Our picks of this week's events

DANCE

Pretty politics

Dance is the art form least likely to offend. Even when the choreographer decides to tackle the sometimes ugly, sometimes awkward issue of politics, the end result is usually easy on the eye. Malashock Dance’s Stay the Hand is like that, but the point of the piece—that there’s a choice between conflict and harmony and that choosing conflict can always be reexamined and even reconciled—isn’t lost in the leaps and turns. The tension of Stay the Hand is heightened through the music of Shahrokh Yadegari, a composer and head of design at UCSD’s Theatre and Dance Department whose combination of traditional Persian music and electronic music mirrors the dichotoåmy of the inspiration of the piece—the Old Testament story of Abraham and the idea that Abraham’s descendents founded both Islam and Judaism. Stay the Hand heads into its second week of production, showing at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at the Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University Ave. www.birchnorthparktheatre.net or 619-239-8836. $23-$39.

FILM

After midnight

As the multiplexes make the transfer to digital film prints, it’s about to become a lot tougher to catch your favorite movies of yore on the big screen. Luckily, the kind souls at Landmark’s La Jolla Village Theaters are here to save the day. Their Midnight Madness film festival has brought viewers classic lowbrow treasures for almost five years now, and it’s returning for six weeks of flicks to please even the most discriminating movie-goers. The next film to get the cult treatment is Disney’s sci-fi classic, Tron, starring Jeff Bridges as a video-game programmer stuck in one of his own creations. It kicks off at midnight Friday, April 11, with an encore showing on Saturday, April 12. The Saturday screening will be accompanied by a movie-trivia contest presented by Citizen Video and Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore. Landmark’s La Jolla Village Theatres are located at 8879 Villa La Jolla Drive. www.myspace.com/lajollavillage. $7.25.

FOOD & BOOZE

Get sauced

What could be better than getting a wine buzz and stuffing your gut with delicious food for an entire weekend? San Diego’s second annual California Wine Festival gives foodies and wine aficionados a chance to indulge themselves at two separate events. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, the festival presents “A Night with the Stars,” a gala at the Manchester Grand Hyatt (1 Market Place, Downtown) featuring a live auction and entertainment along with more than 40 different wines. Then, from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 12, the fest continues at Embarcadero Marina Park North (at the southern end of Kettner Boulevard) with the opportunity to taste more than 300 California wines, plus gourmet food samples from local chefs and live music from The Grams. Ten dollars from each ticket sold goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, ensuring that your good time contributes to a good cause. See www.californiawinefestival.com for tickets and details. $75 and up.

MUSIC

Your repertoire

Aida is the “A” in the ABCs of opera. It’s one of Verdi’s most popular pieces and, to this day, is one of the most often performed operas in North America. Perhaps it’s the use of live animals in some productions that keeps the crowds coming back. Or maybe it’s the fast-paced four acts, which storm the stage in powerful and intense scenes led, at least in this case, by Verdi expert Indra Thomas that keeps this 19th-century take on Egyptian lore alive. Thomas plays the title role, daughter of the king of Egypt and lover of Radames, captain of the Egyptian guard. The story that unfolds is dramatic, visually stunning and intensely passionate. The San Diego Opera’s Aida opens at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown, and continues on select nights through April 23. Get your tickets at www.sdopera.com or by calling 619-533-7000.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Doggie paradise

Woodstock in the summer of 1969 was a life-changing event. Woofstock is similar, although, instead of The Who and Jimi Hendrix, Woofstock’s lineup includes names like Barky and Spot. Complete with its own “walk-’n’-roll stroll” through Balboa Park, a doggy playground and canine competitions, plus the obligatory food and music, Woofstock takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at Park Boulevard and Presidents Way. Your $5 ticket will help the Southwest Regional Center for Canine Companions for Independence. www.cci.org/woof stock2008 or 800-572-BARK.

ART

Lady look

Small physical details aren’t important to San Diego painter sonyArletta. The focus of her brushstrokes is on creating a presence and mood, one that is distinctly feminine and emotional. Arletta’s most recent work is in Dance of the Colored Women, an exhibition curated by Troy Washington, former owner of the Arts & Entertainment Center in North Park, and is set to open from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at Avalon Art and Cultural Event Center, 3295 Ohio St. in North Park, with a wine-and-jazz reception featuring Brett Sanders and Soul Jazz Project. 858-254-8376.

FASHION

So many reasons

Thread, the huge fashion event where you can pick up original and indie-type clothing directly from the designers themselves, is happening again from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at the Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park. We’re particularly excited about this installment for a few reasons, some self-serving, some not. Reason No. 1: CityBeat’s sponsoring a lounge. You get your chance to hang out with the peeps who make this little paper happen. Reason No. 2: Adapta Project (our arts editor is one of the organizers) is putting together a clothing-line art installation featuring California and Tijuana artists. Reason No. 3: Subtext is setting up a pop-up bookstore and selling its sweet collection of urban-pop magazines, books and toys. And reason No. 4: Fables by Barrie will be there with its quirky mix of punk/chic wear, and Quiet Hero will be quietly hawking its shiny glass rings and comfy cotton tees. There’s more, but you can find your own source of excitement at www.threadshow.com. $10 or $15 to get in an hour early.