Pop Music
Zany and ship-smart, too
Wednesday. Super-fun pop. You’ve seen OK Go’s insanely popular music videos — with four grown men jigging a choreographed dance on treadmills in “Here it Goes Again” and the stupefying, cause-and-effect gadget porn of “This Too Shall Pass.” But the brains (and senses of humor) behind those videos are also making some fun pop music — and making music-industry headlines. OK Go was on the cover of Billboard magazine last month talking about its split with label EMI, which didn’t want the band to post embeddable music videos on sites such as YouTube. The group will showcase its music and zany, whip-smart personalities at the Bluebird Theater. Tickets, $16-$18, are on sale via . Earl Greyhound and the Booze will open the show. Ricardo Baca
Dance
Bits and pieces
Today-Sunday. Contemporary dance. 3rd Law Dance/Theater is best known for its large-scale works that provocatively explore sociopolitical themes and incorporate inventive lighting, costumes and sets. For its latest offering, “In Pieces,” the company will break from that usual practice and offer a series of smaller works and excerpts. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., in Boulder. $23, $17 seniors and students. 303-444-7328 or . Kyle MacMillan
Classical music
A champion on the cello
Today- Sunday. Symphonic music. After a 35-year tenure at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, Texas- born cellist Ralph Kirshbaum recently took an endowed position at the University of Southern California. When he is not teaching, he is performing all over the world. He will join guest conductor Douglas Boyd and the Colorado Symphony this weekend for his first performances of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. Also on the program is Dvorak’s beloved Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $15-$75. 303-623-7876 or . Kyle MacMillan
Visual art
Two together
Today. Mixed media. After making a splash in a recent exhibition at the Rule Gallery, Mindy Bray teams with Tonia Bonnell for “presence and absence.” The show, which explores the two area artists’ mirror approaches to construction and deconstruction, opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Ironton Gallery, 3636 Chestnut Place, It continues through May 15. Free. 303- 297-8626 or . Kyle MacMillan
Family fun
Little people, big mouths
Sunday. Opera for children. Learn all about opera — and give singing a try yourself — at “Abra-Kid-Opera: A Magical Afternoon,” presented by the Central City Opera House Association Guild. Geared toward kids ages 5 to 12, the afternoon starts with “The Great Opera Mix-Up,” a short show featuring members of the Central City Opera Ensemble and lots of help from the kids. The program also includes magician Greg Tobo and vocal exercises with Emily Crile of the Colorado Children’s Chorale. 1-3 p.m. Sunday. Pinehurst Country Club, 6255 W. Quincy Ave.; 303-985-1551. Admission is $10 per person and includes a snack; all children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, visit . Kathleen St. John
Wind power
Saturday. Kids and kites. Spring winds are blowing, which means it must be time for the eighth annual Arvada Kite Festival. Bring your own kite to compete in one of the age-grouped competitions; prizes will be awarded for the highest, smallest, largest and most visually appealing kites. Don’t have a kite? No problem — kids can make a small one for free or buy one. Take a break from the high-flying fun with live music, jumping castles, face painting, art activities, snacks and more. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Robby Ferrufino Park, West 74th Avenue and Carr Drive, Arvada. Admission is free. For more information, call 720-898-7400 or visit . Kathleen St. John
Calling all fans of the acid-spitting vinegaroon
Saturday-Aug. 22. Bugs on parade. The insect world is a weird and wonderful place. See some of its strange marvels at “Dr. Entomo’s Palace of Exotic Wonders,” the new exhibit at the Butterfly Pavilion. Designed like a circus sideshow, the exhibit confronts the facts and fiction about all kinds of arthropods — animals with exoskeletons and segmented bodies. Animals on display include hissing cockroaches, scorpions, tarantulas, giant mealworms and the acid-spitting vinegaroon. For added shock value, stop by Saturday for one of chef David George Gordon’s insect cooking demonstrations, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Exhibition open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Aug. 22. The Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster; 303-469-5441. Admission is $8.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors age 65 and older, $5.50 for children ages 2 to 12. Visit for more information. Kathleen St. John
Sesame Street live
Today-Sunday.TV on tour.Explore the world with Elmo and friends in “1-2-3 Imagine!” the latest Sesame Street Live production. Running at the 1stBank Center through Sunday, the musical adventure shows how imagination can take you anywhere and let you be anything. All sorts of Sesame friends are featured: Elmo takes a trip to Africa, Ernie becomes a sea captain, Bert dreams up an octopus pal and more. 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. today; 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. 1stBank Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane; 303-410-0700, ext. 301. Tickets are $15-$35. Buy tickets at or call 866-461-6556. Learn more at . Kathleen St. John
Not as easy as it sounds
Saturday-Sunday.Sport stacking. The sensation known as sport stacking takes over Magness Arena this weekend at the eighth annual World Sport Stacking Championships. Nearly 700 stackers of all ages and from 18 countries will bring their speedy skills, competing in individual and relay categories. What’s speed stacking? Competitors stack cups in a variety of sequences — whoever does it the fastest will win. It’s simple enough, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Try it out Saturday at the competition’s StackFest, where anyone can give stacking a shot. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Magness Arena, 2201 E. Asbury Ave., on the University of Denver campus; 303-871-2336. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for kids ages 5 to 17. Children age 4 and younger are free. For more information, visit . Kathleen St. John
Paper-based artistry on view at Byers-Evans House
Viewers who don’t know anything about Ray Tomasso’s working methods would probably never guess that his constructed paintings are made of cast paper and mounted on unseen wooden frames.
Thirteen of the respected Englewood artist’s works are on view through May 7 at the Byers-Evans House Gallery, 1310 Bannock St.
Tomasso, a founding board member of the of the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists, was part of a group of artists in the 1960s and 1970s who transformed handmade paper into a viable artistic medium.
To create his compositions, he shreds cotton rags and ragboard scraps and runs them through a beater to reduce them to loose fibers. He combines this pulp with water and creates wet sheets of paper that he lays over collages of cardboard, architectural fragments and other found objects that serve as a mold.
The resulting wall reliefs, which he paints using primarily natural pigments in earth tones, display unexpectedly nuanced gradations of color, texture and form.
Viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Free. 303-620-4933 or .
Kyle MacMillan
