AXIS Dance Company
From surgeries to space exploration, robotics are used in many fields, but even so, dance probably doesn’t spring to mind as an obvious use. But with a robotics dance showcase, Berkeley-based AXIS Dance Company is bringing human-tech partnerships to the stage. The company’s “Kinematic/Kinesthetic” presents a groundbreaking program that “integrates emerging and existing technologies to expand movement potential for both disabled and non-disabled dancers,” according to an event description. Engineering students at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Maryland, together with multidisciplinary artist Ben Levine, developed dynamic mobility devices, such as telescoping crutches and robotic legs, used in the piece. Also on the program is “Manifold,” created by choreographer, dancer, and roboticist Dr. Catie Cuan. The work, created during Cuan’s two-year residency at The Exploratorum, highlights the possibilities of connection and even empathy between humans and machines.
May 21, 7:30 p.m., at Bing Concert Hall, Stanford. $16-$68. live.stanford.edu.
Shelby Van Pelt
Shelby Van Pelt is the bestselling author of the award-winning novel “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” about a woman’s connection with a giant Pacific octopus. After her husband dies, Tova Sullivan starts working a custodial night shift at an aquarium, where she forms a friendship with grumpy and brilliant octopus Marcellus, who uses his detective skills to figure out the truth about the mysterious disappearance of Tova’s son years earlier. Van Pelt will be in conversation with “Jane Austen Book Club” author Karen Joy Fowler to discuss her work at an event at Kepler’s.
May 20, 7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real #100, Menlo Park; $9.92-$29.75; eventbrite.com.
BALTHVS
Colombia-based psychedelic funk trio BALTHVS (Balthazar Aguirre, Johanna Mercuriana and Santiago Lizcano) blend cumbia, surf rock, funk and Turkish musical influences, with lyrics in both Spanish and English. The group comes to the Guild to perform a BottleRock AfterDark show, in conjunction with the BottleRock Napa Valley Festival and, according to the event description, is known for its energetic shows and creative improvisations. Bay Area artist Forrest Day opens the show, with his mix of folk, rock, hip-hop and pop styles.
May 21, 8 p.m., The Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $41-$93; tixr.com/groups/guildtheatre/events/balthvs-133419.
Qualia Contemporary Art
Qualia celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with “Reframing the Margins: Contemporary Works from AAPI Artists,” a group show featuring five Asian American women and nonbinary artists: Ahn Lee, Zhang Chun Hong, Jesse Liu, Namita Paul, and gallery artist Stella Zhang. The artists work in a variety of media, including ceramics and fiber, creating pieces that reflect their heritage while highlighting a diversity of perspectives, according to an event description.
Also on display at Qualia this month is the solo show “Zhang Yu: Ink Reconstructed” of conceptual pieces, Chinese artist Zhang Yu explores unique effects that the medium can create. Visitors to Qualia last saw his work at the gallery in 2022, as part of a group show, “Beyond Ink.” Pieces for the show were drawn from series of the artist’s work, said an event description: “minimalist, abstract ink paintings from the mid-1980s, the experimental ink “Divine Light” series from the 1990s, and the early-21st-century ongoing “Fingerprints” series based on the process of fingerprint actions.”
“Reframing the Margins: Contemporary Works from AAPI Artists” is on view through June 7 and “Zhang Yu: Ink Reconstructed” is on view through June 21 at Qualia Contemporary Art, 229 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. qualiacontemporaryart.com/index.php.
