THURSDAY OCT 11


The Guangdong Modern Dance Company

(DANCE) The Guangdong Modern Dance Company is China's only modern dance troupe, but the lack of competition hasn't made them lazy. Grappling with an American dance idiom, they have produced a powerful, stylish hybrid in which the training from Chinese dance forms and martial arts influence the choreography in subtle ways. Music ranges from Bach to Samuel Barber, and while some dancers wear sumptuous pseudo-Elizabethan costumes, others are almost naked. This evening of short works includes a solo described as "pyrotechnic" by The New York Times, a male duet describing a possibly clandestine relationship, and a longer piece in which a man walks amongst a herd of mystical animals. BRET FETZER

Meany Hall for the Performing Arts, UW Campus, 543-4880, Thurs-Sat at 8, $32.


Jihad, Terror, War, and Justice

(LECTURE) The bombing of Afghanistan is in progress, and Americans can no longer be in simple solidarity with the victims of September 11. We are now split between those who want revenge and those who want a peaceful resolution. Last week, the University of Washington's free public lecture series began with "An Introduction to Islam," which brought in nearly 2,000 people. These Seattleites have an appetite to learn--the most brilliant and righteous action to be taken under current circumstances. If 2,000 people showed up to be introduced to Islam, imagine what kind of crowd there will be for tonight's lecture: "Jihad, Terror, War, and Justice: Four Words for the 21st Century," a talk given by Ellis Goldberg, Political Science Professor and Director of the Middle East Center at the UW's Jackson School of International Studies. Go early. BRIAN GOEDDE

Hec Edmundson Pavilion, UW Campus, 7:30, free. For a complete schedule of the lecture series, go to http://jsis.artsci.washington.edu/jsis/lecture.html.


Barbara Ehrenreich

(READING) In the earlier days, Ehrenreich wrote a number of books in which illness intersects with gender, such as Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers, and Complaints and Disorders: The Sexual Politics of Sickness, both published in 1983. Then her focus shifted to nationalism and economics with Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class in '89. This year's book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, illuminates the latest development in Ehrenreich's thinking. Her titles alone suggest the perspective that all issues of illness, gender, and healing (or failure to heal) are compounded in the conflict of class and economics (and all brilliant thinkers lead to Marx). Ehrenreich is a valuable writer on the landscape of American letters (not to mention a funny person), and all proceeds from tonight's show will benefit Washington Works, a non-profit organization that helps welfare recipients and other low-income individuals get and retain livable-wage jobs. BRIAN GOEDDE

Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave (at Seneca St), 7:30 pm, $10 suggested donation.


FRIDAY OCT 12


Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

(MUSIC) Through watery vocal reverb and a delay-soaked guitar squall, Virgin Records' Black Rebel Motorcycle Club renders one of the sexiest live shows you will see all year. Especially if there has ever been a place in your aesthetic realm for obvious B.R.M.C. influences like Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. The band's three members stand poised, like cocky triggers, flood-lit from behind and shrouded in a dense, man-made fog. The best song the band does live is called "Whatever Happened to My Rock 'n' Roll." As you hear those words, you'll be wondering the very same thing, happy as fuck and spaced out on the noisy, beautiful sounds of the 1980s. I love this band. JEFF DeROCHE

Crocodile Cafe, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611.


(seclusion)

(CORNUCOPIA OF STUFF) Secluded Alley Works clearly has ambitions. To take part in (seclusion), you must arrive at 7 p.m. with camping gear and flashlights; you will be put on a bus with blackened windows, taken out to a dirt road far from civilization, where--spread out across five acres of dimly lit paths--you will find a mix of installation art, painting, photography, ceramics, experimental theater, and god knows what else. The list of artists involved is as long as your arm. The buses will return at 10 a.m. the next day and bring you back, safe and sound--or so they claim. The Stranger assumes no responsibility for your well-being if this turns out to be a scheme by devil-worshippers looking for fresh victims. Look the bus driver in the eye before you get on board. BRET FETZER

Secluded Alley Works, 113 12th Ave, 839-0880, 7 pm, $23 (includes breakfast). Call or e-mail tix@secludedalleyworks.org to purchase tickets. Event will also be staged on Fri 10/19 and Fri 10/26.


Blonde Redhead, Unwound

(MUSIC) The sonically strident Blonde Redhead is a challenging band whose rewards are well worth the effort of initiation. Perhaps no other group outside of Sonic Youth blends the sublime with the clamorous to such stunning effect. Unwound's latest album, a double disc titled Leaves Turn Inside You, is the sound of matured angst. The pains and injustices are still killing you, but the insensitive urgency and the thought that your problems are any more important than those of anyone else has been beaten down. This is by no means a signal that Unwound has lost any of its vitality and charge--quite the contrary. In fact, it's the stillness, and the orchestrated droning, that makes the album so electric. KATHLEEN WILSON

Showbox, 1426 First Ave, 628-3151, $12/$14.


SATURDAY OCT 13


Koyaanisqatsi & Philip Glass

(MUSIC & FILM) I don't know much about minimalist composition, but I do know this: Seeing Philip Glass and his orchestra live, performing his score from Koyaanisqatsi, was a transformative experience for me in 1990, enough that I've been talking about it ever since. The film is already a titanic rant against consumption, and the propulsive soundtrack is a crucial element. But live and loud, what's most astounding is the precision with which Glass & Co. hit their marks. Even if the film weren't as brilliant an achievement as it is, it'd be an impressive sight. AND THIS JUST IN: On the Thursday before, the luminous Mr. Glass will engage in a conversation with the public at Cornish, which will also be an impressive sight. SEAN NELSON

Koyaanisqatsi tonight at Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St, 292-2787, $17-$35.50. "Conversation with Philip Glass" is Thurs Oct 11, Cornish College of the Arts, 710 E Roy St, 726-5011, noon, free.


SUNDAY OCT 14


The Arsonists

(MUSIC) From the Arsonists' recent release, Date of Birth, comes "Language Arts," in which the verses make puns on martial-arts terms, giving them new hiphop meaning. The chorus goes "Training! Balance. Focus. Challenge! Meditate. Silence! Skill. Talent," and so on--and the conclusion to this list is, "You must learn to accept defeat; check my Language Arts." The object of this militancy is to arm yourself not with weapons of steel for a war in the Far East, but to arm yourself with language for b-boyism in the West. Agreed, this emphasis on codes of discipline can often lead to ridiculously masculine statements, but Date of Birth is a strong and well thought-out album. Though I've never seen the Arsonists in concert, I have heard from reliable sources that they are excellent at moving the crowd. So come prepared. Also appearing at this all-ages concert are DJs Swamp and E-Rok. BRIAN GOEDDE

I-Spy, 1921 Fifth Ave, 374-9492, $12.


Sonic Cinema

(TV) The Sundance Channel debuts the first installment of its three-week series on music video as cinema. Tonight's segment features four inventive filmmakers who have recently finished their first feature films. Chris Cunningham (director of William Gibson's Neuromancer) discusses his work for Aphex Twin; Roman Coppola (C.Q.) explains his videos for Air and It Came From Heaven; fans of Björk will recognize Michael Gandry (Human Nature); and Jamie Thraves (The Lowdown) modestly expounds on his videos for Travis as well as his striking video for Radiohead's "Just (You Do It to Yourself)." Upcoming segments include works by famous animators and filmmakers Guy Madden, Brothers Quay, and Jem Cohen, who interpret songs from Sparklehorse's latest album, It's a Wonderful Life. KATHLEEN WILSON

Fri Oct 12, 11 pm; Sun Oct 14, 12:30 am. Sundance Channel.


MONDAY OCT 15


Olympia Film Festival

(FILM) Yes, yes, this listing is for Monday, and there are good things to see: most notably "Borgnine, Blassie, and Link," a triptych of works presented by the great Jeff Krulik (of Heavy Metal Parking Lot fame) and featuring Ernest Borgnine (on the bus), Freddie "King of Men" Blassie, and the creator of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp. There's also a panel featuring Krulik, Lance Bangs, and Russ Forster about the challenge of documenting pop culture. But what you really need to do is jump back to Saturday and head down for All Freakin' Night, the sacramental cinematic slumber party that perches atop the Oly Film Fest each year like a crown. Horror films from midnight till dawn. Glorious. Bring a sleeping bag and some footie pajamas if you got 'em. SEAN NELSON

Capitol Theater, 206 E Fifth Ave, Olympia, WA. Festival runs through Sun Oct 21; for ticket information and a complete schedule, call the Olympia Film Society at (360) 754-5378 or go to www.olywa.net/ofs.


Tuesday Oct 16


Shining Moment

(FILM) As the Rendezvous goes gentle into yet another final good night, the folks at Shining Moment films present this celebration of 10 years of arcane cinema and hard liquor, two great tastes that taste great together. Sub Masa and members of the Black Cat Orchestra also taste great (because they have great taste), and they will contribute to this last supper by playing along with a program of cartoons, experimental shorts, and trailers from the likes of Georges Méliès, Max Fleischer, and Kaiju Eliga. SEAN NELSON

Jewel Box Theater in the Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 7:30 pm, $7.


WEDNESDAY OCT 17


Nadège Desgenétez

(ART) In Things Among Others, Desgenétez creates nostalgia out of glass. A former student of industrial design and a master glassblower (who has worked for every big glass artist in town), Desgenétez here has turned from traditional forms and vessels to interpretive recreations of functional objects, such as (above) a look back at her girlhood striped socks. This is the latest in a string of exhibitions at Bubba-Mavis that show what happens when artists break free from the entrenched Studio Glass movement and apply all that hard-won technique to actual art objects, not just trinkets. EMILY HALL

Bubba-Mavis Gallery, 1158 Eastlake Ave E, 405-3223, open by appointment. Opening reception Sat Oct 13, 7-10 pm, shows through Nov 9.