Sat 5/3
Tracing the African-American experience in this country is hard enough, with the myriad twists and turns along the way. But traveling that road backwards, starting in the urban city and going all the way back to tribal Africa, is even more difficult. Luckily, the Dimensions Dance Theatre has thirty years of experience mining the cultural product of African-American and African history and turning it into art through music and movement.
Credits: Al Cameron Follies
For this special performance, choreographed and directed by Deborah Vaughan, the dance group will be joined by pianist and composer Omar Sosa, Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles, and gospel singer Sharon Henderson. Their collaborative work explores practically the entire Diaspora, touching on Cuban folk tales, Zimbabwean myth, rap, and American spirituals. It happens at 8 p.m. at the Calvin Simmons Theatre (10 Tenth St., Oakland). Tickets cost $20-$100. Call 510-238-7765. — Eric Arnold
Fri 5/2
Depraved Don
BACH (Bay Area Classical Harmonies) presents Mozart’s opera classic Don Giovanni at the Oakland Metro (201 Broadway). The fully staged production — whose titular hero is at best, a flirt and at worst, a rapist — happens Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets: $15-$18 from www.jambase.com. Call 866-510-6557 for more info. — Stefanie Kalem
Fri 5/2
In Praise of Folly
A reunion of former theatrical colleagues is the setting and middle-aged relationships provide the tension, but the heart of Follies lies in the classic Steven Sondheim songs. At the Pleasanton Playhouse (1155 Santa Rita Rd.) Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 11. Tickets: $20-$28. Call 925-462-2121. — Stefanie Kalem
