Remember how a portion of Oak Cliff began as a short-lived Utopian society settled by some French who weren’t crazy about Napoleon III in 1855? No? It doesn’t ring a big bell for most, but it probably should since we’ve got a tower and a reborn artists’ community named after…

Looking at the fast food habits of Dallas, you’ll easily figure two of the city’s major international influences: Mexico and France. OK, fine, so french fries originated in Belgium, but “French” is in the dang name and this landlocked joint hasn’t come far enough to have mussels and crepes in…

Two things we’ll never be able to understand no matter how hard we try: how charming Anne Hathaway became such a polarizing figure in show business, and how a man’s life can be crippled by a loaf of bread. Sure, one is significantly less “life important” (say which one you…

Maybe your make believe friend was two inches tall and wore a jaunty hat. Or maybe there wasn’t any one person. Perhaps you lived within many magical, imagined moments a day. Kids create amazing worlds for themselves – especially during strained times – in their heads. And sometimes, those kids…

Diana Ross is legendary. Janis Joplin passed before her time. Connie Francis was a radio queen. But there’s just no other voice like Patsy Cline’s. Only she could record Willie frikking Nelson’s “Crazy” and make it hers. Only she cold run with the boys of Nashville and cross over into…

If last year was any indication, we should probably get the outdoor fun out of the way early, lest we melt into a puddle of barbecue-scented Texan goo. After all, come June, outdoor events may no longer be classified as “fun,” but as “sweatsperiments.” Fortunately, Uptown Ciclovía is all about…

If you really just can’t bear to wait until July Fourth to feel really American, and if Memorial Day is still 24 hours too far away, Sunday is just as USA. Why? Because it’s National Tap Dance Day, of course. And while you may see some clog, step, and stomp…

If you grew up in Garland and live in Dallas, sometimes it’s hard to admit when the weekend’s tastiest event is going on in… Addison. But with the city’s inaugural Fork & Cork festival coming up, we’ve never been so hungry to head north. Friday and Saturday are looking to…

With all of the things that could potentially go wrong during a dance performance, we don’t often think of a broken string or a sour note. Lots of accompaniment is canned these days, leaving less to chance. That’s not to say such things will go wrong during a Mark Morris…

It’s a decade-long art trick in the making, and an undertaking so intense that most people would say the man behind it is a bit insane, if we didn’t already know him to be Chris Byrne, the co-founder of the Dallas Art Fair. The Magician, a graphic novel comprising 12…

Most anyone who can ride on two wheels can tell you their favorite bike shop. In prepping and shopping for this weekend’s big Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride (aka, the MS 150), it seems I’ve heard raves about almost every one — from tiny hipster outlets to big stores…

Look, we don’t want to jinx anything, but we think it’s finally safe to wear fewer clothes without fear of frostbitten … extremities. (Just mind your ACs, now.) And naturally, spring makes us immediately think of well-choreographed, if not scantily clad, frolics and gravity-defying jubblies. Wait, that’s not everyone? Well,…

As hard as is for some to dance on a flat surface, just imagine gliding, leaping and navigating the choreography of a performance on a curved stage with water being thrown at and poured all over you. That’s exactly what British company Motionhouse will do during their production, Scattered ……

For centuries, music has served as an audible expression of freedom. Yes, for its requirement for performers to be free of nerves and fear to perform perfectly, and definitely for its ability to make even the imprisoned feel free during those rare moments of beauty. But sometimes, music is truly…

It’s hard to say which is more beautiful: George Balanchine’s Serenade set to Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C,” or that the inspiration for Balanchine’s choreography was ballet students. Something else to ponder: Is Ben Stevenson’s L, choreographed for 11 male dancers to a percussive soundtrack, a tribute to a certain iconic Minnelli,…

March 17 may be St. Patrick’s Day, but anyone who’s been out of her house in March knows the month is largely — if not stereotypically — dedicated to celebrating all that is green, served with soda bread or speaks with a brogue. But instead of stopping the fun at…

Admit it: When all manner of Law & Order stops airing at 3 a.m., you turn to an even older standby. One with red hair you can see through black and white, and a whine that might make you dial down the volume. We all love Lucy, don’t we? Well,…

If you don’t know of a Jellicle or an Old Gumbie, then you were likely born in the 1990s and aren’t into Broadway. That’s right, folks. We’re talking Cats, a favorite of those who came of age in the wah-pedaled 1980s. Confession: I was a pretentious lit-worm at the ripe…

Twenty minutes can be magical, but 20 years can be quite the haul. In this case, that haul’s a fantastic one: TeCo Theatrical Productions is celebrating 20 years of staging multicultural theater by emerging artists. And this anniversary season is no different, with the 12th Annual New Play Competition. Running…

Ever been parking? You know, in public, just for the thrill of it? Well, this time you can do it with people in more than 35 countries across the world, and you don’t have to risk breaking curfew or pissing off your mom. In fact, she’ll probably be pretty proud…

As loath as we are to agree with R. Kelly, we don’t really see anything wrong with a little bump and grind. Also, nothing wrong with a hip rock or sashay accentuated by some well-placed fringe. Don’t have a problem with fishnets, either, now that we’re thinking about it. In…