Live Six Show

If there were an equivalent of the Whitney Biennial for the Houston dance scene,
it would be Houston Choreographers X6. A weekend of work by six local dancemakers,
Choreographers X6 will launch the Jewish Community Center’s Dance Month, now in
its 24th year. The participating choreographers will present a diverse range of
works. Victoria Arizpe’s upbeat jazz piece, Ray Dones’s harder-hitting contemporary
choreography and the ballet-based dances of Michael Bannigan, Randall Flinn and
Amber Thornton-Stein should balance nicely with Paola Georgudis’s contemplative
work, Something Is Gone. Her solo piece was inspired by a quote about Picasso’s
Guernica and is set to music by the Two Star Symphony.

Georgudis, a founding member of Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, is perhaps the
best-known artist in the bunch, having made her name as a dancer and choreographer
and as one of this city’s most active Pilates instructors. Mix that all together
with a complex Chilean childhood, and you have a style that’s delicate yet fueled
by an unmistakable strength. 8 p.m. Saturday, January 10, and 3 p.m. Sunday,
January 11. Jewish Community Center, 5601 South Braeswood. For information,
call 713-551-7255 or visit www.jcchouston.org.
$10 to $18. — Christie Taylor

Love’s a Bitch

FRI 1/9

Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years is a contemporary musical about
the relationship between a writer and an actress, as told from both points of
view. The writer begins the tale, chronicling their relationship from meeting
to marriage to breakup. The actress then has her say, narrating the sequence
of events in reverse order. After several downs and ups, the song cycle eventually
returns to their first meeting, all the more bittersweet the second time around.
The ending (beginning?) may be known from the get-go, but the intensity of the
story makes the trip worthwhile. Ironically enough, the final performance of
this downer of a play will be on Valentine’s Day, when the theater is sure to
be packed with lovelorn individuals who are fed up with the holiday. Bummer.
8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, January 9 through February 14. Theater LaB Houston,
1706 Alamo. For information, call 713-868-7516 or visit www.theaterlabhouston.com.
$23. — Keith Plocek

It’s a Family Affair

Even if they’re both critically acclaimed pianists, the Labèque sisters
still conform to the hot-and-cold sibling dynamic. While Katia is known for
her fiery interpretations, older sister Marielle is famous for her tireless
dedication to minute detail. Yet they play with the seamlessness of one musician
once they sit down together in front of the keys. Their four hands will tickle
the ivories this weekend with a thoroughly 20th-century repertoire, including
George Gershwin’s Three Preludes and Dave Maric’s Exile. Maric
himself will be on hand to provide the electronic ambience. 8 p.m. Friday, January
9. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. For information, call 713-227-4SPA or visit www.spahouston.org.
$15. — Keith Plocek

The Rust of Us

FRI 1/9

Granted, the human body is 70 percent water, but only the folks at Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre would be bizarre enough to think the title of their latest production — Why Do the Children Rust? — is a logical follow-up question to that fact. And that’s just the beginning of the weirdness they’ve got planned for the show. 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, January 9 though January 24. Helios, 411 Westheimer. For information, call 713-526-7434. $6 to $8. — Keith Plocek