The Best Things To Do in Dallas, July 12-18

Wednesday, July 12

Movement: The Legacy of Kineticism at the Dallas Museum of Art
Great art doesn’t just have to be still. It should and can move in all sorts of ways: physically, emotionally and even in terms of “launching your lunch” if it’s particularly bad. Moving is moving. A new interactive exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.) called Movement: The Legacy of Kineticism lets you interact with 80 works of moving art from new and classic artists that either create the illusion of movement or allow viewers to physically interact with them without drawing weird looks from security guards who seem really eager to go for their tasers. The new exhibition runs through July 30. Access is available with the purchase of museum tickets at movement.dma.org.

The Watering Hole Collective Presents Spring Awakening at Arts Mission Oak Cliff
Being a teenager in any time dimension sucks because being a teenager sucks. Your body is trying to make up for years of stagnant growth by forcing you to experience it in a rushed hormonal cram session, turning your body into a pimple-covered, emotional mess. The nonprofit arts group The Watering Hole Collective is exploring this difficult time of a human’s life with the rock musical Spring Awakening. Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Tony-winning musical retelling of the 1891 German play of the same name tells the story of two teenagers named Wendla and Moritz whose budding sexualities are stifled and even reprimanded by myopic authority figures (is there another kind?). The Watering Hole Collective has scheduled three performances of Spring Awakening at 7:30 p.m., July 12-14, at Arts Mission Oak Cliff (410 S. Windomere Ave.). Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com.

Thursday, July 13

Four Day Weekend at the Coppell Arts Center
Dallas-Fort Worth’s longest running improv comedy troupe takes its signature brand of made-up theater to the Coppell Arts Center (505 Travis St.). Four Day Weekend has performed at its Dallas and Fort Worth theaters for more than 25 years in ways that don’t give audiences complete control over the show but makes them a vital part of the action on stage. The brilliant performances of its casts span generations of Dallas comedy. The cast of the Four Day Weekend comedy theater will take to the center’s main hall stage at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 13. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the box office or online at coppellartscenter.org.

Asian Film Festival at the Angelika Film Centre
This annual nonprofit film festival packs a lot more interesting, thought-provoking films in its four-day festival than some local theaters can provide for an entire year. This year’s gathering at the Angelika Film Center (5321 E. Mockingbird Lane) offers everything from shorts to feature-length films in a variety of genres showcasing the talents and voices of Asian cinema from across the world. Some of the notable screenings at the Asian Film Festival include a gripping documentary about one woman’s search for justice in Seven Winters in Tehran, the Korean action film Night of the Assassin and the Japanese fish-out-of-water comedy Marriage Counselor. The festival runs from Thursday, July 13 through Sunday, July 16. Check the festival’s website for screening times and ticket prices.

Friday, July 14

The Underpants at MainStage Irving
Only a comedic legend like Steve Martin could produce a hilarious, thoughtful and original piece with the word “Underpants” in the title. Now you can see it live at MainStage Irving (3333 N. MacArthur Blvd.). Martin’s play tells the story of a newlywed named Louise who has some issues with a pair of billowy bloomers that sets off a chain reaction of interesting events in some ridiculous ways. MainStage Irving’s production of The Underpants opens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 14, and runs through Saturday, July 29, with additional performances every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets run from $22 to $29, with discounts for seniors and students. Purchase online at tickets.irvingartscenter.com.

Once Upon a Time in Uganda at the Texas Theatre
Sometimes it seems like most mainstream filmmakers got into the business only to make scads of money and cram more pyrotechnics onto the screen in ways that could be reproduced only if the screen itself were on fire. Ugandan brickmaker-turned-filmmaker Isaac Nabwana got into the movie business because of his passion for storytelling, and his insane and unbelievable story produced one of the most vibrant and unique movie-making houses in African film history. The critically acclaimed documentary Once Upon a Time in Uganda is coming to the Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) for three screenings at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 14, 6 p.m, Saturday, July 15; and 5 p.m., Sunday, July 16. Tickets are $12.50 and $10.50 for theater members and students, seniors and military personnel and can be purchased at the box office or online at thetexastheatre.com.

Saturday, July 15

Texas Haunters Convention at the Mesquite Convention Center
Do you enjoy scaring people to within an inch of their lives so you can help them appreciate the fragility of life when they make it to the other side of a big scream? If so, this Halloween treat is just the thing for you. The Texas Haunters Convention at the Mesquite Convention Center (1750 Rodeo Drive) offers more than 50,000 square feet of scary space with the latest haunted house attractions and animatronics, special effects, artworks and costumes for the Halloween season or the kind of person who appreciates creepy stuff throughout the year. The convention runs 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 16. Admission is $25 for a weekend pass, $20 for a Saturday pass and $10 for a Sunday pass. Kids 12 and under can get a weekend pass for $10 or a Saturday or Sunday pass for $6. Children 2 and under get in for free. Passes can be purchased online at texashauntersconvention.com.

Flea Harvey’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Flea Market at Lee Harvey’s
Are you the kind of music fan who insists that every song be played on vinyl? Did you ever place a bid on a item that’s been chewed by rock royalty? Do you refuse to hang any concert posters on your wall if it hasn’t been stapled to a telephone pole before it fell into your hands? Then chances are you’ll find something worth listening to, wearing or tacking on your wall at Lee Harvey’s (1807 Gould St.) or rather Flea Harvey’s (heh) monthly flea market. You’ll find music collectibles, original vinyl albums and locally made works of rocking art from nearly 20 vendors. The flea market runs 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 15. Admission is free.

Sunday, July 16

Meow Wolf at Grapevine Mills
The mind-bending art collective at the Grapevine Mills mall (3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway) finally opens its doors on Friday, July 14. Alas, the earliest you’ll be able to see it is Sunday, July 16, unless you know someone with connections. Meow Wolf is a growing art collective that makes interactive experiences that envelope its guests in different worlds. Meow Wolf has dubbed its Grapevine experience The Real Unreal, and it offers original works with interactive and responsive pieces from local artists who build a surprising story that questions the very definition of existence and emotion. The experience starts in an ordinary-looking suburban home that seems to warp to the strains of time the deeper you delve into its inhabitants’ stories as the portals it opens present vibrant, colorful and even dreadful worlds. This is one of the most anticipated art experiences in Dallas-Fort Worth and it’s got two sold-out opening days to prove it. Tickets start at $45 and are available seven days a week starting at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 16, until the venue reaches its capacity crowd. You can make a reservation for your visit at meowwolf.com.

Yogarita at Le Méridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh
Few things can help a person unwind like a good yoga session and a nice, cold drink on a hot day. So why not combine the two? Yogarita is a refreshing take on the standing and stretching arts and meditative experience combined with some tasty beverages from the Le Méridien Dallas at The Stoneleigh hotel (2927 Maple Ave.). The session starts at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 16, and lasts three hours including one hour of instruction and guided yoga accompanied by a refreshing “yogarita” made with Casamingos Tequila. General admission passes are $40 per person and can be purchased online at eventbrite.com.

Monday, July 17

Plano Community Band’s Sesquicentennial Celebration at Haggard Park
This year marks Plano’s 150th anniversary, and the Plano Community Band is celebrating this momentous occasion with a live, free outdoor concert in Haggard Park (901 E. 15 St.). Plano became a city in 1873 after the building of the Houston and Texas Railroads and nearly didn’t make it to its 10th anniversary when a huge fire destroyed most of the city’s business district in 1881, according to Visit Plano. Since then, the city has seen steady growth over the years. Then, the population exploded in the 1980s when giant companies like JCPenney and Frito-Lay established headquarters there. Plano has been recognized as an All-American city and has topped lists of Dallas-Fort Worth’s fastest growing towns. The Plano Community Band is a full wind instrument group made up of musicians who call Plano home. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Monday, July 17. Bring your own blanket or outdoor seating to enjoy the show.

Tuesday, July 18

Catapult Fun! at the White Rock Hills Library
Catapults don’t have to be merely medieval weapons of war. They can teach us a lot about simple machines, physics and what not to throw in a crowded space or near fragile objects. That’s why the White Rock Hills Branch Library (9150 Ferguson Road) is holding a special catapult craft session where kids ages 6-11 learn how to build their own homemade launcher and put it to the test with a special series of targets (no, they aren’t your fellow library patrons). This special engineering test and build happens from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18. Admission is free and open to the public.