Your MLK Day Cultural Activities

So you have the day off on Monday for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and you're wondering how to fill your day while at the same time honoring the reason you're off in the first place. Allow us two fun and culturally active suggestions:

African Dance Master Class at Joffrey Ballet

Hosted by the Academy of Dance, Official School of the Joffrey Ballet, this class will be led by Andrea Vinson accompanied by live drummers Deshon Newman and Seneke. Open to adults and kids age 10 and up, this fun and lively class is perfect for the whole family. And no dance experience is required -- it's appropriate for all skill levels. So come learn some groovy African moves while celebrating Dr. King's civil rights legacy.

• 12:30-1:30 pm
• At Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph St. (between Wabash and State)
• $10 per person
• Register in advance by calling 312-784-4600. Walk-up registration may be available.
• More info: http://www.joffrey.org/academy/classes/martin-luther-king-jr-day-january-17

Chicago Sinfonietta presents A Dream Unfolds, Annual MLK Tribute

In this beloved musical tradition, guest conductor Leslie B. Dunner joins Sinfonietta Founder Paul Freeman in a celebration of Dr. King's pioneering steps forward, allowing listeners to reflect -- through beautiful and stirring classical music -- on his indelible mark on American history. This will be an especially moving event because it will be Maestro Freeman's final time leading this program, as he will retire at the end of the current season. The highlight of the program will be Gershwin's classic folk opera Porgy and Bess, arranged for orchestra by Robert Fussell Bennett, where the Sinfonietta will be joined by vocalists from the Chicago Community Chorus.

• 7:30 pm
• At Orchestra Hall of Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.
• Tickets range from $26 - $96
• For tickets call 312-236-3681 ext. 2, or available by walk-up at the Box Office
• More info: www.chicagosinfonietta.org

Even if you don't have the day off, don't let Winter keep you inside -- take this opportunity to enjoy some good ol' Chicago culture. Hopefully we'll see you there!

Movies AND music - Fulcrum Point's Inner Torments

For Fulcrum Point New Music Project, the haunting feel of the fall season extends far beyond Halloween. Last Friday, Fulcrum Point's screening and live accompaniment of the silent film The Golem! at the Chicago Cultural Center drew a standing-room-only crowd. Inner Torments follows a similar format, but explores tension and conflict in modern films indie and mainstream.

The two lesser-known films on the program are Holding Fast and Jacob TV's Grab It! Alexander Hough of Chicagoist previewed both performances in October:

Holding Fast" was a collaboration between Woolf and the filmmakers Mary Harron (director of "American Pyscho") and John C. Walsh. Harron and Walsh visited a Tibetan refugee camp near Darjeeling, India, filming and recording sounds from the village. They then gave Woolf the material, and he used the chanting, speaking, and environmental noise to create an electronic track that gets played alongside a live solo violin. Woolf then sent the music over to Harron and Walsh, who edited their video footage into a short film to accompany what Woolf had written. The piece itself features somber, simple violin lines that slide around the recorded sounds, synthesizing the two in a startlingly cohesive - and beautiful - way.

"Grab It!" is one of Jacob TV's "boombox pieces," which, like "Holding Fast," features a live instrumentalist (in this case, a saxophonist) with an electronic accompanying track (instead of a Himalayan village, they're from the documentary "Scared Straight!"). The piece, written over a decade ago, has been reworked, with new bass and drum parts and an added video component.

Whether you're a classical enthusiast or a pop culture junkie, Inner Torments will defy expectation. Use promotional code 5587 and receive Inner Torments tickets for $10 - that's $20 off the regular price. Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets. Visit the Harris Theater website or call 312-334-7777 for tickets.