Weekend Best Bets: Choirs, Collage and Choreography

Share This!

Stile Antico

Motown the Musical – Through Sunday, times vary – The true story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and more. DPAC, 123 Vivian St.; $40+; 919-680-2787

Open This End: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Blake Byrne – Thursday, 10am-9pm – July 12 – An exhibition of both iconic and lesser-known works from some of the most significant and compelling artists of the last 50 years, the collection will trace a number of intertwined narratives in the history of recent art. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, 2001 Campus Dr.; $3-$5; 919-684-5135

Phil Vassar – Thursday, 8pm – With a career that has seen the release of eight albums and countless hits, the country singer/songwriter takes the stage with special guest Aaron Gallagher. The Carolina Theatre, 309 West Morgan St.; $30+; 919-560-3030

Another Strand in the Web – Friday, 1pm, and Saturday, 10am – Celebrate Black History Month with Rags to Riches Theatre as they present this compilation of Ananse the Spider tales from the Ashanti people of Africa. The story of this play is the discovery of three spider tales, namely “Why Spiders Live on the Ceiling,” “Stone with a Beard” and “Ananse Goes Fishing.” Historic Stagville, 5828 Old Oxford Hwy.; $7 per child; 919-620-0120

Nevermore Film Festival – Friday through Sunday, times vary – Created in 1999, this festival is dedicated to screening audience-requested horror flicks as well as brand-new films from around the world. The Carolina Theatre, 309 W. Morgan St.; $10; 919-560-3030

New exhibitions – Friday, 5-7pm – X-RAY Visions by Jennifer McCormick in the Allenton Gallery, Current Events: New Paintings by Jonathan McFadden in the Semans Gallery and Cold Gravy by Chance Murray in the Ella Fountain Pratt Legacy Gallery. Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St.; 919-560-2719

Silent Parade…or The Soul Rebels Band vs. Robert E. Lee – Friday, 6-9pm – SPECTRE Arts hosts a new mobile exhibition project, The Citizen, curated by Teka Selman. It’s inaugural project presents a screening of a new video work by artist William Cordova, who creates site-responsive work from re-purposed vernacular materials and actions, revealing the unofficial histories and lost narratives of indigenous cultures. SPECTRE Arts, 1004 Morning Glory Ave.; Free; 919-213-1441

Warmed Over Sue Realism – Friday, 6-9pm – Re-using raw materials mined from The Scrap Exchange, Durham artist Jim Kellough presents this photomontage exhibit in three formats; collaged-over LP sleeves, scrolls and records will hang from the walls without frames or labels—the title of each piece will live on the surface of the work. Each piece in the show is priced at $50 and is available on a cash-and-carry basis. Over the course of the exhibit, Kellough will replace sold items with new artwork, and he has asked that the proceeds from all sales go to support future programming at The Cameron Gallery. The exhibit runs through March 14. The Scrap Exchange, 2050 Chapel Hill Rd.; Free admission; 919-688-6960

Breathing Back: A Meditation Chorus – Friday, 6-9pm – Featuring visual art by Alexis Pauline Gumbs and music composed by Julia Sangodare Roxanne Wallace in honor of Audre Lorde, June Jordan, Pauli Murray, Lucille Clifton, Toni Cade Bambara, Ida B. Wells and many more, this is a sacred space to reconnect to using breathing as a technology of resistance and resilience and celebrate a Black History Month to remember. Opening night will feature a talk by the artists, activities for the whole family and snacks. The Carrack Modern Art, 111 W. Parrish St.

Ronald K. Brown/Evidence Dance Company & Jason Moran and the Bandwagon – Friday and Saturday, 8pm – Choreographer Ronald K. Brown and pianist Jason Moran combine their respective ensembles for the world premiere of The Subtle One for Duke Performances. Set to live music, the new work reflects on ancestors and the impact they have on the lives of people today. It’s paired with selections from Brown’s One Shot, based on the life of a photographer, and is set to music by Ahmad Jamal and Mary Lou Williams, played live by the Bandwagon. One of the most popular works in the repertory of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Brown’s Grace – set to recordings by Duke Ellington, Roy Davis and Fela Kuti – opens the evening. Reynolds Industries Theater, 125 Science Dr.; $15-$42; 919-684-4444

Dress for Success Inventory Excess Sale – Saturday, 10am-5pm – Shop early spring attire and close-out winter items including suits, coats and boots for $10; pants, skirts, tops, handbags and shoes for $5; and new designer brand names for 90% off retail. Arrive early at 9am, donate $20 at door, and enjoy early bird shopping access. Regular sale hours from 10am-5pm are at no cost. Northgate Mall, Store No. 248, 1058 West Club Blvd.; 919-286-2128

Kickstart the Bull – Saturday, 11am-11pm – The Durham City Council approved Bull City Ciderworks’ location as the next Durham Police Department headquarters. The entire block was purchased and BCC has till the end of the year to move out. “We are trying so hard to move but it is expensive as well as time consuming finding a new location in Durham that is suitable,” says Ben Ingold of the cidery.They are launching a Kickstarter Campaign at the Cider Bar in hopes of raising money to go towards getting them into a new Durham location. With just a month to raise the funds, this kickoff event is crucial and will feature $1 off pints. Supplement your drinks with foodstuffs from Bull City Street Food! Bull City Ciderworks, 113 S. Elizabeth St.; Free admission

Evening with the Experts – Daytime Edition – Saturday, 12:30pm-2pm – Join the Duke Lemur Center’s Conservation Coordinator Charlie Welch as he highlights all of the work that the DLC is doing in the SAVA region of Madagascar. This lecture will introduce the extremely biodiverse island and the troubles its flora and fauna are facing. Learn what the DLC is doing to combat these issues and save the most endangered group of mammals on the planet. Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch. A short tour highlighting some of our most endangered species will follow after the lecture. Duke Lemur Center, 3705 Erwin Rd.; $20 tax deductible donation, must call for reservations; 919-401-7240

Stile Antico – Saturday, 8pm – The superb twelve-voice British chamber choir performs a candlelit concert, In Pace: Music for Compline. The program features intimate and uplifting works, all written for the late-evening Compline service, by three generations of English Catholic composers. Duke Chapel, 401 Chapel Dr.; $15-$36; 919-684-4444

Party Illegal – Saturday, 10pm – Fresh off of a sold-out two-year anniversary party last month, Durham’s favorite monthly dance party is back with an all-local lineup of dance music veterans featuring DJ Direwolf, Lady Fingers, Neat Freak and JackWard AKA Yugen. The Pinhook, 117 West Main St.; $8; 919-667-1100

Fred Raimi – Sunday, 3pm – The cellist — a faculty member in the Duke University Department of Music and the longest serving member of the Ciompi Quartet, having joined the ensemble in 1974 — performs For Cello Alone. Baldwin Auditorium, 1336 Campus Dr.; Free; 919-660-3333

Share This!

Posted in

Durham Magazine

Scroll to Top