Famed troupe
BALLET FOLKLÓRICO DE MÉXICO World Music/CRASHarts presents dancer-choreographer Amalia Hernández’s famed troupe, now in its 60th year of showcasing regional folk dances and music of Mexico. With lassos twirling and colorful skirts whirling, the 54-member company embraces culture from the pre-Colombian era to the present day. Sept. 22, 8 p.m. $40-$65. Shubert Theatre, Boston. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
Theater
THE [EXPLETIVE] WITH THE HAT Director David R. Gammons and his first-rate cast capture the jumpy rhythms of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s dark comedy about a newly paroled drug dealer who struggles to figure out the right way to live, even as he’s knocked for a loop by the discovery of a mysterious hat that suggests his girlfriend has been cheating on him. Through Oct. 13. SpeakEasy Stage Company. At Roberts Studio Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com
Related
NO ROOM FOR WISHING Danny Bryck adroitly channels dozens of characters in his portrait of the Occupy Boston movement, reminding us how suddenly lives can be capsized in a shaky economy. Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian. Coproduction by Company One and Central Square Theater. At Plaza Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, through Sept. 22. 617-933-8600, www.companyone.org. At Central Square Theater, Cambridge, Sept. 30-Oct. 9.
866-811-4111, www.central
squaretheater.org
THE KITE RUNNER Directed by Elaine Vaan Hogue from Matthew Spangler’s adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s novel, and featuring an excellent performance by Nael Nacer, this is a deeply moving journey across eras, cultures, national boundaries, and the emotional terrain of tumultuous lives. The fact that the trip also includes a few detours into melodrama and hard-to-swallow coincidence doesn’t diminish its overall power. Extended through
Oct. 7. New Repertory Theatre. At Charles Mosesian Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown. 617-923-8487, www.newrep.org
Dance
MASSACHUSETTS DANCE FESTIVAL This year’s second iteration of the festival heads west for a pair of concerts, with styles ranging from modern and jazz to Iranian folk dance. Saturday is the gala concert by professionals, featuring BoSoma Dance Company, Contrapose Dance, and Luminarium Dance Company, among others. Sunday’s program showcases emerging troupes. Sept. 22,
7 p.m. $20 in advance ($15 seniors and students), $25 at the door ($20 seniors and students). Sept. 23, 3 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Bowker Auditorium, University of Massachusetts Amherst. 508-429-7577, www.massdancefestival.org
ROB LIST AND JED SPEARE Amsterdam-based choreographer List and Boston multimedia composer Speare have been friends and collaborators for more than three decades. In this rare local performance, the two reunite for a roughly one-hour improvisation of music and dance. Sept. 21, 8 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Studio Soto, 10 Channel Center St., Boston. www.studiosoto.org
A SENSE OF PLACE This new film by Rocco Michaluk chronicles Island Moving Co.’s 2011 Open for Dancing biennial. The 10-year-old site-specific dance and art festival involves hundreds of participants and takes place in landscapes all around Newport. The film includes dances created by Zach Morris, Marta Renzi, and Christine Sandorfi. Sept. 20, 7 p.m. $15; $25 includes pre-show reception. Jane Pickens Theater and Event Center, 49 Touro St., Newport, R.I. 401-847-4470, www.islandmoving
co.org
Galleries
OUT OF THE RUINS: REIMAGINING THE ROMANTIC TRADITION Romanticism’s penchant for the ornate, the sublime, and for sentiment are making a comeback, reframed in contemporary terms. Through Oct. 12. New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville. 617-964-3424, www.newartcenter.org
MICHAEL KENNA: A DECADE IN REVIEW Robert Klein Gallery continues its satellite exhibit program at Ars Libri with this show of black-and-white prints by the English landscape photographer, whose often minimalist works explore line, space, and the exquisite tonalities of the silver print. Through
Sept. 29. Ars Libri Ltd., 500 Harrison Ave. 617-267-7997, www.robertkleingallery.com
SUSANNA COFFEY: APOPHENIA Coffey explores the human urge to find significance in random information, making paintings that sometimes verge toward abstraction and prompt the viewer to find his or her own meaning. Through Oct. 3. Alpha Gallery, 37 Newbury St. 617-536-4465, www.alpha
gallery.com
NARRATIVE FRAGMENTS The artists in this show load single images with multiple meanings and suggested stories. Artists include Shaun Downey and Gary Ruddell. Through Oct. 20. Quidley & Company, 38 Newbury St. 617-450-4300, www.quidleyandco.com
Museums
PAUL KLEE: PHILOSOPHICAL VISION; FROM NATURE TO ART Exploring the philosophy of the great European modernist as expressed in his art. Through Dec. 9. McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College. 617-552-8100, www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/artmuseum
SOL LEWITT: THE WELL-TEMPERED GRID Work from five decades focusing on the importance of the grid to LeWitt’s career, and emphasizing his passion for music. Through Dec. 9. Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown. 413-597-2429, wcma.williams.edu
ORI GERSHT: HISTORY REPEATING An exhibition of photographs and film dealing with history and violence by the Israeli artist. Through Jan. 6. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org