ADAPTIVE SALSA DANCE CLASSES The first of three “adaptive salsa” dance classes in the coming weeks, Saturday’s lesson is free and open to all. Dance for All Bodies hosts a variety of classes for people with a range of physical abilities, adapting the material so people in wheelchairs, those who use prosthetics and assistive devices, and folks without disabilities can all participate. The trio of salsa classes at the Ed Roberts Campus will be taught by Janpi Star, a Puerto Rico-born dancer with AXIS Dance Company. No salsa experience or partners required. The next two classes are Jan. 25 and Feb. 8. Saturday, Jan. 11, 2 p.m., Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St.
HISTORIES OF THE PRESENT Have you ever read Berkeley’s municipal code and thought, “Damn, if only this were spoken aloud in multiple languages and interwoven with field recordings from the city’s natural, industrial and urban environments”? Probably not, but doesn’t that sound intriguing? On Saturday evening you can catch Yann Novak and Robert Crouch’s sound installation “Histories of the Present” at the BART plaza downtown. The artists synthesized their recordings to create “a harmonic composition which moves through the plaza space and becomes a meditation on the contingent relationships between the array of human activity taking place in Berkeley and the area’s ecological systems.” The installation, one of several exhibited since the plaza’s grand opening, has been up since October and closes Jan. 17, but Saturday’s event is a scheduled “listening party.” Saturday, Jan. 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m., BART plaza, 2170 Shattuck Ave.
RON JACKSON TRIO The Ron Jackson Trio is undoubtedly the first to put Irving Berlin, Van Morrison and Drake on the same album. On Friday, the New York guitarist is bringing that kind of versatility — and interrogation of what constitutes a jazz standard — to Berkeley’s Back Room. He’ll be joined by bassist Nathan Brown and San Francisco drummer Darrell Green, who played on his March 2019 album “Standards and Other Songs.” “I wanted to make a record brimming with personal favorites, tunes I enjoy hearing, classic songs I feel have stood the test of time…For me, these songs have the power to transport you, to trigger memories and inspire happiness,” he says. Tickets are $10-20. Jackson is also hosting an improvisation workshop at the California Jazz Conservatory on Sunday. Friday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m., The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave.
THE MAMMARIES OF TIRESIAS According to the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, the first time the word “surreal” was attached to a play was when Guillaume Apollinaire labeled his “The Mammaries of Tiresias” as such. It’s an absurdist story about “sexual identity, gender norms and the need for 1900s French society to repopulate after WWII,” per the ensemble, which will put on a special, one-time performance of The Mammaries at BAMPFA this Sunday. The hour-long staged reading of the French play, translated by Maya Slater, complements BAMPFA’s exhibit “Strange,” on surrealism. Tickets included with admission. Sunday, Jan. 12, 5 p.m., BAMPFA, 2155 Center St.
MASS IN TROUBLED TIMES Haydn’s “Mass in Troubled Times” was a soundtrack to Napoleon’s 1798 siege of Austria, but the relevance of theme is not lost on the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra. “In 2020 we have troubles of our own,” says BCCO in its description of its weekend-long extravaganza. The three days of free concerts (donations are accepted) also feature Mozart’s “Mass in C.” Ming Luke is the conductor, and the shows include a full orchestra and 160 singers. “No tissues issued,” warns BCCO. Friday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 11-12, 3 p.m., Hertz Hall, 101 Cross-Sproul Path.
Don’t miss these other events covered on Berkeleyside:
Berkeley’s Marcelo Pérez is home and bringing us jazz in the key of ‘no’
Big Screen Berkeley: ‘Three Christs’
