Events for the week

thursday
october 12
Sacred Circles of the People: There is an amazing range of subjects being covered in the two-day "Sacred Circles of the People" conference, from substance abuse workshops to Pow Wow etiquette. The fourth annual event is hosted by the American Indian Center, Inc., a non-profit, charitable and educational organization dedicated to serving the American Indian community. Their purpose is to provide assistance to American Indian citizens through job training, education, information services, health education, and free chemical dependency programs to aid a culture that often falls through the cracks of our service organizations. Along the way, the Center hopes to educate non-Indians on the history and contemporary status of Native American people. This year's keynote address is by Steve Darden, Navajo/Cheyenne director of Northwest New Mexico Fighting Back Program. Events are scheduled October 12, 8 a.m.-9p.m. and October 13, 8 a.m.-9p.m. at the Harvey Hotel, 400 N. Olive. For ticket info call (817) 355-5145.

Christopher Taylor: Although one normally thinks of mathematics adn artistic impulse as mutually exclusive, they work together with considerable fluency in the mind of Christopher Taylor. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University three years ago with a degree in mathematics, but he is also one of the hottest young American pianists in the country today, having won a Bronze Medal at the Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He studied composition and music theory for 10 years and continues his career as a composer, having just recently finished numbers for string quartet as well as the keyboards. Taylor comes to Fort Worth to perform as part of the Cliburn Concert series at 8 p.m. in the Ed Landreth Auditorium of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Tickets are $10-$32. For information call (817) 335-9000.

friday
october 13
Texas Celebration: 1995 is the 150th year since Texas ratified statehood, a decision that ended the short-lived and much-fought-over Republic of Texas. The woman who's often called "The Mother of Texas" as well as someone who "makes Scarlett O'Hara look like a wimp," frontierwoman Jane Long is invoked as a muse for an evening of music, dramatic readings, and talks brought to you by the Cultural Affairs Council of Irving. Author Neila Skinner Petrick reads from her new biographical novel Jane Long of Texas, and children's author Elizabeth Dearing Morgan joins in with her own published tales about the woman. Tom Petrick discusses the Kentucky long rifle and other 19th-century weaponry popular in this region. To coincide wtih his presentation, there will be a reenactment of the Texas Ladies Target Practice Tea, with guest emcee Ivy Opdyke. Afterward, audience members will get the chance to mix with performers. The show kicks off at 7 p.m. in the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving. It's free, but reservations are required and seating is limited. Call 252-7558.

Purush - Expressions of Man: The non-profit Academy of Bangla Arts & Culture is responsible for a touring production that combines contemporary and classical dance forms as well as some of the top professional male dancers from America, India, and Bangladesh, and live music. Purush: Expressions of Man is officially a production of New York's Battery Dance Company, as a collaboration between artistic director Jonathon Hollander and Anita Ratman, founder and director of the Arangham Trust in Madras as well as an author, TV producer, and dancer. The pair of them have selected some of India's most rigorously trained male dancers, artists who specialize in disciplines many of us have never heard of - Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Kuchipuri, Kathakali, and many contemporary forms. The show gets under way at 8 p.m. in the Carpenter Performace Hall of the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving. Tickets are $7-$25. For more info call 252-ARTS.

saturday
october 14
Autumn at the Arboretum: The Dallas Arboretum has proven it can do some joyously tacky things with nature's delicate blooms, and this year's "Autumn at the Arboretum" is no different. Our state's natural flora have been converted into, among other things, two giant-size Cowboy boot topiaries and the shape of the state of Texas in red, white, blue, and green flowers. In addition, there are 15,000 chrysanthemums; acres of marigolds; unusual ornamental grasses; fall-blooming azaleas; autumn annuals; and perennials, all stretched across the 66-acre garden. In addition, there are appearances by top Texas gardening authors, a plant hunt, an antique farm equipment exhibition, and lots more. These are some of the special events planned every weekend through November 5. The Dallas Arboretum is located at 8525 Garland Road on White Rock Lake. The gardens are open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is $3-$6 with an additional $2 for parking. Kids under 6 get in free. For info call 327-8263.

El Concierto del Ano Vicente y Alejandro Fernandez: Ranchera music is sometimes called Mexico's answer to country music, usually by an Anglo. And although the two forms share trappings such as pedal-steel guitars and nasal harmonies, there is too much history and folklore in most ranchera to effectively compare to any other nation's music. One of the biggest teams in the business is the father-son duo Vicente & Alejandro Fernandez, and they are about to sing their final song together - live on stage, anyway. Vicente, the elder musician, is about ready to retire and put his boots up, but he's also concerned that his legendary status not overshadow his son Alejandro's burgeoning career. Dallas fans can catch their last performance together at a concert that also features up-and-coming singer Graciela Beltran and a dance performance by the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico troupe, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The show gets under way at 8 p.m. in the Dallas Convention Center Arena. For ticket information call 373-8000 or 953-3165.