Inspired by early jazz, the silent film era, and surreal art, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks newest show WiseApple is an ode to the early 1900s.

Experimenting with over-the-top movements of silent film actors, The DJD dancers, clad in flapper attire and long overcoats, perform alongside a live band, creating a Cotton Club feel. There’s a charming tribute to the great Charlie Chaplin, a Dalí-esque lion head that’s passed around and a brilliant interpretation of the classic flickering movements of early film.

WiseApple runs until June 20th at Max Bell Theatre, Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets (from $27) call 403-245-3533, www.decidedlyjazz.com

The September Issue: check.
Lagerfeld Confidential: check.
Valentino: The Last Emperor: check.

You’re on top of the latest slew of fashion films but if you’re in need of a flick fix, rewind a few years at Bird Dog Video. The independent shop has a fabulous collection of fashion films that will take you back to the days of (real) supermodels and old Hollywood glamour.

Before Coco Avant Chanel, there was Chanel Chanel, a documentary about the legendary designer with archival film footage and interviews with friends and colleagues. If not for the satirical portrayal of fashion, see Robert Altman’s Prêt-à-Porter for its star-studded cast including Sophia Loren, Lauren Becall and Marcello Mastroianni. Revisit Cindy, Naomi and Linda in all their glory and fall in love with Isaac Mizrahi in Unzipped. You’ll also find lesser-known movies such as Tokyo Streets, an exploration of urban fashion trends in Japan and Frames from the Edge, the Helmut Newton documentary.

Bird Dog Video, 1333 16th Ave. SW, Calgary, 403-398-2283, www.birddogvideo.ca

We’ve always dreamed of donning a tutu and pirouetting across a stage, but at this point of our life dance, we’ll settle for watching the masters onscreen.

The enchanting Le Danse - The Paris Opera Ballet follows the production of seven ballets by the renowned Paris Opera Ballet.

Veteran documentarian Frederick Wiseman offers a behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous parts of a ballet: costume design, choreography sessions and the performances mixed with the not-so-glamorous logistics of running an arts organization. It’s a lengthy flick but the breathtaking dancers, not to mention shots of Paris and Le Palais Garnier, make this movie a must-see on the big screen.

Final screening tonight at 6:50 p.m. at The Plaza, 1133 Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary, 403-283-3636, www.theplaza.ca

Does a side of flamenco, opera or poetry with your tuna melt strike your fancy? Every Wednesday at 12:10 p.m., ProArts@Noon offers a free concert at the historic downtown Cathedral Church of the Redeemer.

Today, the Calgary Opera Emerging Artists Ensemble performs and next week’s line up includes highlights from the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival. The concerts last only 40 minutes so you’ll have plenty of time to rush back to your desk, as if you’d never left.

ProArts Society, 604 First St. SE, Calgary, 403-214-1811, www.proartssociety.ca

Vanessa Porteous, artistic director of Alberta Theatre Projects, has the inside guide to the top 5 things you need to know about this year’s playRites Festival fest.

1. Opening this Saturday, The Highest Step In the World by Eric Rose and David van Belle (pictured) is the 99th world premiere held at the festival since it launched.

2. What do a chisel, a love letter, a flight suit, and a wax figure of Abraham Lincoln all have in common? Each object changes someone’s life forever, in each of the four plays premiering at the festival.

3. Come early to check out Each Other, a performance installation in progress by Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton in the Martha Cohen Theatre lobby. Take one of the handmade objects away with you and follow the instructions. You become part of the art.

4. Don’t miss Blitz Weekend (Canada 's best theatre party) March 5-7. Eat pancakes in the lobby, hear artists talk about their work and listen to readings of new plays in progress.

5. Join in on a barely civilized food fight this Friday during the Lawson Lundell Celebrity Hors D’oeuvres fundraising event. Some of the city’s best restaurants pair up with Calgary celebrities who then compete to see who can sell the most appies.

Until March 7, tickets at www.atplive.com or call 403-294-7402.

Technically it’s a playlist on our iPod, but to honour the old-school medium, here’s our top five tunes by Calgary acts we can’t seem to get enough of recently.

1. “Morningside” off Woodpigeon's just released album Die Stadt Muzikanten. While at Nina Ricci, designer Olivier Theyskens used a song off Woodpigeon’s first album for his spring/summer 2009 runway show.


2. “Had Enough of It” by The Dudes. Former Calgarian and Broken Social Scene songstress Lisa Lobsinger makes an appearance on this tune from their 2009 Blood Guts Bruises Cuts, the rock ode to the band’s tough year.

3. “Anatomical Literacy” by Jordan Klassen. This young artist released his first full-length album, Tempest and Winter, last year and had us swooning over his charming melodies with the first listen.

4. “New Years Eve” by Dojo Workhorse. We dare you to try not to sing along to this feel-good tune by Dan Vacon’s other ensemble (he’s also part of The Dudes). We so hope “she” kissed him that fateful New Year’s Eve.

5. “Suzie I Love You” by Michael Bernard Fitzgerald. With that raspy voice and adorable look, Fitzgerald makes us all wish we were named Suzie.

All songs available on iTunes.

Last time we saw Aron Hill’s work it was a bird’s-eye view of sorts with his intricate pencil drawings of the winged creatures.

But the multi-dimensional artist is taking a different approach to nature in his new show, Taste the World and Digest It.

Inspired by personal travel photographs, Hill returns to a more traditional mode of painting with playful oil canvases of romantic scenes abroad in countries such as Nicaragua. Family members including his mother (pictured in “Liz”), his father and wife make appearances, casually lounging or walking along in the scenes.

Until January 16 at Newzones Gallery, 730 11th Ave. SW, Calgary, 403-266-1972, www.newzones.com

Even if you’re still holding out for a Warhol or a Picasso check out this weekend’s Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) Winter Show and Sale for up-and-comers to add to your collection.

Starting tomorrow at 4 p.m., the college’s main hall will be packed with hundreds of works by ACAD students from all departments including painting, printmaking, sculpture, glasswork and jewellery, all for prices that will not break the bank, or the “art fund.”

Warhol and Picasso were emerging artists at one time, after all.

Until November 29, Alberta College of Art and Design, 1407 14th Ave. NW, Calgary, 403-284-7600, www.acad.ab.ca

When you’re a teen, every crisis is the end of the world. There’s puberty, popularity and plenty of school projects to stress over. And for almost 13-year-old Claudia, there’s also her parents’ divorce.

Presented by Alberta Theatre Projects, I, Claudia is an outstanding one-woman show about the tribulations of adolescence and finding solace in unlikely places. 

Beware: the memories of teen angst will flood back in waves.

Runs until November 8 at the Martha Cohen Theatre, 205 Eighth Ave SE, Calgary; for tickets call 403-294-9494.

We already have Pedro Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces (pictured) and Jane Campion’s Bright Star on our must-see list, but as the Calgary International Film Festival opens this Friday, the fest’s Executive Director Jacqueline Dupuis gives us her insider flick picks.

White Night Wedding
“The film felt a bit like coming home for me,” says Dupuis referring to the movie’s Icelandic landscapes that felt familiar and distantly Canadian. The comedic melodrama centres on a dysfunctional family and one man’s desperate attempt to find true love in his small and remote Icelandic community.

Gigantic
A quirky love story starring indie darlings Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine), Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer), and John Goodman who, as he so often does, steals the show. A perfect date night flick about what happens when two people come together and have to deal with each other’s equally crazy families.

Passenger Side
High on banter and entertaining on every level, this Canadian independent film is about two brothers, who, though distant in lifestyles, share a strong bond and on this particular day, quite the adventure.

My Suicide
Far from the typical teen-angst movie and somewhat tenuous at first blush, it’s a rollercoaster ride of experimental and stylistic filmmaking juxtaposed with a dark and meaty story which leaves you inspired to question everything.

I Killed My Mother
Written, directed, produced and starring 16-year-old Quebecois filmmaker Xavier Dolan, it’s a raw and intimate portrayal of homosexuality, coming of age and the intense relationship he shares with his mother.

The film festival runs September 25 to October 4, 2009. Order tickets and see schedules at calgaryfilm.com