Ego motion

"Narcissism is in and of itself a taboo. None of us wants to be caught as a narcissist. None of us wants to be caught kissing ourselves in the mirror!" laughs choreographer Mariko Tanabe. But, she adds, "There's a little bit of that in all of us."

Tanabe's new solo choreography, Narcisse en Silence, a first-time collaboration with Czech lighting designer Jan Komarek, opens at the MAI (3680 Jeanne-Mance) this week. In it, she draws from the Greek myth of Narcissus, the young man who falls in love with his own reflection, and plays with that notion of desire and passion for self. Set to a backdrop of mirrors, Tanabe reflects on some of her past emotional experiences, such as the death of a brother and sister and memories of her Japanese roots, in this full-length work. It runs until April 10, 8 p.m., call 982-3386 for more info. » Marites Carino

Skin show

The second Maisonneuve Art Show, kicking off Thursday, April 15, promises to be a pleasantly corporeal affair, what with an in-house oxygen bar, free massages and all. The Body and Its Derivatives features seven artists with a range of visceral takes on that which shells us. George D. Sellers' "Male Figure/suspended" is a three-quarter-sized body hanging on thread - unnerving in the way that most any body dangling mid-air would be. Audrey Davis also uses suspension in her series of hanging face casts, this time bringing the body's absence to the forefront when coupled with the tragic story that came before their creation. Local artist Sherwin Tjia, a medical artist by day, gets under his skin disease fascination with a series of blotchy and potent paintings.

The exhibition, curated by Isa Tousignant, also features works by Afshin Matlabi, Christina Mancuso, John Zepetelli and Jody Daniel Ferguson. (That's right, free massages.) Opens at 8 p.m. at the SAT (1195 St-Laurent). » Matthew Woodley

Attention span shorts

Of the few simple rules works must follow to be in the Dérapage 5 projection soirée taking place next Thursday, April 15, the first is the most challenging: no narration. It's hard to captivate without telling a story, say the organizers, and rightly so, especially when crammed into one night of 74 productions, all between 30 seconds and three minutes long. Make no mistake though, last year's evening of locally produced clips drew 500-plus people and this year's event is expected to bring in even more - and even hold their attention through it all. Dérapage 5 is at UQÀM's design school (1440 Sanguinet) Thursday, April 15, 8 p.m., free. » Matthew Woodley

Man in a box

At first glance, Munich-based artist Alexandra Ranner's Corridor is but a white container nestled in the corner at Dare-Dare (460 Ste-Catherine W, #505). The structure is closed on three sides, the forth opens into a hallway. I peer inside and see a door has been left ajar. Someone's inside, reflected in a mirror and watching me. I stare back, because I'm in a gallery (I'd keep moving if this guy was staring at me out in the real world), and focus on the other action unfolding in the scene.

Ranner is known for building believable environments that contain illusions. Her past constructions, one of which was shown at the Venice Biennale in 2001, looked like regular rooms containing a mirror. Nothing seemed amiss until viewers noticed they weren't visible in the mirror's reflection. Ranner created the illusion by building two separate and identical spaces divided by Plexiglas. Ranner does use a real mirror in her new work, but continues with her play on reflections, making for a powerful piece. Corridor runs until May 8, 878-1088. » Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

SAVED BY THE BELLS: Have fitness trends like swimming, running, yoga, pilates, ab workout videos, hip-hop-aerobics, jazzercize, jumping jacks, martial arts, team sports, cellulite creams, diets and the like proven tiresome and ultimately ineffective? Here's a new alternative to let off some steam: Kettlebell training has long been a favourite training exercise of the Russian army. Using cast-iron kettlebells - something like cannonballs with handles - in tandem with swinging and pressing movements, the exercise promises effective calorie-burning, muscle-firming and the like. Brand new in Quebec, there's but one certified kettlebell instructor around to date, Shawn Mozen. For info on his workshops, visit www.agatsu.com/home/kettlebell.asp or call 349-7102.

ArtsHole

CROSS-DISCIPLINARIANS: The second half of IDYS Expressionism, a festival put on by jack-of-all-arts students from Concordia's Interdisciplinary Studies program, takes place from April 13-17. Featured is In & Out, an installation amalgam at Studio Bénim (4035 St-Ambroise, #409), and look ma, no hands!, a performance symposium promoting "art" as a verb - something like "smurf," presumably - which also features a ukulele jam session and a prom during the vernissage, April 13, 7 p.m., at Concordia's VAV Gallery (1395 René-Lévesque W.). • GONE WITH GUILT: Got a secret you need to get off your shoulders? Local artist Paul O'Donnell wants them so he can read them, seal them in transparent tape, file them by date and, he promises, never tell a soul for the rest of his. Send your anonymous secrets to Secret Project, P.O. Box 83535, Succ. Garnier, Montreal QC, H2J 4E9.

ARTISTAT: Number of shorts to be screened at the second annual Montreal Student Film Festival, a 90-minute roundup of some of this year's best in local student flicks, taking place at the AMC Forum, tonight, April 8, at 7 p.m.: 17

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