10/24-10/26
At some point — while on line at the DMV? — a member of postmodern society may well ask herself what it means to be a “corpse standing upright.” This is only one of the questions that Butoh dance asks of its audience, and of itself. Born in post-WWII Japan of an extraordinary ménage à trois of traditional Japanese theater, German Neue Tanze, and mime, Butoh (literally, “stamping dance,” from the Japanese bu, “dance” and toh, “step”) strives to be pre-modern. According to Bob DeNatale, a San Francisco Butoh teacher, it “evokes a timeless world that existed before culture and will exist after it.” Grotesque, peaceful, apocalyptic, enigmatic — there’s a Butoh for every dancer and every beholder.At Moon Fire: East Bay Butoh Bazaar #2, you’ll behold Shinichi Momo Koga’s 48 Additional Shocks, inspired by the lectures of philosopher George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, and Kinji Hayashi and Paige Sorvillo’s Butoh Western. The program also includes works by Christina Braun, Leigh Evans, Judith Kajiwara, and Hijikata-lineage Butoh master Hiroko Tamano. $15 at the Temescal Arts Center, Friday through Sunday at 8 p.m. Rather be dancing? Check out butoh @ home, six series of four classes each, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:15 p.m. to 10:15 p.m., through December 18. E-mail [email protected] for more information. — Nora Sohnen
Senior Class Credits: Al Cameron
10/23-11/22
Fogies ‘n’ Footlights
Fed up with society’s worship of youth, playwright and TV producer Saul Ilson wrote Senior Class, a musical revue celebrating the vitality of AARP members, such as Sophia Loren, Rita Moreno, and Goldie Hawn. Alas, none of those three actors is in the cast when this play receives its world premiere Saturday night at Walnut Creek’s Center REPertory Company — but Ilson and director Dianna Shuster are rolling out the laughs and songs anyway. The show previews Thursday and runs until November 22. DLRCA.org — Kelly Vance
SAT 10/25
She-God Hop
Earth magic in Orinda
Honor the old and spin in the new when the Daughters of the Goddess celebrate Hallowmas with a Womyn’s Ritual and Spiral Dance at the Orinda Masonic Temple (9 Altarinda Rd.). The Dianic temple will commemorate the pagan new year (also known as Samhain) by honoring grandmothers and crones with priestess Leilani Birely, music by Jennifer Berezen, and drumming by Carolyn Brandy. Bring drums and rattles to play, and pictures of beloved ancestors for the Day of the Dead altar. Tickets cost $23 in advance, $27 at the door, and $10 for girls age twelve and younger. Info: 925-787-9739 or 925-787-9247. DaughtersoftheGoddess.com — Stefanie Kalem
SUN 10/26
Revel-ation
Xmas comes early
Man. The Christmas season starts earlier and earlier each year, don’t it? California Revels aren’t even waiting till all your candy corns are digested before bringing you a prelude to this year’s Christmas program. The special Sunday matinee features comic actor Geoff Hoyle, veteran of the Bay Area stage and creator of the role of Zazu the hornbill in the original Broadway production of The Lion King, and baritone Wendell Brooks. Hoyle will play Will Kemp, Shakespeare’s fool, both in the 2003 Christmas Revels and today at 2 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts (2640 College Ave., Berkeley). He’ll dazzle you with physical high jinks and perform skits suitable for the whole family (like the Christmas Revels themselves). Brooks will render a special selection of songs to celebrate the Autumn Equinox and the upcoming Allhallows Eve. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for the little ones, and can be reserved at 925-798-1300. — Stefanie Kalem
