given at Les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montre#201;#233;al, 9:30-11 a.m. at 372 Ste-Catherine W. If African dance is more your thing, head over to Studio Nyata Nyata (4374 St-Laurent, #3) at 1 p.m. But if you're also into modern dance, you're going to have to make a choice: during the same time slot is a workshop by local contemporary dancer/choreographer Benoit Lachambre at 2019 Moreau, #202 (Pre#201;#233;fontaine metro).

Throughout the afternoon, there are open rehearsals at various studios in the city. At Studio Flak (486 Ste-Catherine W.), choreographies from young creators are in the spotlight starting at 1 p.m. At the same time, but in a different place, don't miss He#201;#233;le#200;#232;ne Blackburn's Eau forte et noire over at Agora de la danse (840 Cherrier). Afterwards, since you're already in the building, pop into Tangente for a performance of 3 Centauromachia 4 by choreographer Emmanuel Jouthe. Also, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Studio de la Tarentule (3655 St-Laurent, #408) there are choreographies by choreographers on the rise Kha Nguyen, He#201;#233;loise Re#201;#233;my and Katie Ward.

But if you'd rather hang out in one venue all afternoon, head over to the Muse#201;#233;e Juste Pour Rire (2111 St-Laurent) where there will be performances geared towards an all-ages audience, starting at 1 p.m. Choreographers like Roger Sinha, Danie#200;#232;le Desnoyers, Me#201;#233;lanie Demers and Jean-Pierre Mondor will be strutting their stuff.

And to top off the day's festivities is the closing party Le Bal dingue, which will also be at the Muse#201;#233;e Juste Pour Rire from 8:30 p.m. onward. Kicking off the evening will be Club Bolo, a choreography for the audience, which could resemble country linedancing. The soire#201;#233;e promises even more dance performances by Les P'tites Ge#201;#233;antes, Nancy Leduc, Sinha Danse, Rae Boway and Martin Trudel. And then it's a dance free-for-all with La Fanfare Pourpour and DJ Pocket.

Also taking part in the International Dance Day celebrations is Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. The company puts works from its choreographic workshop on stage at La Maison de la culture Frontenac. It's called A#224;#192; suivre and it's an annual event where company dancers, who normally perform the works of others, fine-tune their choreographic skills through 10 new creations. Call ahead to make sure there are tickets still available.

More sweet treats

Who says you have to celebrate dance just one day a year? This week, over at the now converted former east end jam factory, Usine C is churning out repeat performances of Cruising Paradise, which debuted in '97. It's a sweet me#201;#233;lange of theatre and dance by Paula de Vasconcelos, artistic director of Pigeons International.

Based on a book of 40 short stories by American actor, playwright and author Sam Shepard, de Vasconcelos and her talented troupe weave together vignettes, which take place in America's Midwest. Using text in both English and French (and humour, which mostly works) we follow seven characters on their quests for love, solitude and freedom against a beautiful backdrop of a vast sky and thirsty, crackled earth. :

Journe#201;#233;e internationale de la danse at various venues throughout the city, all day Saturday April 29; Info 790-ARTS

A#224;#192; suivre April 28-29 at Maison de la culture Frontenac, 2550 Ontario E., free; Info 872-7882

Cruising Paradise until April 29, 8pm at Usine C, 1345 Lalonde, $18-23