Rhythm and hues: Percussion and bright costumes define West African dance.

A-List

Kulu Mele, Liberty Bears, How Philly Moves and Caroline Rothstein Oral Poetry.

Leaping Forward: Kulu Mele’s 39th Anniversary Benefit Concert

Allow yourself to slide back in time, across the Atlantic Ocean to the center of a small village in Guinea, West Africa, where a dance is being performed as part of a celebration ritual. Feel the sun on your back and the dust on your toes as a woman wrapped in bright fabrics sways to the steady beat of a djembe drum. She jumps and gyrates, kicks and swirls. Her spirited movements represent the joy and pain of womanhood as her body tells her story. For nearly four decades Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble has allowed audiences to experience the African diaspora right here in Philly through movement and music. Known for colorful costumes, dynamic performances and commitment to maintaining African dance traditions, Kulu Mele pay homage to African ancestors every time they take the stage. This week the company celebrates its 39th anniversary with a benefit concert featuring new choreography and a guest appearance by the Seewe African Dance Company of New York. Hosted by media maven Stephanie Renee, the concert is an annual event designed to ensure Kulu Mele can continue to showcase West African dance traditions and African-American dance forms. (Jazmyn Odokemi Burton)

“The Liberty Bears of Philadelphia 3rd Annual Collaborative Art Show”

Bear with us here. If you go to leather dive the Bike Stop this weekend, you’d better arrive in disguise. And for the love of God, leave the honey behind. Bears are rough, tough, jolly fellows who enjoy the company of other rough, tough, jolly fellows. And art. Art about other rough, tough, jolly fellows in various states of undress, mostly. Point is, Philly’s got a bear erotic art community. Who knew? Featured prominently will be 32-year-old Philly beartist Robert Harmon (aka JrBear aka Bound in Ink). The symbolism escapes us, but we like how his half-naked fireman clutches an ax and a dripping hose. The show is organized by Philly’s Liberty Bears, who are perhaps better known for their Hanky Panky Social, where chaps dress up like bearded peacocks with colorful kerchiefs poking out the back pockets of their Levi’s. The admission fee and 20 percent of all sales will go to Calcutta House, which does sterling work for those in Philly who are homeless and have AIDS. (Steven Wells)

“How Philly Moves”

Photographer Jacques-Jean Tiziou is the creative force behind “How Philly Moves,” a proposed artistic installation showcasing Philadelphia dancers. His canvas? The recently renovated 46th Street El station. The station was closed for some time and just reopened this week, and SEPTA’s Art in Transit program seeks to give a facelift to the transit eyesore. Tiziou is one of five finalists—this week’s photo shoots are another step toward securing the funds to complete the project, which is immense in scope. It’s about Philly dancers—amateur, professional and recreational ass-shakers—so the organizers are seeking move-busters of all shapes and sizes. In fact, the project blog specifically opens the doors to the pregnant, the disabled and even those who totally suck. Anyone is welcome to “move however they want to.” So, think you can dance? (John Steele)

Second Annual Caroline Rothstein Oral Poetry Event

It takes balls to be a poet. Homer and Dante are long dead; iambic pentameter ain’t gonna put food on the table or 24s on the ride. It’s even crazier to mess with tradition and alienate the very people who would’ve supported you. Slam poetry did just this and still succeeded, taking poetry off its high horse and giving it back to the people. By doing so, it reinvigorated what had become an esoteric art form and gave it a whole new audience. Beginning in Chicago in the 1980s, slams were designed to democratize poetry, with open contests and winners chosen by the audience. This week at Kelly Writers House you can review the movement’s past, hear its present and possibly get a taste of its future. Four New York City poets—Shappy Seaholtz, Chad Anderson, Edward Garcia and Nicole Homer—will join Philly-born Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz for a night showcasing the power and diversity of the scene. It’s like reading Beowulf, except fun, entertaining and lively. (Jack Schonewolf)