Steppin' Out

Colin Dunne is the anti-Michael Flatley

published: August 05, 2004

8/5 You probably prance to the thunderous, rolling boil of copper-clad kettledrums. Your drummer's different. You're curious about, interested in or at least tolerant of all sorts of art forms from cultures far and near. Of the performing arts, dance is the most inscrutable. To do it well requires mastery of theater, music, athletics, spatial relationships and visual concepts, yet anyone with your sensibilities can appreciate it and arguably do it. Take your Texas cloggers, for instance. They stomp a frenetic rhythm in clodhopper shoes and flounce their petticoats until they're nearly senseless. At the other end of the stomping spectrum is the ultra-controlled dignity of Spanish flamenco. Somewhere in between is Irish step dancing, made phenomenally popular by Riverdance and the handsome, shirtless men who've been featured performers. One "lord of the dance" is Colin Dunne, who toured with Riverdance in the late 1990s, including a stint at Radio City Music Hall. Dunne will be here for a master class tour for dance students and is also speaking to the general public about his life and his art August 5 through August 7. Dunne says even beginners will get a kick out of the intermediate classes, but you can also sit still and listen to his talk from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Tipperary Inn, Live Oak and Skillman streets. Afterward, join him and local dancers for an Irish dance party. Admission is $10. Dunne will teach an intermediate class from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Artistic Grace, Bedford, and an advanced class from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The sessions continue August 7 at D.J.'s Dance, Southlake, with advanced from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and intermediate from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Register for class packages ($140) at sherercm@juno.com or call 601-985-9041. --Annabelle Massey Helber

Like Black and White
8/6

The delicate beauty of Paris captured in black and white merges with the treaded black tires and raw white-hot heat of Harley-Davidson chrome when a. gallery has its inaugural photography exhibit on August 6. Kay Askew, a. gallery's owner, will be showing a series of photographs called Art-rageous Hogs, while Dallas photographer Sarah Jane Semrad will exhibit a series titled Paris Tabletops. Each series is featured in black-and-white photography and will offer two artists' contrasting tastes in the medium. There will be a reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the show will hang through September 9. Admission is free. The gallery is located at 1023 E. 15th St. in historic downtown Plano. Call 469-951-7323 or 972-423-9738. --Jenice Johnson

Bottled Up
8/7

Not to overstate it, but Best Cellars is the greatest concept in history. For those not yet in the know, this Knox Street paradise is a hip, sleek wine store where all the bottles are organized by taste instead of by grape: soft, juicy, big, smooth, sweet and so on. Not only that, but every wine on the wall is $15 or less. Not only that, but they often have bottles of wine open for tasting as you browse. Not only that, but sometimes Best Cellars invites chefs in to cook food so you can eat and drink and discuss how to pair foodstuff and vino. Come see chef Ali Nazary of Café Izmir from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to discover the greatness of which we speak. Call 214-252-9463. --Eric Celeste

Art is Child's Play
8/7

As a kid, I was always like, "Art? Ugh. Who cares?" You can't blame me. No one else cared, plus it would have been foolish--traumatic, even--to admit otherwise. This is the biggest regret of my childhood. But, on Saturday, you have the opportunity to show your kid (or catch yourself up on) works I didn't see. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth presents Dreams and Legends: A Family Festival Focusing on Caravaggio to Dali. Admission is free. The Kimbell will also screen scenes from Disney's Fantasia, and the Hip Pocket Theatre will present an original adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. The Kimbell Art Museum is at 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth. Call 817-332-8451. --Paul Kix