Hold onto your fishnets men and ladies, it's going to be one hell of a weekend.
Now that we're back to the usual five-day office beat down, we'll need to turn this thing out proper to really feel our souls again. No problem. We've got Bastille on Bishop (complete with French Maid races), a week of Asian cinema, Friday the 13th tattoo messiness in Deep Ellum, art shows and even a little pampering. Just go ahead and do all of it. I'll see you out there. Share this list with your party posse and click the event titles for more details. Now go be good little monsters.
Thursday 7.12 Cocktail Class at Oil and Cotton This Oak Cliff haven is shaking things up, boozy things. Call quick and see if spaces are available for today's adventure in infusions, bottling and exceptional cocktail education. You'll probably have to sample everything to make sure it came out alright and you definitely get to take some home.
Nexxus Endless Style Bar ULTA Beauty is hosting this luxurious event, ladies. Let those work week cares dissolve as you get pampered, for free. Make-overs, hair sessions, cocktails and snacks -- yeah, you deserve this. You might even win fancy prizes.
The Asian Film Festival of Dallas This festival, now 11 years strong, begins today and runs until next weekend. It's kinda huge. The opening night film, Ace Attorney (which replays on the 19th), is by director Takashi Miike, the same guy who did 13 Assassins, Ichi the Killer and, shudder, Audition. This is his live-action take on the Nintendo game, Ace Attorney and it looks rad. There are tons of other films to check out. Click the event title for a guide.
Friday 7.13 Festival of Independent Theaters This giant celebration of stage gives temporary lodgings to those experimental and smaller theater troupes that don't have a brick and mortar home base. A nice one, too. Here's a chance to see great plays in the most beautiful lakeside setting in the Dallas arts scene: The Bath House Cultural Center. F.I.T. runs through August 4th.
Opening Night Party at Smoke and Mirrors Gallery Now housed at 406 Arts, Smoke is throwing a two-day bash for artist Alison Marie Welsh. She's been in group shows all over town showing off her creepily gorgeous ink drawings of haunting monster ladies, but Friday the 13th will be her first solo show. There's death metal bands accompanying her on Friday and garage rock acts on Saturday. Each night has an open bar; just pay a cover at the door.
Saturday 7.14
Bastille Day on Bishop French maid races and red wine while it's still sunny out? In. Films at the Modern Dance Festival While the exceptional choreography is the main reason to check out this fest, on Saturday they'll be showing highly experimental modern dance films that look AMAZING. Lovers fly through the air with daggers. Enemies sink and rise while hunting one another through an abandoned castle. People dance on sand. These are films David Lynch would make if he could dance.
Sheet/Rock Opens at CentralTrak Local and artful movers and shakers Cassandra Emswiler and Sally Glass open a two-person show on Saturday night at CentralTrac. It's a celebration of creative friendship, as told through "chaotic harmony." Righteous.
Charity Cupcake Bash Somehow you help sick kids by indulging your inner fatto and gorging on cupcakes. Why isn't everything in life this easy?
Sunday 7.15 Sinbad, The Melodrama at Pocket Sandwich Theater It's a campy spoof of old creature features staring a swashbuckling hero who's fighting for the love of a beautiful princess. You can throw popcorn at the evildoers!
