Dance group takes a leap into history
Saturday. Dance. Apex Contemporary Dance Theatre hopes to make a big impression this weekend with its latest work, “Dancing on the Shoulders of Giants.” Choreographer David Reuille guides the ambitious young company through a piece that uses historical events as jumping-off points for exploration. Saturday. The Auditorium at Grandview High School, 20500 E. Arapahoe Road in Aurora. 7:30 p.m. $18-$22. 303-803-4936 or . John Wenzel
Colorado artist Sanderson merits Arvada’s follow-up
In 2005, the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art marked the centennial of William Sanderson’s birth with a four-decade retrospective that elevated the Colorado artist’s profile and suggested fascinating avenues for further exploration of his work.
The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., is offering a smaller yet still substantial follow-up, “William Sanderson: The Arvada Years.” It focuses on 28 paintings created in and around the time he lived in Arvada, following his return from service in World War II.
Throughout his career, Sanderson bounced among styles that, while seeming restless, can be seen in the multiplicity of approaches on display in this show, from the regionalism of “The Survivor” (1975) to the Modigliani-like feel of “The Lovers” (1947).
Among the most eye-catching works is “Autumn Trees” (1984), above, with its loosely cubist, surrealist feel. The exuberant, patterned composition consists of flowing earth forms and semi-abstracted flora. The show runs through Sunday. Free. 720-898-7200 or . Kyle MacMillan
Dance
Today-Saturday.Dance. It’s never too late to make a first appearance. Back from an eight-city road trip, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance will premiere “Passionate Heart” this weekend at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House — the 39-year-old Denver company’s first-ever shows there. “Passionate Heart” includes two world premieres from choreographers Nejla Y. Yatkin and Ray Mercer. Today-Saturday, 7:30 p.m. 14th and Curtis Streets. $19-$39. 866-464-2626 or . John Wenzel
Visual Art
Today. Mixed media. Veteran Loveland artist Dave Phelps uses box tops, discarded televisions, bar codes and other detritus to create eye-grabbing, mixed-media works that comment on the consumer culture that produced them. He won first place in 2008 edition of the Rocky Mountain Biennial at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art. Phelps is featured in a solo exhibition running through April 11 at the Sandra Phillips Gallery, 744 Santa Fe Drive. He will present a free talk on his work at 6 tonight. 303-573-5969 or . Kyle MacMillan
Tonight. Art opening. Artists are inspired by the world around them. And so it’s surprising that more artists haven’t gone the route of Denver’s Nina Barry, whose latest series, “404,” looks to some of the world’s most popular Internet portals for inspiration. Barry’s paintings are familiar, if dreamy, screen-grabs from some of the most recognizable sites online. Twitter. YouTube. Google. According to Barry’s artist statement: “From portraits to landscapes and still-life tableaux, painters have always turned their gaze to the world around them, capturing subjects of practical importance. With ‘404,’ my ambition is to continue this tradition.” The opening reception for the show is at 6 p.m. tonight at the Square 101 Gallery, 3309 Blake St. More: . Ricardo Baca
Today. Mixed media. While quality is not ignored, the emphasis is on quantity and scope in the “Colorado Art Open 2009,” which features 104 works by 97 artists. The show opens with a public reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. today and runs through May 31 at the Foothills Art Center, 809 15th St., Golden. Living up to its name, the “Art Open” was open to any artist living in Colorado, and more than 500 artists submitted entries. Foothills curator Michael Chavez and Christoph Heinrich, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Denver Art Museum, made the selections. $5, $3 seniors and free for members, students and children. 303-279-3922 or . Kyle MacMillan
Classical Music
Today and Saturday. Choral music. The St. Martin’s Chamber Choir marks the Easter season with “Passio Christi,” or “The Passion of Christ.” The program will include “Lamentations of Jeremiah” by English Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis and “Christus,” a set of works for choir and viola by John Ferguson. Serving as soloist for the latter will be Matthew Dane, above, a member of the Boulder Piano Quartet and music faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. today at the St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1350 Washington St., and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at First Congregational Church, 1128 Pine St, in Boulder. $20, $18 seniors and $5 students. 303-298-1970 or . Kyle MacMillan
Today, Saturday and Sunday. Symphonic music. As part of the continuing celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Colorado Symphony Chorus, it will join music director Jeffrey Kahane and the Colorado Symphony for a presentation of Verdi’s Requiem. The 19th-century composer’s powerful setting of the Mass for the Dead has to be toward the top of any list of greatest choral works ever. Performances will be 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Boettcher Concert Hall. $15-$73. 303-623-7876 or coloradosymphony. Kyle MacMillan
Sunday. Chamber music. With little fanfare, JUC Live! has been presenting a mix of performing-arts events in west Denver for eight years. The small performing arts series will host the Takács Quartet at 4 p.m. Sunday in Jefferson Unitarian Church, 14350 W. 32nd Ave., in the Applewood neighborhood. In residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the ensemble has built a reputation as one of the finest string quartets in the world. At $20 a ticket, there’s not a better classical-music bargain around. . Kyle MacMillan
Pop music
Wednesday. U.K. pop.The Ting Tings are oddly adept at combining modern-day indie-dance sensibilities with the silly-and-slinky disco guitars that filled out the ’70s. The U.K. band — creators of the inescapable single “Shut Up and Let Me Go” — remind fans of a contemporary Blondie. Their dance-oriented music is rhythmic and sometimes experimental, and singer-bassist Katie White is as much about the fashion as she is the music. Her voice is alarmingly intoxicating, and it’s easy to be drawn to her melodic grunting in “Great DJ” and the stacatto-sexy delivery in “That’s Not My Name.” The Ting Tings play a sold-out show at the Bluebird Theater on Wednesday, with Hottub opening. More: . Ricardo Baca
Family fun
Tonight, Saturday and Sunday. Mountain fest. Winter goes down the drain in Crested Butte at the 41st annual Flauschink celebration. Tonight, moms and dads can raise a glass and dance the polka at the official coronation ball, when this year’s king and queen of Flauschink — usually longtime residents — are crowned. On Saturday, the royals will greet their subjects in a parade, waving their toilet-plunger scepters all the way. Flauschink wraps up Sunday, when revelers salute the king and queen on the slopes at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Coronation ball: 9 p.m. The Eldo, 215 Elk Ave., Crested Butte; 970-349-6125. Admission is $5 with a Flauschink button and $8 without. Parade: 3 p.m. Saturday. Elk Avenue. Free. King and queen’s court, Sunday. Flauschink Hill, near Twister warming house, Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Kathleen St. John
Sunday. Music and magic. Warm up your vocal cords for an afternoon of operatic fun at “Abra-Kid-Opera: A Magical Afternoon.” Presented by the Central City Opera House Association Guild, the program features a performance by the CCO Ensemble, as well as a magic show, singing classes and drama games for the whole family. 2-4:30 p.m. Sunday. Pinehurst Country Club, 6255 W. Quincy Ave. Admission is $8 per person and includes an afternoon snack. Today’s the last day to buy tickets — call the Central City Opera box office at 303-292-6700.
Kathleen St. John
April 24. Heads up. It’s not too early to register for the next “Wild Dreams Overnight” at the Downtown Aquarium on April 24. Actually, it’s about right on time: The aquarium requires families to register at least two weeks in advance. Round up the troops now for an evening of animals, crafts, games and sweet dreams among the sharks. 7 p.m. April 24 to 9 a.m. April 25. Downtown Aquarium, 700 Water St.; 303-561-4450. Admission is $49.95 per person and includes all activities, a T-shirt and a hot breakfast. For more information and to register, call 303-561-4444. Kathleen St. John
Theater
Through April 25. Comedy with a twist. The Denver Center Theatre Company presents a stage adaptation of John Irving’s darkly comic novel, “A Prayer for Owen Meany.” It’s about a dwarfish boy with a strange voice who accidentally kills his best friend’s mom with a baseball and comes to believe he is an instrument of God. Read our interview with John Irving coming up in Sunday’s Denver Post. At the Stage Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets. 6:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays through April 25. $25-$51. 303-893-4100 (800-641-1222 outside Denver), all King Soopers or .
John Moore
Film
Through the week. Think Tank confab. Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi is one of the visionary filmmakers who’ve been attending a think tank session sponsored by the University of Colorado-College of Arts and Media. Others include: Gary Meyer co-director of the Telluride Film Festival, “They Killed Sister Dorothy” director Daniel Junge and Sundance Film Festival senior programming whiz Shari Frilot. Their goal: to create a globally minded MFA in film curriculum for a truly engaged and engaging cinema. Tonight, they’ll share ideas in a public forum about cinema’s place in the biggest picture of all. Friday 4:30-6 p.m. The King Center Concert Hall on the Auraria Campus. Free. Lisa Kennedy
