What to see, do and hear: New Pornographers, Chinese Dance, more

DANCE

The Atlanta Chinese Dance Company was founded in 1991 and is well known for its performances of folk, classical and contemporary Chinese dance. But the devastating murders in March 2021 of eight people — six of them women of Asian descent — galvanized co-artistic director Kerry Lee to develop a program dedicated to the Asian American civil rights movement. The ensemble’s upcoming concert, We Belong Here: Rising Against Asian Hate, premieres this weekend. ArtsATL dance writer Cynthia Bond Perry spoke with Lee recently about the work and the company’s renewed mission. Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Gas South Theater, Duluth. Tickets start at $20. Discounts available for dancers.

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Six Atlanta-based choreographers will present new works in the Beacon Dance concert “Moving Bodies/Moving Hearts/Moving Minds” Friday and Saturday at The B-Complex. Each of the dance makers, Humlao Evans, Jacquelyn Pritz, Alex Spitzer, D. Patton White, Toya Willingham and Carly Wynans, has a distinct style, but all are working at the intersection of arts and activism. 8 p.m. Free. Reservations recommended.

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MUSIC

The New Pornographers, featuring A.C. Newman and Neko Case, have been one of the darlings of the indie rock movement for 20 years. The band, whose original members were all prominent within the Vancouver music scene, has released nine albums, and its power pop sound has received critical acclaim. Case has also forged a strong solo career with a band that features Atlanta native Kelly Hogan on background vocals. The New Pornographers has just released a new album, Continue As A Guest, and performs April 20 at the Variety Playhouse. Tickets start at $35.

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Decatur singer/songwriter Caroline Herring returns to Eddie’s Attic Friday night with her highly acclaimed story songs. Herring, a native of Mississippi, is best known for the song “Mistress,” based on a 19th-century slave named Rachel and her lover. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named it as one of the 100 best songs about the South, and Texas Music Magazine listed it as one of the best Texas songs of all time. Herring has released eight albums and performed at the Newport Folk Festival, Merlefest and A Prairie Home Companion. Tickets start at $18. (Full disclosure: Herring is married to ArtsATL board member Joe Crespino.)

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ART+DESIGN

This is the last weekend of Lucy Luckovich’s inaugural solo show, Pop My Cherry! at Cat Eye Creative. It’s less provocative than some viewers might imagine from the title, although the artist does include a few witty, erotic details and lots of cherry metaphors. Lukovich also reaches into art history for chromatically subdued paintings of outline figures. Closes Sunday.

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Eleanor Neal-Landscape of Memory at September Gray Fine Art Gallery is up through April 29. In her artist’s statement, Neal writes that she was inspired by her trips to some of the Georgia islands — St. Simons, Ossabaw, and in S.C. Daufuskie — “where myths and magic meet. The oak trees with moss move and sway with the wind like a dancer.”

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THEATER

Georgia Ensemble Theatre’s final production of the season, Bright Star, concludes this weekend and closes out their time at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. ArtsATL critic Benjamin Carr says in his review that the play offers “strong performances, excellent bluegrass music and a clever script from Edie Brickell and Steve Martin,” while Liza Jaine’s acting and singing voice “is an anchor for the entire show.” Tickets start at $39 and depend on seating. 

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The life of musician Jimi Hendrix is loosely depicted in the Alliance Theatre’s world premiere co-production The Boy Who Kissed the Sky, onstage through Saturday. The musical is geared toward a younger audience, and, according to ArtsATL critic Alexis Hauk, “will undoubtedly provide an entryway to the music of Hendrix and other rock ‘n’ roll pioneers.” Tickets start at $42 and depend on seating. 

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Treasure Island, a family-friendly musical based on the children’s book, is onstage through Sunday at Stage Door Theatre and is produced in partnership with Prince Street Players LTD. Spinning tales of pirates hunting treasure on chaotic seas, Treasure Island features lyrics and music from Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy. Tickets start at $15. 

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BOOKS

Phyllis Biffle Elmore learned the art of quilting from her grandmother growing up in Livingston, Alabama. Elmore has turned those experiences into a memoir, Quilt Of Souls, that relies on her grandmother’s epic stories of how quilts tell stories and bond families. The book paints portraits of Black women born before and after the Civil War, and tells their oral histories of experiencing racism and sexism as well as their strength and pride. Elmore will discuss her book as part of the Atlanta History Center’s Author Talks series April 13. The virtual event is free, but registration is required.