What's Happening: 'Elements of Style,' 'Ordinary Days,' 'White,' more

MARCH 29 THROUGH MARCH 30

“ELEMENTS OF STYLE”: Students in the Dance Theatre of Santa Fe will take audiences on a trip through time during their annual “Elements of Style” performances at 7:30 p.m. March 29-30 in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall at the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College (SF), 3000 NW 83rd St. The same program will be featured on both nights. Tickets are $15 for adults; $9 for seniors, students, children and military service members; and free to SF students, faculty and staff with college ID cards. Tickets are available from the Fine Arts Hall box office at 395-4181 or online at showpass.com/elements-of-style-3. Thirty-six Dance Theatre of Santa Fe students will perform while approximately 12 students in SF’s Theatre and Entertainment Technology Associate of Science degree program will assist with lighting, sound, wardrobe and stage management. Audiences will enjoy eight dances in styles that range from west African tribal celebrations through 1800s ballet up through 21st century contemporary modern dance, jazz and hip-hop. One student-choreographed piece will be included in a program that includes a classic work by Jose Limón and restaged by Dante Puleio, artistic director of the Limón Dance Company; Xan Burley and Alex Springer from the University of Florida; and SF Dance program faculty members Mohamed DaCosta, Jessie Dominguez, Calypso Haddad, Herman Ramos and Melissa Brenner. The program will open with excerpts from the first act of “Giselle,” a romantic ballet that premiered in 1841 at the Paris Opera. DaCosta will provide live drumming for an energetic west African dance in a tribal style driven by passion and reverence for ancestors. “There Is a Time,” a Limón Dance Company piece from 1956, is based on the well-known “To everything there is a season” Bible verses in Ecclesiastes that speak to universal life experiences. For more information about “Elements of Style” and the Dance program, call Brenner at 395-4194. For information about tickets, call the SF Box Office at 395-4181.

MARCH 29 THROUGH APRIL 14

“ORDINARY DAYS”: Experience the beauty of simplicity and the extraordinary in the ordinary with “Ordinary Days,” the newest production from the Gainesville Community Playhouse. This intimate and introspective musical follows the lives of Deb, a graduate student who loses the notebook that contains all of her notes for her thesis somewhere on the streets of New York; Warren, a struggling artist and professional cat sitter who finds the notebook; and Jason and Claire, a couple inching toward marriage who can’t seem to completely figure each other out. Through a series of chance encounters and unexpected connections, their individual stories begin to intersect, revealing the profound impact that everyday encounters can have on our lives. Catch a show at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through April 14 at the Gainesville Community Playhouse, located at 4039 NW 16th Blvd. Tickets are $24 for general admission, $20 for seniors and $12 for students. For more information, visit gcplayhouse.org.

MARCH 29 THROUGH APRIL 14

“WHITE”: When a major museum seeks to showcase diverse voices in its next exhibition, Gus, an artist, enlists Vanessa’s help to create an audacious new artistic persona of color to get him in the show. From there, it all spins out of control in this modern comedy, exploring white privilege, racial politics and the fine line between appropriation and opportunity. Catch a performance at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through April 14 at the Hippodrome Theatre, located at 25 SE Second Place. Tickets are $20 to $50. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit thehipp.org.

MARCH 29 THROUGH APRIL 21

“ANTARCTIC DINOSAURS”: Step back in time and discover life beneath the ice in “Antarctic Dinosaurs.” Today, Antarctica is a forbidding land of snow and ice, but 200 million years ago it was a lush, wooded habitat where dinosaurs thrived. Uncover the history of the world’s southernmost continent and the unique species that have called it home in this interactive, family friendly experience at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Rare fossils, touchable casts and interactive models bring the past to life while showcasing Antarctica’s distinctive dinosaur species. Examine a reconstructed forest, and encounter the early plants and animals that flourished in the once-green environment. Experience the extraordinary work that goes into digging for fossils with real equipment and a recreated quarry. Learn about the important research taking place in this frigid landscape and how it informs future changes to the world’s climate. This is a bilingual exhibit available in English and Spanish. Tickets are $10 for adults; $9 for Florida residents, seniors and non-UF college students; $7 for ages 3-17; and free for ages 2 and younger, UF students and museum members. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is located at 3215 Hull Road. For more information, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu or call 846-2000.

APRIL 4

“SPRING WINDS AND CLASSICS”: The Santa Fe Winds will include traditional classics along with new musical selections in the annual “Spring Winds and Classics” concert at 7:30 p.m. April 4 in the Lyceum at the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St. The Lyceum is the renovated auditorium in Building E on the west side of campus. The concert is free, but tickets are required because of limited seating. For tickets, call the Santa Fe College Box Office at 395-4181 or visit showpass.com/spring-winds-and-classics. New selections on the program this year include “Fanfare and Flourishes,” written in 1991 by American tuba player James Curnow; “Nimrod” from “Enigma Variations” by English composer Edward Elgar, written between 1898 and 1899; and “March of the Belgian Paratroopers,” written during World War II by Belgian composer Pierre Leemans. The opening fanfare in Curnow’s “Fanfare and Flourishes” gives way to Renaissance-inspired melodies that feature multiple sections of the Santa Fe Winds in turn. The title of “Nimrod” in Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” refers to the composer’s publisher, Augustus Jaeger, because “Jäger” in German means “hunter” and Nimrod was the name of a great hunter in the Bible. “Nimrod” was played at the funerals of Princess Diana and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Leemans wrote “March of the Belgian Paratroopers” in one night, basing the musical themes on one of his earlier compositions.

APRIL 5 THROUGH APRIL 28

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S “MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS”: Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxury train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on Detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer — in case he or she decides to strike again. Find out what happens in the latest production from the High Springs Playhouse at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays through April 28. The High Springs Playhouse is located at 23416 NW 186 Ave. in High Springs. Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $10 for  students and ages 65 and older. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit highspringsplayhouse.com.

ONGOING“WEAVING A COMMUNITY: 30 YEARS OF THE MATHESON HISTORY MUSEUM”: In the late 1980s, Gainesville had a well-documented and researched history, numerous nationally-recognized historical sites, and multiple civic organizations centered around the preservation and proliferation of local history. What it did not have was a centralized place dedicated to that rich local history, where the accumulated knowledge and artifacts of the last two centuries could be housed and protected. This year, the Matheson History Museum will commemorate its 30th anniversary of meeting that need. To celebrate, “Weaving a Community” will take an all-encompassing view of the Matheson's history and its origins. The exhibition reveals the museum's roots through the history of the Matheson family, the American Legion Hall and the wider civil society. It presents its history in an unbroken tapestry, revealing interesting and intertwined threads that tie the museum, the history of Gainesville and the community together. The museum’s hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and is located at 513 E. University Ave. For more information, call 378-2280 or visit mathesonmuseum.org.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What's Happening: 'Spring Winds and Classics' and more