“If I were an extraterrestrial visiting Earth,” wrote anthropologist and human-animal behaviour guru Desmond Morris in The Naked Ape, “and I saw monkeys, then humans, I would say to myself: how strange, this animal looks like a monkey, but it has no fur.”

Morris’s wild ideas are the inspiration behind Anima, a high-tech look at primal instincts. Created by Montrealers Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, the show is a “surrealistic voyage” through the human-animal mind, exploring themes like cooperation, notions of territory, religion and death. And they’ll do it like no book ever could, with a virtual reality 3D light show, live musicians, sound effects, film and dance—with Morris soundbites sprinkled throughout—taking us “into a world where the mind seems just as visible as the body.”

After wowing crowds in England, Anima swings over to the Darling Foundry (745 Ottawa) from Nov. 13–23, $20–$26, 790-1245 to reserve. : » Matthew Woodley

If you’re the type who likes the unpredictable and unplanned, two current dance shows will surely cater to your needs.

Choreographer Héloïse Rémy uses audience members to spice things up in Le Monde est petit at the Maison de la Culture Plateau Mont-Royal (465 Mont Royal E.), Nov. 7, at 8 p.m. Here, spectator interaction with dancers Rémy, Kha and actress Catherine Lépine Lafrance gives spontaneous shape to the soirée. The Plateau performance kicks off the show’s four-MdlC tour this month (872-2266 for schedule) before it heads overseas for a tour de France.

There’s more impromptu performing going on at the Monument-National (1182 St-Laurent) with Andrew de L. Harwood in Ani*mâles, which runs from Nov. 7–16. Harwood is joined by Chris Aiken, Peter Bingham and Marc Boivin in this quartet of dancers collaborating with musicians with whom they share a predilection for—you guessed it—improvisation. After the opening night show, the audience is invited to meet performers in a post-show discussion. Call 871-2224 to reserve. : » Marites Carino

Dishing out swift kicks to the soft and submissive pin-up girl of the past, a group of seven local artists are collectively producing a new generation of “dangerous, merciless poster girls.” Featuring work from black-belted lawyer Sabaa Khan and venerable tattooist Katja Knievel, among many talented others, De Puta Madre! includes collages “bursting with comic book flare and twisting together the steamy and the seedy, the horrific and the happy.” The campy, B-movie-style paintings, silkscreens, industrial designs and more are at Galérie Espace (4844 St-Laurent), from Nov 7–14 with a DJ-fuelled bash on Nov. 8, 8 p.m. : » Matthew Woodley

Under the covers: For people who regularly suffer from lover’s block in the heat of the moment, Lusty Linens bedsheets could be the muse you’re looking for. Designed to inspire “lovemaking and pleasure,” these “high thread count” beauties come in four themes: the Kama Sheetra, Feng Shag, Gay Gladiator and lesbian-oriented Sappho. Billed as “cheat sheets” for the erotically unenlightened, the lecherous linens provide position suggestions for those who have forgotten. They’ve covered all the corners too—for the SM fan without a four-post bed, Lusty’s “Sleep Tight” fitted bondage sheet comes complete with four convenient “trappings.” Check out their Web site: www.lustylinen.com for all the goods. : » Amy German

Think different: A whale skeleton made of lawn chairs, a low-rider lawnmower and satirical reworking of CNN newscasts are all part of Think Big, a show where 10 artists take the ordinary stuff of pop culture and twist it into the exceptional. It’s at the Saidye Bronfman Centre (5170 Côte Ste-Catherine) from Nov. 7–Jan 5. • Moving work: Ten years of work by installation artist Joëlle Morosoli will be celebrated at the Centre d’exposition du Vieux Palais (185 du Palais, St-Jérôme). Morosoli is known for her large-scale, physically moving pieces, including a labyrinth and giant mobiles. Architecturer le temps runs until Jan. 26. • Affecting seasonal disorder: Winter got you all out of whack? As part of Le mois de l’estampe (printmaking month), Annette Wolfstein-Joseph’s colourful etchings of garden flowers, Impressions of Eden, show at the Saidye Bronfman Centre (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine) until Nov. 29. :

Artistat: Number of people who saw smash-hit play Mambo Italiano last season, held over a record six times and back for more at the Centaur Theatre (453 St-François-Xavier) until Nov. 17: 29,000 :

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