Friends FLY Free

Ballet and hip-hop will share the stage at Miller Outdoor Theatre --if only for one night. At Saturday's "Enchanted Evening" performance, the Sandra Organ Dance Company will hook up with former FLY Dance Company member Mario Jamarill for a tango number. Sandra Organ, a master choreographer known for her elegant dances, describes the dance's concept: "A modern dance diva, a ballerina, a ballroom type and a jazz/hip-hop chick meets her match in Mario's free-wheeling FLY style." And the whole FLY group, Houston's homegrown hip-hop dance company, will take a break from its busy touring schedule (which includes a stop at the Kennedy Center) to give its own performance at Miller on Friday. The troupe will dance with a batch of guest artists in "FLY with Friends," which features music by the Temptations, live scratching by DJ Comp 1 and the classical guitar playing of Garcia y Reyna.

"FLY with Friends," 8 p.m. Friday, September 19. For information, call 713-523-3709. "An Enchanted Evening with Sandra Organ Dance Company," 8 p.m. Saturday, September 20. For information, call 713-522-7632. 100 Concert Drive in Hermann Park. Free. -- Nancy Galeota-Wozny

 

TUE 9/23
Provocative Pop
Singer-songwriter and guitarist John K. Samson used to play in the politically pungent punk band Propagandhi, a Winnipeg, Canada-based outfit that boasted song titles like "Stick That Fucking Flag Up Your Goddamn Ass, You Skinhead Creep." Samson's current group, the Weakerthans, strips away the political agenda in favor of catchy pop songs with literate, clever, well-crafted lyrics. The book insert for the Weakerthans' 2003 record, Reconstruction Site, contains quotes by writers and poets who may or may not have inspired songs; a quote from Time's Arrow author Martin Amis introduces the lyrics to a Weakerthans' song of the same name. Some of the group's songs mix cuteness with self-deprecating indictment. In "Plea from a Cat Named Virtue" Samson sings, "I swear I'm going to bite you hard and taste your tinny blood if you don't stop the self-defeating lies you've been repeating since the day you brought me home." Meow! 10 p.m. Tuesday, September 23. Fat Cat's, 4216 Washington Avenue. For information, call 713-869-5263. $10. -- Troy Schulze

 

Bilingual Homage
Jennifer Lopez risked the ire of hard-core fans by playing the much-mourned Selena. Now Herbert Sigüenza will bravely pay tribute to Cantinflas, Latin America's most beloved (and deceased) actor and comedian. In his one-man performance, ¡Cantinflas!, Sigüenza explores the roots and rise of the star in both Spanish and English. "The work would have lost all its charm if I had translated it into English," he says. And anyway, "The Spanish-speaking audience in Houston is huge." Verdad. Preview: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 23. Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, from Wednesday, September 24, through October 5. Alley Theatre, Neuhaus Stage, 615 Texas Avenue. For information, call 713-228-8421 or visit www.alleytheatre.org. $15. -- Lisa Simon

 

TU:E 9/23
Here's to You, Ms. Hall
Now that the tabloids have lost all interest, Jerry Hall is busy proving she's more than "Mick Jagger's ex-model ex-wife." Ms. Hall has remade a name for herself as the sultry Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, directed here by Peter Lawrence. 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays, from Tuesday, September 23, through October 5. Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby. For tickets, call 713-629-3700. $20 to $57. -- Keith Plocek