This week’s got plenty of Asian-import offerings, from an anime showing to a Chinese dance performance.
Monday. Start the week off with a shot of culture at the Mama Chinese Dance Group, which will perform the traditional dance Quin Ha Ci. The dance refers to the traditional blue and white porcelain used to make plates, but also to the colors of the sky. You could also see Julie Klaper’s art exhibit A Journey, which features monoprints inspired by the Hebrew alphabet. If you’re feeling outgoing, see if your future lies in the limelight and audition for the Black Fedora Mystery Theater.
Tuesday. We bet you haven’t heard organ music in a while. Take some in at Diana Kirkpatrick’s concert at St. Luke’s Chapel. Hear about the experiences of a “rogue reporter” at a College of Charleston Center for Creative Retirement lecture series. Play some trivia at Cutty’s.
Wednesday. Park Circle Films is hosting a free showing of Shakugan No Shana, an anime feature that involves something called the Crimson Realm, Crimson Denizens, and the Power of Existence. Sounds pretty sweet to us. If those weirdly large-eyed characters aren’t your bag, but you’re still into all things Japan, check out the Taiko performance at Trident Tech. It’s a mix of martial arts, dance, and percussion.
Local Holocaust survivor, Joseph Engels, will speak about the horrors he lived through.
BLAST900’s nutrition director will tell you how to get and stay healthy.
Thursday. Ok, this one isn’t actually free, but it’s close (and it’s for a great cause) — grab your kneepads and get thee to Hot Wheels for the 1980s skate party, Skate for Shelter. The $3 you pay to skate will benefit Crisis Ministries. See Charleston Music Academy students perform during their student recital. Or catch a double visual arts opening in North Charleston, Works by Dayton Colie and Michael Fowler.
Parents can learn ways to help their children succeed in the school environment at Lakeside Family Center’s monthly Parents’ Corner.
Friday. See what members of Theatre 99 have been cooking up at Blast Off? Alan Michael Parker and Deborah Lawson will read from their poetry at the Charleston Library Society. And the South Carolina Philosophical Conference is free for students.
Saturday. See what all the fuss is about up at Mixson, which is hosting a block party to celebrate their planned Bath and Racquet Club. There will be food trucks, a photo booth, and music by the Royal Tinfoil. Need a job? The Joe is holding a job fair for gameday staff, which includes ushers, concessions workers, and parking attendants.
Hear one of the world’s most outspoken atheists speak at An Evening with Richard Dawkins. Or take the kids for a nature walk at the Sewee Visitors’ Center.
Sunday. It’s good old Second Sunday on King, so get ready to do some shopping, eating, and strolling. If you’ve got kids, you should definitely take them to the Teddy Bear Picnic at Hampton Park. Bring the teddy bear, too.
And end your weekend with a solutions-based look at global warming at a screening of the documentary Carbon Nation, which screens at the public library. Love Best of Charleston? Help the Charleston City Paper keep Best of Charleston going every year with a donation. Or sign up to become a member of the Charleston City Paper club.