The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

DANCE
Zenon Dance

It’s a big month for Zenon Dance Company. For one, they hop aboard the holiday treadmill with their premiere of The Nutcracker According to Mother Goose on December 15. But the company’s signature aesthetic—athleticism and precision, not to mention sophisticated musical tastes—will be better displayed this weekend, at its twenty-fifth anniversary program. Five works by Zenon’s favorite choreographers, including Danny Buraczeski, Doug Varone, and Wynn Fricke, are set to music by Marianne Faithfull, Steve Reich, and Jelly Roll Morton, to name but a few. The highlight is likely to be a reprise from Zenon’s Spring 2007 program: “Catching Her Tears (44°N, 93°W)” is a stark, abstracted meditation on loss from New York choreographer Colleen Thomas, who was inspired in part by the plight of a local friend (the title includes the coordinates of Minneapolis). —Christy DeSmith

Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 1 & 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; $22-34.

AWARD SHOW
The Best in British TV Advertising

Everything’s better with a British accent, including television commercials, right? The Walker Art Center sure seems to think so; in fact, accented advertising art has even earned its own set of award shows. Today marks the first of 15 screenings of the 2007 British Television Advertising Awards, which last year attracted almost 17,000 people and has become one of the most popular annual showcases over the last 19 years. Many of the shows are already sold out, but if you act fast you can still get tickets for Sunday. —Kate McDonald

Sunday at 1 & 3 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; $10 (members $8).

STYLE
Wrap Up Something Special

If fashion defines the person, what kind of person are you? From whips and leather, to pearls and embroidered couture fabrics, this weekend showcases fashion finds from distinct corners of the designing world.

First, local designers from Joynoelle, Penny Larsen Jewelry, and Apiary Design come together for a holiday gift party that features handbags hats, coats, dresses, jewelry, personal stationary and notecards — all of which can be custom made by Christmas. Joynoelle, headed by fashion designer Joy Teiken, creates couture designs which have appeared in numerous local magazines and stores across the nation. Her Fall 2007 line was featured at New York Fashion Week. Penny Larsen’s local bridal and eveningwear jewelry is influenced by Larsen’s travels in Asia and her love of Renaissance and Celtic creations. Apiary Design creates stationary, holiday and announcement cards, and custom wedding invitations inspired by decadent wallpaper and textiles.

Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Joynoelle Boutique and Atelier, 312 W. 42nd St. (42nd & Grand), Minneapolis; 612-209-7822.

However, if less bridal and more burial is what you are after you might want to turn instead tonight to Ground Zero nightclub for Zirkus: A Dark Carnival of Fashion, with local designs by Zum-spietal, Velluto Nero, Blasphemina's Closet, and Faux Face Fashions. The designers each feature urban gothic and fetish designs, with a futuristic feel of mesh, plastic, and leather sure to bring out the dark side of you. And if that's not enough to turn you on, stay for the fire-eaters and belly dancers. —Kate McDonald

Friday at 9 p.m., Ground Zero, 15 N.E. 4th St., Minneapolis; 612-378-5115; $8.

MUSIC
Tegan and Sara

Tegan and Sara have a quirky combo of high-concept modifiers to grab your attention—they’re lesbian twin sisters from Calgary—but their strengths are much more mundane and potent than that. Their latest, The Con, retains a handcrafted, DIY spirit, but the vocals are less girlish and the arrangements less cheesy than their 2004 breakthrough, So Jealous. In terms of songwriting, Sara’s tunes are more brainy and assertive, Tegan’s more emo and introspective. Their confessions are vague—“I’m not unfaithful/but I’ll stray,” and “Nobody likes to/But I really like to cry,” for examples—but the sincerity is straightforward enough to carry such lyrics past preciousness, where they become verbal hooks that are as catchy as Tegan and Sara’s spare but memorable melodies. Some people call it folk-punk, but it’s really a couple of impish Canucks flying by the seat of their considerable intuitions. —Britt Robson

Ben Glaros

Ben Glaros’s music is that of the familiar: songs about falling in and out of love; shoutouts to familiar local uptown hotspots like Spyhouse Coffee and the Mayday Cafe; a folk rock blend that includes harmonicas, cellos, and mandolins; and a stint in the local indie pop rock scene since the mid 1980s. In his debut full-length album, Lovesong Roulette, Glaros proves the preeminence of the familiar as he teams up with other local greats, including Michael Ferrier and Greg Schutte. Expect more great collaborations this evening as Glaros shares the stage with none other than the familiar local legend Slim Dunlap, formally of the Replacements. —Kate McDonald

Saturday at 8 p.m., The Cedar, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-2674; $15.

And don't forget to swing by the Uptown Theatre tonight for a little Blade Runner action — the Final Cut. Woohoo!