Miami Mambo

The Miami City Ballet is coming to Southeast Missouri State University, April 8-10. One of the largest ballet companies in the country, the Miami City Ballet employs more than 45 dancers and has toured 29 states. There will be workshop activities Monday and Tuesday, and the performance will be Wednesday at the Rose Theatre.

The dancers will perform "Rubies," an excerpt from "Jewels," and two ballets choreographed by Edward Villella titled "Unspeakable Jazz Must Go!" and "Mambo No. 2 a.m." For more information, call the Arts Council at 573-334-9233.

Nelly And The Saints

Hailed as hip-hop's brightest talent, American Music Award winner NELLY will grace the Arena stage with his band, the St. Lunatics. They will perform Saturday, March 30 at 7:30pm in the SIU Arena in Carbondale.

Tickets are $24 and $18. For more information call the SIU Arena Special Events Ticket Office at 618/453-5341 or log onto www.siu.edu/~arena.

Professor Riley's Exhibit

Enjoy an exhibition of six, large-scale giclee prints by Sarah Riley, professor of art at Southeast Missouri State University. The exhibition, entitled "Romancing the Dance," will be on view through March 22. The museum is located in room 122 in Memorial Hall.

The professor took many photographs of three members of the Aspen/Santa Fe Dance Co. These photographs, in combination with drawings of the same dancers, were the start of her first, fully developed, digitally manipulated images. The six prints in this exhibition are a combination of layered and manipulated images enhancing the physicality of the original dance photos as well as some of the earlier combined images.

ReadMOre

The public is invited to read and discuss the book, "Farewell to Manzanar", a true story of a Japanese-American family's placement in a Japanese internment camp during WWII.

The Book Discussion Group of the Cape Girardeau Public Library will launch into this title on Wednesday, March 27, at 7pm, in the Hirsch Community Room.

The book is written by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. The reading and discussion session is part of a new statewide initiative called ReadMOre. Missouri is one of the first states to ask its residents to read the same book at the same time.

For further details, call 573-334-5279.

Scooby At The Fox

The chicken-hearted Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, and his mystery-solving gang take center stage at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis with "Scooby-Doo in Stagefright - Live on Stage." Show times are April 3-7 at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday and matinees at 1 and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. For ticket information call 314-534-1111.

Some Like It Hot!

The Noon Optimists will hold their annual Chili Day, on Wednesday, March 6 at the A.C. Brase Arena building, serving 11am to 7pm. Tickets are $5 at the door and include chili, drink and dessert.

Think Green

Selections from a favorite Celtic poet would be great, or share the spirit of St. Patrick with original poetry. The Poetry Coffee House celebrates "Poetry of Ireland" at it's meeting on Monday, March 18, 7pm in the Hirsch Community Room at the Cape Public Library.

The event is free and open to the public - readers and listeners are urged to attend.

For more information, 573-334-5279.

Vino & Music

Have a fun-feast at the Von Jakob Vineyards during their March Madness Festival in Pomona, IL. In addition to food and wine, Cajun and folk music by the Brown Baggers will be featured on Saturday, March 23, 2-6pm. The vineyard is located at 1309 Sadler Road in the Shawnee Forest. There will be wine and dine - rain or shine.

For more information, call 618-893-4500.

The Southern Illinois Symphony Series

Presents Daniel Heifetz and The Classical Band

On Saturday, March 23 internationally acclaimed violinist, Daniel Heifetz, will transform Vivaldi's most recognized piece, The Four Seasons, into an interpretation of words and music.

Tickets are $18 and $13 for children under 15. The Shyrock Auditorium Box Office in Carbondale, IL is open weekdays from 9am to 4pm. Call 618-453-2787 for tickets.