Nova Town

Nova Town, according to Rick Good, is a section of the city that's gone to seed, "where the has-beens and the wannabes and the burn-outs end up." No, it's not another CityBeat commentary on the state of Cincinnati politics. It's a full-length work incorporating dance, music and spoken word performances. Good and Sharon Leahy are co-artistic directors of Dayton's innovative dance company, Rhythm In Shoes, and Good, who is also a writer, composer and musician, is the show's creator.

Nova Town started as a song that Good wrote in 1985. Over the next 15 years it grew into a production using five actors, five dancers and five musicians. "It was kind of like simmering on the back of the stove, like soup. Now it's a meaty broth," he says.

Good uses the metaphor of the nova -- a star that suddenly burns intensely in an act of self-consumption before it finally explodes and dies -- to explore people who live hard and burn out fast. The tale has a noir-ish ambience, setting its characters in a down-and-out urban neighborhood.

Cincinnati's Contemporary Dance Theater is presenting Rhythm In Shoes' Nova Town on Friday and Saturday evening in a not-so-down-and-out venue, the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater. 513-241-7469. -- RICK PENDER

Thursday
If Reggae is your thing, be sure to head to Annie's on Thursday to witness the real deal, as the KING OF KINGS TOUR 2001 pulls into town. You can hear Greensleeves recording artist Bushman and singer/DJ/Rastafarian Norris Man as well as newcomers Iley Dread, Chrisinti and Nikki Burt. Successful in Jamaica, this tour marks the first time these artists have performed in the States, making it a rare opportunity for fans. 513-321-0220. -- MIKE BREEN

Friday
The most magical film this year is French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet's childlike fantasy, AMéLIE. This eye-popping tale follows the adventures of a pixyish waitress (Audrey Tautou) in the Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre. Through her adventures -- and Tautou's childlike performance -- we experience the type of wonder usually felt at a Disney animated classic. Amélie is filled with moviemaking magic. -- STEVE RAMOS

Saturday
Larger-than-life ideas aren't always required to change the status quo. That's particularly evident at the ART ACADEMY OF CINICNNATI. Students, faced with restrictions on the dimensions of their artwork -- nothing more than 2 inches in any dimension -- compete in The 15th Annual Minumental Competition. The results show that creativity has no boundaries and that original, top-quality artwork can be affordable -- even for those earning minumental paychecks. 513-562-8777. -- BRANDON BRADY

Wednesday
Longtime local Pop Rock purveyors PSYCHODOTS might deliver more babies than songs these days, but this is one group of dads who still know how to rock the (Southgate) house. Last year's annual Thanksgiving show featured the 'dots at their very best: Superbly crafted songs played with passion, wit and dexterity. Expect more of the same at this year's Southgate House shindig. And look for their other gig -- a little supergroup called The Bears -- to come out of hibernation soon. 859-431-2201. -- JASON GARGANO

The Cincinnati Film Society continues its exploration of unique film experiences, this time importing some of Cuba's best contemporary independent videos. In collaboration with the Cuban exhibition at CAC, the CUBAN FILM FESTIVAL features six short videos, with topics ranging from a documentary on gays and transvestites in Cuba to a man's argument with a mirror. At 7 p.m. in the Cincinnati Art Museum auditorium. 513-251-6060. -- JASON GARGANO

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