What's on the itinerary this week, you ask? A bit of this, a bit of that — what else is new — including music of today and yesteryear, interactive video dance, tuneful film and an exhibition that attempts to outwit viewers.
Click on the link below each event suggestion to find further deets, like where to eat, drink and shop nearby your destination, in addition to a helpful feature that inscribes the intel straight to your electronic calendar.
Summer Sounds Concert: Sufi Second Line
Yes, it's hot as balls out there so you may prefer to stay in the comfort of air conditioned spaces. But what if someone enticed you with free beer and snacks? Would you embrace your muggy Houston self? The Rothko Chapel is hoping to lure Houstonians away from indoor hibernation to partake in a three-part, al fresco concert series.
The first one, set for Thursday, resonates with the kind of fusion locals love: A mixture of cultures. Tom Larson and Andrew Ward, the founders of group Wahida (unity in Arabic), throw New Orleans' second line, Mardi Gras and North Indian Sufi music into a pot, whip them together to cook up a melange that's best experienced and not described.
The series continues on July 18 with Vivalda Dula and Aug. 15 with El Rectorado del Son.
The skinny: Thursday, 7 p.m.; Rothko Chapel; free event, $10 suggested donation.
Frame Dance Productions presents Ecouter
I can't vouch if Lydia Hance, the dudette behind Frame Dace Productions, settled on the program's title as a nod to the music of three Houston composers — Charles Halka, Mark Hirsch and Frame Dance's 2013 Music Composition winner Robert McClure — whose scores will be the basis for new original dance pieces. Ecouter, French for listen, melds live performance, video and electronic music to turn Studio 101 into an aesthetic lab where the audience is part of the art.
Don't be surprised if whatever sounds manifest from your body are incorporated into the performance. In that sense of the motif, the artists will be listening.
The skinny: Friday and Saturday; Studio 101; tickets are $15 in advace, $20 at the door.
DiverseWorks presents L'esprit de l'escalier
You know the feeling when you devise the perfect comeback in your head but because it's too late to blurt it out your masterful riposte has to remain silent? It burns, oh, yes it does.
The gist of DiverseWorks title, "staircase wit" in French, is lost in translation, although it describes the feeling of retreating with one's tail between the legs.
Loosely, this is the tenor that forges the skeleton of the exhibition, which displays the works of the avant-garde presenter's artist board. These creatives muse with the aftermath of dislodged words, objects and actions from their respective contexts.
Artist Lynne McCabe performs during opening night. Weekly events each Wednesday evening through Aug. 14 offer reflections on the theme du jour.
The skinny: Friday, 7 p.m.; DiverseWorks, free admission.
Jazz on Film screening series: The Connection and Ornette: Made in America
The film screening series at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston chronicles the development of a genre that's uniquely American through the hands of tuneful masters. The month-long showcase comes to an end this weekend with two features directed by Shirley Clarke: The Connection and Ornette: Made in America.
2013 Houston LGBT Pride Celebration Festival & Parade, presented by Bud Light
The Pride Celebration Festival & Parade is the climax of a week stuffed with daily events that celebrate people accepting themselves and others for who they are regardless of societal labels. Take pride in your quirky self and join the party that's for everyone.
Arts smarty pants and dance maven Nancy Wozny's pick: Urban Souls Dance Company presents Urban Utopia
Nancy says: "Urban Souls Dance Company likes to end its season with a bang, and they have one for sure with Urban Utopia, a New Orleans-based tale that explores the difference between a fairytale and a lie. The evening also features original poetry by Sunni Patterson and live music by Marium Echo-Rattler and The Texas Brass Band.
"And that's not all. Nick Muckleroy will be performing. He's the very dancer who stunned the judges on So You Think You Can Dance during the audition process."
Jazz on Film series comes to an end this weekend with two features directed by Shirley Clarke, including The Connection.
Late August is one of Esquire's best new restaurants.
Photo by Leonid Furmansky
