Staying In... What are you listening to? Do You Love Me? by The Contours, which is on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Im listening to it over and over because I have choreographed a dance routine to it which Im teaching to 50 adults. It is an extremely upbeat, fun, cheesy number and as I watch the group rock out, it reminds me of the famous iPod commercial when thousands of people burst into dance in the train station on their way to work. What are you reading? Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Alborn. It is a short and lovely feelgood story. Its about a dying professor of sociology called Morrie and shows that a materialistic life will never give us inner peace and true joy. We will all get old and die in the end so basically enjoy every moment and appreciate what you have. What are you watching? Dirty Dancing on DVD. I love it. Poor Patrick Swayze died of cancer very recently but he looks so fabulous and healthy in the movie and dances like a dream. There will be a tribute piece to Patrick Swayze in the Christmas Dance Fusion show next week. Going Out... Where are you eating? The Exchequer, a new restaurant on Exchequer Street. The food is delicious and inexpensive with mouth-watering desserts. The service is excellent, the dcor superb with the coolest, cleanest restrooms in Dublin. Where do you go out? Nearys pub on Chatam Street its got the best Guinness in the city. It is a proper Irish bar comfy and cosy. The Christmas Dance Fusion Party Night, Dec 15, TriPod, Harcourt Street D2, 8pm, 10. Tel: 085 147 6282. www.jane shortall.com STAYING IN/GOING OUT Dancer Jane Shortall, performing at the Christmas Dance Fusion Party Night Tuesday, December 8, 2009 metrolife 21 ART REVIEW The Music Of Things GIG Lily Allen She may have been controversially cold-shouldered by the Mercury Music Prize judges in the UK but Lily Allen can nonetheless look back with satisfaction on the 12 months just past. A year ago, she was in serious danger of turning into a tabloid caricature, better known for her snarky blog postings, romantic life and famous chums than for her actual music. Happily, she managed to staunch the flow towards tabloid infamy with a dark, deep and intermittently very good second album, Its Not Me Its You. A collaboration with LA songsmith Greg Kurstin, Its Not Me... is firmly in the tradition of the fame sucks sophomore LP and yet, unlike most records of its kind, it actually has something new and interesting to say about life in the celebrity goldfish bowl. Also, Allen has progressed hugely as a vocalist, her mockney chirrup giving way to something older, wiser and infinitely sadder. Not that shes an entirely reformed character. Upon learning the Mercury panel had chosen not to short list Its Not Me..., she hit back in characteristic fashion with a tetchy Twitter rant (Im like Gazza, the judges hate me, but the people, dem love me). If recent rumblings to the effect that shes considering taking a sabbatical from music to pursue a career in fashion are to be believed, this may be the last opportunity to see her perform for quite a while. Eamon de Paor Tonight, The O2, East Link Bridge D1, 6.30pm, 33.60 to 39.20. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.lilyallenmusic.com Tipperary artist Alice Maher unveils her first film-drawings in The Music Of Things, a multi- media exhibition that delves even further into her Night Garden. Recurring and often symmetrical images of eggs, hair, classical iconography, horoscopic, Pan-like creatures, twins and trees morph in and out of each other, constantly re- contextualising themselves. These shape-shifting sequences explore the artists use of pictorial space and self-editing processes more than deliver a narrative per se, although folklore and sexuality are at the throbbing heart of this surreal suite. By scanning pencil drawings at ten-minute intervals and then either embellishing or erasing the original marks, Maher has created a moving image. This multi- layered development process is most evident in animation The Double, which begins with a particularly pristine sheet of white paper before quickly revealing grubby, ghostly traces of previous pencil marks, while in Sleep, monochrome, kaleidescopic patterns collapse and expand, leaving trails like cracked porcelain. Composer Trevor Knights haunting soundscapes mesh all four animations together, at once somnambular and nightmarish. In addition to the films are The Worms and Leda (pictured), a pair of exquisitely etched ostrich eggs (although its a shame theyre not mounted on a 360-degree plinth), and a series of seven intaglio prints drawings which comprise the animations. Lucy White Until Dec 23, Green On Red Gallery, 26 Lombard Street D2, Mon to Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat 11am to 5pm (public talk by Medb Ruane on Thu, 7pm), free. Tel: (01) 671 3414. www. greenonredgallery.com NET RESULT What weve found on the web http://audition.redbana.com With millions of members registered to this site from around the world, you could certainly say its popular. Helped by the popularity of television talent shows, this game allows users to show off their own dance moves or, rather, their avatars online to a variety of pop and rnb soundtracks. Audition is basically free to download and play, with costs coming from extras you choose to purchase; for a cyber money fee, you can dress your character up in different outfits, and over 20 different games modes are available. www.audiobookradio.net Listeners who would rather be entertained through broadcast conversations and stories than music will be at home with Audio Book Radio. The site is dedicated to the spoken word, broadcasting audio books by established and unsigned writers, interviews, poetry stories and drama. There are speeches on the site from the likes of Noam Chomsky and stories such as Lord Arthur Saviles Crime by Oscar Wilde (pictured). Check out the programme schedule to see whats on. www.5sub.com Its annoying when you want to watch a foreign language film only to find there are no subtitles you can understand. Sites such as 5sub.com where you can download subtitles are always a welcome addition to the internet. There are many languages to choose from so just use the search tool to find the subtitles for your film and download it. Anthony Gibson All three floors of the Exchequer Street music store will be quite literally alive with the sound of music today drumming and percussion workshops, electric, acoustic and jazz demonstrations, performances from live bands, plus home recording tips from the experts. The brainchild of Dublin City Business Improvement District (BID), Music Makers Family Day is aimed at nurturing up-and-coming young Irish musicians while also offering handy tips from inside the music industry. Phantom 105.2s Michelle Doherty will be broadcasting live from the shop between 10.30am and 2.30pm, with workshops starting at 2pm. And in addition to raffles, the first 100 guests to register in store will be entered in a draw to win an electric guitar starter pack. Workshops are free (and for all abilities), but advance booking is advisable. Tel: BID on (01) 899 4017 or e-mail: bidsforkids@dublincitybid.ie. DUBLIN FOR FREE Family Day at Music Maker index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html