Calendar
GALLERY-GOING
Kathryn Markel Fine Arts
Laura Fayer's 'Ocean' (2008), part of the exhibit 'Chapter and Verse' at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts.
IMPERFECT BEAUTY Artist Laura Fayer examines the Japanese aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi — an appreciation of natural imperfections and asymmetries — in her first solo exhibit in New York, "Chapter and Verse." Ms. Fayer, who lived in Japan as a child, calls upon her memories of the country's land- and seascapes to create mixed-media collages. Many of the images are composed of stamps, rice paper, and colored washes, as in "Ocean" (2008), above. Through Saturday, October 4, Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, 529 W. 20th St., Suite 6W, between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-366-5368, free.
THEATER
REPETITIVE STRESS The Japan Society presents "Kiosk," presented by the ARICA Performance Company. Tomoko Ando stars in this conceptual one-woman show, under the direction of the company's founder, Yasuki Fujita. Through Ms. Ando's character, who sells newspapers and water from a train station newsstand, the piece aims to explore how repetition affects not only one's relationship to labor but its impact on the human body itself. Thursday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-715-1258, $28 general, $23 members.
DANCE
JAMMING TO JOBIM The Jazz Tap Ensemble kicks off the fall season at the Joyce Theater with a weeklong engagement. Ensemble hoofers dance the premiere of "Bahia Dreams," a piece commissioned by the Joyce and choreographed by the company's artistic director, Lynn Dally. Ms. Dally found inspiration from the renowned score for the film "Black Orpheus" (1959), composed by the Brazilian jazz guitarist and bossa nova pioneer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th Street, 212-691-9740, $19-$49.
GATHERINGS
MELTDOWN To mark the opening of Alaska House and the beginning of its fall season, the arts and cultural center displays a life-size polar bear ice sculpture. The carving, which is to melt throughout the day, is meant to represent the various environmental issues that the state faces. Alaska House is dedicated to promoting Alaska. Today, noon, Alaska House, 109 Mercer St., between Spring and Prince streets, 212-431-1580, free.
LUCKY CHAM The Rubin Museum presents free performances of Tibetan cham, a traditional intended to chase away demons. Thirteen Buddhist monks from a remote monastery in central Bhutan in the Himalayas lead the ritual demonstration at public spaces throughout the city. Donning elaborate costumes, masks, and headdresses, the monks chant and play drums as part of this ancient practice. Today, at 12:30 p.m., the event is presented at Foley Square, between Duane and Lafayette streets, and at 4 p.m. at South Street Seaport, at Pier 17 and South Street. The program is presented in conjunction with an exhibit that opens at the Rubin on Friday, "The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan." Performances through Sunday, times and locations vary, 212-620-5000, free. For complete information, go to rmanyc.org.
MUSIC
MAGIC HANDS Pianist Ahmad Jamal and his trio open the 2008-09 season at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, under the baton of artistic director Wynton Marsalis, performs with the trio. Mr. Jamal performs hot on the heels of the release of his first album in 10 years, "It's Magic." He is one of the few jazz artists to record a chart-topping song, as he did with his 1963 instrumental arrangement "Poinciana." Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Jazz at Lincoln Center, Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street, 212-721-6500, $30-$120.
READINGS
COSMIC TALE Physicist and Columbia University professor Brian Greene is best known for his work in string theory, which was the focus of his 1999 book "The Elegant Universe" (Vintage). Today at Barnes & Noble in Union Square, he reads from and discusses his new work. In his latest book, Mr. Greene departs slightly from his concentration, chronicling the myth of Icarus in a futuristic setting in "Icarus at the Edge of Time" (Knopf). Designer Chip Kidd collaborated with Mr. Greene on the illustrations, which include photographs of the swirling cosmos taken from the Hubble Space Telescope. Today, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 33 E. 17th St., between Broadway and Park Avenue South, 212-253-0810, free.
To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.
