Eight Days a Week

March 20-27, 2002

BALLET DANCERS TRY to defy gravity, modern dancers embrace it, and aerial dancers? – they ignore it. Liberated from the one-foot-after-another routine that tethers ordinary bipeds, the adventurous creatures appearing in Sky Dancers ... Women Who Fly Through the Air take to space the way the rest of us do in dreams. Their partners more often than not are ropes, harnesses, bungee cords, trapezes, stationary poles, and the sky dancers' version of a toe shoe: stilts. They are likely to train in rock climbing, body work, physical theater, and circus performing – many of them work with master teacher Lu Yi at the San Francisco School of Circus Arts – as well as studying more conventional dance disciplines. Once every two years Krissy Keefer invites Bay Area aerial dancers, who these days come with a remarkable breadth of perspective, to her second-floor Dance Mission Theater. Participants in this two-week celebration of flight include pioneers Terry Sendgraff and Joanna Haigood, as well as Cherie Carson, Jo Kreiter, Amelia Rudolph, Satellite, Sirens, Lauren Steiner, Ena Starling, Amanda Starr, and Leslie Tipton. Through April 7. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m., Dance Mission Theater, 3316 Mission, S.F. $17-$20. (415) 273-4633. (Rita Felciano)

March 20

Wednesday

Mechanical animals You might remember Goboy, the menacing robot panhandler who in the early '90s infiltrated (and was subsequently evicted from) such bastions of fine art as the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Tonight the Ylem forum presents 'Math and Robots, a Two-Ring Circus,' in which Goboy creator Frank Garvey speaks about the history of "theatrical robots" and his work with OmniCircus: Center for Robotic and Synthetic Performance, integrating live acting, music, and dance with mechanical and computer-animated performers. The Ylem event happens in conjunction with the Exploratorium's current presentation of a 1961 exhibit designed by Ray and Charles Eames, "Mathematica: A World of Numbers and Beyond." Spend the day cheering on the robots in the "International Robo Sumo Wrestling" competition in the museum rotunda or just come to the McBean Theater in the evening to catch two math-themed videos, "Outside In" and "Not Knot," before Garvey's talk. Wrestling 1-9 p.m., videos 8 p.m., lecture 9 p.m., Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon, S.F. Videos and lecture free, exhibit and wrestling $6-$10. (650) 856-9593, www.ylem.org. (Lara Shalson)

Pagan lounge lizards Welcome the spring equinox with a performance blending music, theater, and neopagan celebrations by local cabaret ensemble Rosin Coven. The glamorously costumed – think velvet, feathers, and the occasional pair of devilish horns – musicians sing and play a variety of instruments, among them accordion, cello, guitar, percussion, trombone, and vibraphone. Rosin Coven plans to center its performance on the twin themes of new life and the hopeful emotions the start of spring typically engenders. As well as representing the first day of spring, the equinox is the halfway point between winter and summer in the pagan calendar and a time when day and night are both 12 hours long. "Finding the balance between dark and light, between shadow and revelry, has always been central to Rosin Coven's music and performances," according to event organizer and group member Justin Katz. Special guests are Peoples Bizarre, whose music bridges the gap between traditional Balkan and eastern European folk and American jazz. 10 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $5. (415) 861-5016. (China Martens)

Homage to Edie Edith "Edie" Bouvier Beale recently died in Florida – many states away from the decaying Long Island mansion where the Maysles brothers, along with Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, filmed her and her mother (also named Edie) to create the film Grey Gardens. In honor of little Edie, the Castro Theatre is screening the 1975 documentary, a distinctive portrait of an American family and home, which, with Salesman and Gimme Shelter, helps form an unholy Maysles trinity. More than one person has observed that Tennessee Williams's plays pale in comparison to the story of little Edie and big Edie (cousin and aunt, respectively, to Jackie O); when this mother and daughter – or pair of "staunch characters" – free-associate, an inimitable mix of humor, horror, and fashion occurs. Through Thurs/21. 2, 4:30, 7, and 9:20 p.m., Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, S.F. $4.50-$7. (415) 621-6120. (Johnny Ray Huston)

Toil and trouble What with more than 300 film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays and countless works exploring his life and authorship, it seems we just can't get enough of the old Bard – whether we revere his writings as sacred texts or prefer to deconstruct and reimagine them. In that spirit, Sherri Young founded the African-American Shakespeare Company in 1993 to present European classics from an African American cultural perspective and also to provide opportunities for actors of color to perform Shakespeare – roles that are often unavailable to nonwhite actors, especially in traditional stagings. For its last production of the season, the company sets Shakespeare's rhymes to music in a hip-hop version of MacBeth, MacB: The MacBeth Project. In this retelling MacBeth is a record-industry mogul struggling for power in the music biz, and the three witches are transformed into a Destiny's Child-like singing group. The end result aims to show how Shakespeare's meditation on ambition turned treacherous relates to violence in the music industry. Through Sat/30. Previews tonight, 8 p.m. Opens Thurs/21, 8 p.m. Runs Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m. (also Sat/30, 3 p.m.); Sun., 3 p.m., African-American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton, S.F. $12-$15. (415) 929-1852, www.culturalodyssey.org. (Shalson)

March 21

Thursday

Rage against the machine Regular viewers of Comedy Central's Daily Show know Lewis Black for his weekly "Back in Black" segment, where he attacks various social and political targets (George W. Bush, Valentine's Day, the weather, the menu at IHOP) with dead-on, scathing, invariably amusing acumen. The cranky commentator – who has also written more than 40 plays and appeared in several films and TV shows – takes the stage for a three-night local stand-up gig. Expect vitriol, venting, and plenty of laughs from the man once called "an aneurysm waiting to happen." Through Sat/23. 9 p.m. (also Fri.-Sat., 11 p.m.), Punch Line, 444 Battery, S.F. $12-$20. (415) 397-4337. (Cheryl Eddy)

March 22

Friday

Screen time Video art starlet Astria Suparak is on a mission to bring the freshest experimental works to the theaters nearest you. The 23-year-old New York curator makes a stop on her national and European tour at Artists' Television Access tonight with "Dirges and Sturgeons," a program of shorts by young and emerging artists. Playful laments indeed, these new works use lo-fi aesthetics to critique high technology and mass-produced culture. Using outdated analog video modes, Jacqueline Goss muses on the fate of the individual in "The 100th Undone," a personal history of cloning and biotechnological reproduction. Hilariously grotesque, Lawrence Elbert's "Whitney: Mama's Little Baby" is a baby's-eye view of the pop diva. Also featured is new work from performance artist and videomaker-distributor Miranda July of Big Miss Moviola, now Joanie 4 Jackie, fame (whose touring program "Some Kind of Loving" was also curated by Superak). In "Getting Stronger Every Day," July addresses mythmaking and media fables in the retelling of two TV-movie stories of little boys lost and found. 8 p.m., Artists' Television Access, 992 Valencia, S.F. $5. (415) 824-3890. (Alissa Chadburn)

Courting Ed British singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt has occasionally smashed pianos onstage, a comical thought once you've heard his first full-length album, Here Be Monsters (Capitol). As Harcourt skips from Flaming Lips-like gaiety to Jeff Buckley-like melancholy, it's hard to imagine the young guy behind that gentle, gravelly voice getting riled up enough to smash anything. But after wading through the depths of Harcourt's strings, guitars, and horns – all infused with a distinctly jazzy leaning – you begin to understand. Harcourt's the kind of guy who'd smash a piano out of frustration with a crowd that's not paying attention. But it's unlikely that anyone's mind will wander when Harcourt plays Slim's this weekend – or when his album finally hits the States Tues/26. As he picks up pieces from several genres and combines them into poignant pop, Harcourt can't help commanding your full attention. Katell Keineg opens. 9 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $15. (415) 255-0333. (Nancy Einhart)

March 23

Saturday

Break out the funk If your idea of funk is a cheesy lounge band playing "Brick House," you need to take yourself to the 'Funky 16 Corners' showcase. Inspired by the Stones Throw Records anthology of the same name – the new benchmark for funk compilations – the showcase offers a taste of what down-home, backwater, grimy-and-gritty funk is supposed to sound like. Tunes will be supplied by L.A.'s Breakestra, with help from Cliff Palmer, the original leader and saxophonist of Cincinnati's legendary Highlighters Band. Add in vinyl archaeology by DJs Egon and Peanut Butter Wolf, and the showcase sounds ready to give it up and turn it loose. 9 p.m., Justice League, 628 Divisadero, S.F. $17. (415) 289-2038. (Oliver Wang)

Phillied up Who can resist a band with a song called "If We Burned All the Assholes the Earth Would Look like the Sun"? Or how about "If You Own the Washington Redskins, You're a Cock"? You'd probably guess that the scribes of such ridiculous titles – respectively, Brian Sokel of AM/FM and Adam Goren of Atom and His Package – are pretty wacky guys. And you'd be right. Now these two stalwarts of Philadelphia's indie rock scene are bringing an innovative double bill to two Bay Area venues. AM/FM – technically a duo consisting of former Franklin guitarist Sokel and Mike Parsell, previously of the Science Of – plays optimistic Beach Boys-inspired pop with a sarcastic edge. Atom and His Package is an even goofier act consisting solely of Goren and "his package," the sequencer he expertly programs as accompaniment. They play with various other bands over their two-night run (Plus Ones, Jerme Spew, and Contender at 924 Gilman; Pretty Girls Make Graves and Your Enemies' Friends at Bottom of the Hill), but these two will be enough to ensure an interesting evening. 8 p.m., 924 Gilman, 924 Gilman, Berk. $5. (510) 525-9926. (Also Sun/24, 8 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $7. 415-621-4455.) (Einhart)

March 24

Sunday

Dance dynasty Isadora Duncan's name is no longer exactly a buzz word, but if you've ever seen Mark Morris dance, especially in his younger years, you know that this feminist dance pioneer's influence has by no means been completely superseded by what came after her. All over the world Duncan descendants labor to keep her heritage alive, performing and preserving her repertoire. In San Francisco this role has been assumed by Tokyo-born Mary Sano, who was hooked on Duncan the first time she saw her work. Sano's group of six dancers will perform to Chopin's mazurkas, Brahms's waltzes, and music from Schubert's Rosamunde Overture. 3 p.m., Mary Sano Studio of Duncan Dancing, Studio 314, 245 Fifth St., S.F. $12-$25. (415) 357-1817. (Rita Felciano)

Punk rock rebels Scandinavian bands are on a global attention-grabbing mission – bands that have recently won praise include the Hives, for their brash retro sound, and acoustic warblers Kings of Convenience. Also well-established and set for further foreign fame are Swedish punk four-piece Millencolin. The band, who celebrate a decade in rock come October, cite southern California's Bad Religion and the Bay Area's Operation Ivy as strong influences on their music. Millencolin are in the middle of a world tour to promote their fifth album, Home from Home (Burning Heart/Epitaph), on which they explore a more fully developed rock sound while still retaining plenty of punk fervor. Fellow Swedes, five-piece punksters Bombshell Rocks and SoCal punk trio Home Grown also play. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $12.50. (415) 885-0750. (Martens)

March 25

Monday

Give me some The Bay Area's so-called new jazz of the '90s is old enough to have spawned second-generation bands with enough intertwining credits to write a contemporary who's who. The members of the Supplicants have played with talents including Etta James, Cecil Taylor, and Omar Sosa and cite influences such as Mingus, Ravi Shankar, Sun Ra, and Jean Michel Basquiat. What matters most, however, is that saxophonists David Boyce (Broun Fellinis) and Richard Howell, bassist David Ewell, and drummer Sameer Gupta start from scratch for each performance, channeling their inspirations into freely improvised musical moments that build on one another in what this quartet calls "Explorations in Kosmic-Afro-Indian-Jazz." 8 and 10 p.m., Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakl. $8-$10. (510) 238-9200. (Derk Richardson)

March 26

Tuesday

Funny lady Presenting herself as a fluffy, somewhat clueless character, stand-up comedian Rita Rudner has been softly delivering tartly humorous observations on women, men, and marriage for more than 20 years. Typical of her gentle shtick is the observation that "men who have pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry." She's also written three books; the most recent (and her first novel), Tickled Pink, is about two girls trying to break into show business. As well as performing a solo routine, the comic is interviewed by KRON-TV anchor Susan Blake and responds to audience questions. Rudner's career includes two successful screenwriting stints with her English husband, Martin Bergman: Peter's Friends (1992) and A Weekend in the Country (1996). Rudner starred in both movies as a more steely version of her comedic self. 7:30 p.m., Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro, San Rafael. $25-$30. (415) 444-8000. (Martens)

March 27

Wednesday

Doomsdays are here again Now that the White House has revealed that it has its very own "shadow government" keeping time in bunkers far removed from the Capitol, and nuke paranoia is back in the news, and a war that nobody wants keeps on ticking, the only movie that really addresses the situation (sorry, Mel) is Stanley Kubrick's 1964 Dr. Strangelove. To describe this film as black comedy is putting it mildly; it's about an impending nuclear holocaust, and it features the excellent Peter Sellers in three roles (the titular character, a wheelchair-bound Nazi general; the President of the United States; and a British captain). Will insane Air Force general Jack D. Ripper carry out his plan to destroy the world? If you haven't seen this still-hilarious classic, here's a particularly timely opportunity to check it out. 2, 7:15, and 9:15 p.m., Red Vic, 1727 Haight, S.F. $3-$6.50. (415) 668-3994. (Eddy)

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