Antibalas
[MUSIC] Antibalas has evolved into the United Statesâ premier Afrobeat orchestra. Along the way, the band picked
up pieces of other genres, from Latin jazz to hip-hop, to the point that, by the time of 2007âs Security, it was using Afrobeat merely as a jumping-off point. On its new self-titled album, however, the band resets after a four year
breakâseveral members took time off to work on the Fela! musicalâreturning to the pure, protest-minded funk of classic Kuti.
Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th Ave., with Stay Calm. 7 pm. $16 advance, $18 day of
show. 21kknd.
Skinner/Kirk Dance Ensemble
[DANCE] Shapes and sculptures,
deconstructed.
sHape-shifters: Dancers channel Russian Constructivism.
The essential building blocks of danceâ
shapesâare deftly deconstructed in a new
contemporary dance program from the
Skinner/Kirk Dance Ensemble. Co-founders Eric Skinner and Daniel
Kirk (also founding members of BodyVox) dance the programâs two
works alongside their BodyVox colleagues Holly Shaw and Zachary Carroll,
and former Oregon Ballet Theatre soloist Brennan Boyer.
Skinnerâs new work, Juxtaposition, unfolds in and around two conical,
corrugated plastic structures set at center stage. The title refers to the contrast between two types
of lines: soft (the human body) and stark (mechanical sculpture). Suspended in Mid-Air (And About to Collapse), the programâs second
piece, is inspired by the Russian Constructivism philosophy of art (if
youâre not intimately familiar, a program note describes its âbold shapes
and geometric linesâ and its use of art for social purposes). Some sections have a balletic formality, others the playful feel of
abstract forms springing to life. There is a pleasing geometry to this piece as
well as to Juxtaposition, a combination of well-structured dance performed
with musical and technical rigor. Geometry itself should be so
enjoyable. HEATHER WISNER.
BodyVox Dance Center, 1201 NW 17th Ave.
7:30 pm Thursday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, Dec. 6-8. $36-$59.
The Tragically Hip
[MUSIC] Ontarioâs the
Tragically Hip couldnât be more
Canadian if the band dressed like
mounties and sang about socialized
medicine and tapping maple trees
for syrupâmeaning, they sound like
an American band, just slightly more
congenial, and a bit paler. Basically
the R.E.M. of the Great White North,
the band has been kicking around
since the early â80s, performing
anthemic, vaguely rootsy rock ânâ
roll with an undercurrent of collegerock
jangle. Fourteen albums into
their careers, the Hip are legends up
there and well-regarded cult figures
down here, but the band continues
to produce strong albumsâ
the latest being this yearâs Now for
Plan Aâthat play well on both sides
of the border. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 284-8686. 8 pm. $30. 21kknd.
Wanderlust Circus, 3 Leg Torso
[CLASSICAL] Two Portland institutions impossible
to categorize, the wild circus troupe
and the accordion- and violin-driven
world-chamber-music ensemble,
join forces for the third time in a
new, original version of Dickensâ A
Christmas Carol. The show features
circus performers, Vagabond Opera
leader Eric Stern as the Ghost of
Christmas Past and Wanderlust
ringleader Noah Mickens as Scrooge.
Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE
Alberta St., 719-6055. 8 pm Friday-
Saturday, Dec. 7-8. $15-$30.
Oregon Ballet Theatre
[DANCE] A source of nostalgia and parody
both in and outside the ballet world,
The Nutcracker has its charms, particularly
the enduring Tchaikovsky
score (performed live), the saberrattling
battle between toy soldiers
and giant mice and the cast
of colorful characters who whirl
through the Land of Sweets. Oregon
Ballet Theatre does the George
Balanchine version of the piece, with
all the formalism and sparkle that
entails. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW
Clay St., 800-745-3000. 7:30 pm
Wednesdays-Fridays, 2 pm and 7:30
pm Saturdays-Sundays through Dec.
23. $28-$161.35.
Sunday, Dec. 9
The State of Riesling
[DRINK]The home country of Riesling is China. Well, no, but if food pairings have anything to say about origins, then Riesling might as well hail from the Yangtze, not the Rhine. Local vintners Ransom, Coeur de Terre, Brooks and Love & Squalor will present their Rieslings alongside Hop & Vine chef Sam J. Reedâs Chinese buffet with pork belly char siu (barbecue) and scallop and ham egg-drop soup. Tickets get you two glasses and a ottomless belly full of food. The Hop & Vine Bottle Shop, 1914 N Killingsworth St., 954-3322. 6 pm. $50. 21kknd.
King Tuff, White Fang, Mean Jeans
[FILM] While Stanley Kubrick has long been a highly vaunted filmmaking titan, his films were rarely embraced at the time of their release. Highlights from this series include Peter Sellers being brilliant (Dr. Strangelove), trippy wormhole journeys in space (2001: A Space Odyssey), the opening on Alexâs eyes set to an amazing Moog score (A Clockwork Orange) and a whole lot of painterly compositions lit by candle (Barry Lyndon). ERIK MCCLANAHAN. Cinema 21.
WWeek 2015