Nudes have always found a place in the art world. Early Greeks and Romans sculpted the human figure while Renaissance painters paid tribute to the nude on painted canvas. While some circles that frown on nudity as profane, the art world has been celebrating the nude for centuries. French sculptor Auguste Rodin said, “I have unbounded admiration for the nude. I worship it like a god.” Author Lynda Nead in her book The Female Nude says, “More than any other subject, the female nude connotes `art'. The framed image of a female body, hung on the walls of an art gallery, is an icon of Western culture, a symbol of civilization and accomplishment.” Nudes have been the subject of artists through the years...

Watching a dance performance can move an audience on many levels but how often can you claim that what you've just seen is “visually arresting?” That's just one of the phrases used to describe the incredible and beautifully choreographed ten-member ensemble known as the Tania Pérez-Salas Compañia de Danza that debuts in Miami as part of an international tour celebrating Mexico's 200^th anniversary of independence. “Seeing Tania Perez-Salas' work is like being inside her head,” reported the Washington Post. I became a fan of her work from just watching videos of past performances and cannot wait to see dances like Waters of Forgetfulness, a beautifully...

“Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled “This could change your life.”

-Helen Exley

Like the last pages of a good novel, the days of summer are numbered and the end is near. Was this the summer that you spent writing your novel or maybe just living the life many only read about? Maybe it was spent traveling abroad in search of romance or laying on some exotic beach sipping tropical cocktails with your true love. My adventures were all had by reading books since I was chained to the computer...

Pandemonium: Lost and Found Orchestra may be the most unusual orchestra in the world. Pandemonium, a new show from the creators of Stomp, will be making its US premiere at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts coming directly from sold-out performances in London, Sydney and Amsterdam. Why is Pandemonium such an unusual orchestra? While Stomp created rhythm with everyday objects, Pandemonium takes everyday objects and transforms them into invented instruments that produce music. Co-creator Luke Cresswell, who along with Steve McNicholas also co-created Stomp, will be joining the performers on stage at the Arsht Center for this new show. “It's a much larger show,” says Creswell.

Kathleen Kerry Kerrigan and Jason Eli Weinstein were married for 20 years, divorced for two, and are now dating – each other. After many years together, they have figured out some secrets to a happy relationship. In an effort to try to save other couples some of the mistakes they’ve made, Kathleen and Jason now share their witticisms and wisdom through The Art of Compromise, offering couples compromises for everyday dilemmas.

The “What Movie-to-See” Dilemma

Q: Whenever my husband and I decide to see a movie, invariably we have an argument. He claims all I’m interested in is “chick flicks.” I think all he...

She always kept the object safe and close to her. Mama made her repeat the promise over and over again during those last days when the cancer ate at her shrinking body. "I will never show it to a living soul. I will never show it to a living soul." “For the love of Saint Repetition,” Janelle thought, “Give it a rest!” Then she’d immediately feel guilty.

She cried about Mama less now. Janelle was missing Mama now as she did each night when she removed her well-worn, buckskin cowboy boots. She then carefully peeled the pink sock off her foot, and waited for the familiar object to fall out. Nothing happened. Panicked, she quickly turned her sock inside-out. It was gone. No wait—here it...

The 14th annual Brazilian Film Festival of Miami (BRAFF) sambas into town on August 13 – 21 bringing more than 40 of the latest releases in Brazilian films, including comedies, dramas, documentaries and shorts, most of them Florida premieres. The festival is the largest showcase of Brazilian films outside Brazil. Screenings for films in the official competition will be downtown at the Colony Theatre with additional films being shown at the Cinema Paradiso in Ft. Lauderdale.

On August 18 at the Colony Theatre, the festival will host a tribute to Brazilian actress, Andrea Beutrão, best known in Brazil for her breakthrough role in Antonio Calmon’s

This Friday, The Museum of Contemporary Art celebrates the 10th anniversary of Optic Nerve, their annual festival of videos and short films produced and created by local artists.

This year the Museum received more than 80 submissions and since its launch in 2000, more than150 South Florida artists have been featured.

Many, including William Cordova and Luis Gispert, past participants, have gone on to greater success. Both Cordova and Gispert were included in the Whitney Biennial and the festival...

A few years ago playwright Julia Jordan conducted a series of town hall meetings at New Dramatists, which put the question of gender parity on the table for discussion. She invited women playwrights to come and present their situation. Then she invited artistic directors and literary managers to confront the situation. And this is the situation: women and men who develop their craft as playwrights should be able to move though the system at an even rate. This is not what is happening. Women are being shut out at different levels of development and production, and end up with a 17 percent figure for production, which seems to be the...