Three years ago, eight photographers attended the advanced photography seminar at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the arts. Today, under the guidance of Tony De Melo, they continue to meet once a month to discuss their work. This Saturday, Elke Abrell, Hélène Bruderlein, Matthew Cope, Marc Gravel, Kathlyn Horibe, Bernard Jetté, Sol Lang and Anne-Marie Vacherot open their first group exhibition at Espace 306 (372 Ste-Catherine W., #306).

The photographers are not united by a specific artistic or theoretical vision. For curator De Mayo, it is precisely "the varying approaches to image-making by each member of the group" that is fascinating. Appropriately titled 8Versions, the exhibition explores nudity, nature, double exposure, infrared lighting, beauty and decay in both silver gelatine and digital mediums. Horibe explains the group dynamic: "We are motivated by each other’s work. The effect on my own work in particular, is that it makes me more adventurous." : » Christine Redfern

For two years now, Montreal toy-theatre crew Le Petit Théâtre de l’Absolu has been cooking up Paris in the 19th Century, a series of shows examining the great city’s variegated and fascinating history. Their latest installment, Demolition Polka, examines the city’s radical redesign by Baron Haussmann. Gabe Levine, one of the Petit Théâtre’s four creator-performers, calls the redesign "probably the greatest work of urban destruction renewal ever in history, which took over 30 years and completely transformed the city from a medieval city of narrow streets, revolutionary ideas and garbage into a sanitary jewel of the world with huge boulevards and easy access for army and police."

Demolition Polka, along with the group’s other Paris show, La Commune, are just two of the attractions at Antidotes for Terror: An Evening of Paper Theatre and Cheap Art, a performance/art show at Rad’a (841 Gilford). Also featured are papier-mâché installations, giant comic book excerpts and literally hundreds of paintings by Vermont’s Clare Dolan, founder of the Cheap Art movement. Antidotes for Terror runs from Feb. 6–9 and 13–16, with shows at 8:30 p.m. (Sunday shows are pay-what-you-can matinées at 4:30 p.m.), $7, 522-4323 to reserve. : » Mark Slutsky

Talk about an intriguing title: Himalayas, Prayer for a Rope, a Pope and a Rogue. Choreographer Richard Tremblay thought so too. He’s the one behind the work, one of many that celebrates UNESCO’s International Year of the Mountain. Tremblay’s piece involves six dancer-performers joined by four musicians. As an ensemble, they explore the times and the traditions of the world’s highest ranges.

Has your curiosity peaked? Make the trek to Usine C (1345 Lalonde), Feb. 6–8, 8 p.m., $18/$24. To reserve tickets, call 521-4493. : » Marites Carino

Capturing dance on film is never an easy task. But Toronto’s Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film and Video is dedicated to the craft. Now they want to share the results with others in a touring exhibition of the best of the fest. Visiting a dozen Canadian cities, Reel Dance on the Road makes a four-day stop this week at the Cinémathèque québécoise (335 de Maisonneuve E.).

Opening night, Thursday, Feb. 6, features an evening of dance shorts. In over a dozen selections, which all run under eight minutes, creations by local talent such as Ginette Laurin, David Pressault, Louise Bédard and José Navas are worth checking out.

Another film of note is an award-winning Irish work by Dublin’s CoisCéim Dance Theatre called Hit and Run, which plays on Feb. 7. All screenings are $5 and start at 7 p.m. For a more detailed listing of what’s on, go to www.cinematheque.qc.ca or call 842-9768.: » Marites Carino

Another way to burn: When’s the last time you used your floppy drive? Do you even have a floppy drive? Exactly. Here’s an infinitely more practical device for your computer: a cigarette lighter, just like the kind they have in cars. It powers CD players, charges cell phones, impresses company and lights ciggies. The gadget is made by Frozen CPU, a company that specializes in PC fans and cooling devices, and fits into a standard-sized bay. It’s also conveniently plug-and-play and asks very little of your processing power. $30, see it at http://store.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/cig-01.html. The device isn’t available for Mac, though a much cooler-looking i-lighter could be in the works. : » Matthew Woodley

Cupid’s craft: The Roy Street Collective gets lovey-dovey with Sauterie, an art-market with a Valentine’s Day twist. Music and poetry at the vernissage, Feb. 7, 8 p.m.–1 a.m., runs until Feb. 14 (111 Roy E.). • Famous frames: Photographer Pierre Dury shows a selection of his portraits that span three decades and feature familiar faces from René Lévesque to John Lennon. Je me souviens runs until March 1 at Les Modernes (372 Ste-Catherine W., #424). • Self in the city: Vincent Lafrance and John Lodoño team up in Les villes invisibles, a photo exhibition inspired by Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities that explores "the compelling, if often tenuous relationship between the city and the self." :

Artistat: Number of entries in last year’s power-devouring light, food and entertainment fiesta, the Montreal Highlights Festival - expected to be topped by this year’s fest, which runs from Feb. 13–March 2 at locations around town: 492,500 :

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