July arts calendar

Dance

July 18: Dancefx presents A Crazy Sexy Cancer Benefit featuring a night of entertainment, dancing, music, passion, artistry, laughter, remembrance and meaning. South of Broadway Theatre, 1080 E. Montague Ave., North Charleston. 8 p.m. $5 in advance; $8 at door. Call 469-1117, e-mail info@dancefx.org or visit www.dancefx.org.

July 4, 11, 18, 25: Creative Spark presents Weekend Dances featuring waltz, salsa, swing, cha-cha, fox trot and other dance styles. The first hour is a free lesson given by Stanley Ostendorff of Ballroom Plus. No reservation necessary, just pay $10 at the door. Creative Spark Center for the Arts, 757 Long Point Road. 7:30 p.m., but subject to change. Call 881-3780, e-mail creativespark@bellsouth.net, and visit www.ballroomplus.com.

Music

July 4: First Federal and the Ponds Conservancy present Stars & Stripes, a concert by the Summerville Community Orchestra. Bring lawn chairs. This event will feature a fireworks display and a picnic judging contest. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Free. Amphitheatre at The Ponds, Dorchester Road & U.S. Highway 17A. 6-9 p.m. 851-3939, e-mail tmunroe@greenwoodcr.com or visit www.discovertheponds.com.

July 21: As part of the 2009 Old Exchange Summer Concert Series, Chamber Music Charleston presents "The Art of the String Quartet" featuring violinists Megan Allison and Alan Molina, violist Gretchen Frazier and cellist Timothy O'Malley. Old Exchange building's Great Hall. 7 p.m. $18. For more info, e-mail sandra@chambermusiccharleston.org or visit www.chambermusiccharleston.org.

July 24: Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina at Patriots Point present Toots and the Maytals with opening performances by the Carolina Studios students. All proceeds go to support Carolina Studios and Boys and Girls Clubs of the Trident area. Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina at Patriots Point gates open at 5:30 p.m., VIP auction at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Admission is $30 in advance, $40 day of show, $100 VIP. Call 800-514-ETIX, and visit www.tootsandthemaytals.com.

Theater

July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Theatre 99 presents Laugh for a Lincoln featuring Neckprov (July 1), Full Love Throttle (July 8), Cats Hugging Cats (July 15), Moral Fixation (July 22) and a show to be named later (July 29). Theatre 99, 280 Meeting St. Admission is $5. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol.com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 2-18: Midtown-Sheri Grace Productions presents "Reefer Madness: The Hit Musical!" The musical is a tongue-in-cheek take on the original film and the hysteria it was meant to cause at the time of its making. The cast features a live band and 16 singer/dancer/actors. Village Playhouse, 730 Coleman Blvd., Suite C, Mount Pleasant. July 2-4, 9-11, 16-18 at 8 p.m. and July 12 at 5 p.m. Admission is $25 adults and $20 students with ID. Call 557-1163, e-mail sherigrace@yahoo.com.

July 3: Theatre 99 presents Comedy Combat in which two long-form improv teams/shows against each other and the audience votes for their favorite. Theatre 99, 280 Meeting St. 8 p.m. Admission is $10. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol. com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 10, 18, 24, 31: Theatre 99 presents Improv Riot! Come loaded with suggestions for the quick-witted Theatre 99 ensemble members who will take your suggestions and turn them into unscripted scenes! Theatre 99, 280 Meeting St. 8 p.m. Admission is $10. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol.com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 11: Theatre 99 presents Doppelganger, Charleston's only all-improvised rock show. Thea-tre 99, 280 Meeting St. 10 p.m. Admission is $8. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol.com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 11: Theatre 99 presents The Have Nots! Comedy Improv Company, the longest-running show in Charleston. Theatre 99, 280 Meeting St. 8 p.m. Admission is $12.50. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol.com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 17-26: Brad and Jennifer Moranz present "Let the Good Times Roll," featuring pop, Broadway and rock all rolled into one show, including singers, dancers and comedy. Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St. 7:30 p.m. July 17-18, 24-25 and 3 p.m. July 19 & 26. Admission is $19.50-$32.50. Call 416-8453, e-mail bradmoranz@comcast.net.

July 17: Theatre 99 presents Improv Smackdown, 50 percent game show, 50 percent sporting event. Theatre 99, 280 Meeting St. 8 p.m. Admission is $10. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol.com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 18: Theatre 99 presents Stand Up with Kenny Z. Kenny Zimlinghaus is a regular at the Charleston Comedy Festival and former Chucktown resident. Theatre 99, 280 Meeting St. 10 p.m. Admission is $10. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol.com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 23-Aug. 2: Village Playhouse presents "Sidetracked," an original one-man comedy featuring Jay White. 730 Cole- man Blvd., Ste. C, Mount Pleasant. 8 p.m. July 23-25, 30-Aug. 1 and 2 p.m. Aug. 2. Admission is $25 adults, $23 seniors, $20 students with ID, $10 children 12 and under. Call 856-1579, e-mail villageplayhouse@bellsouth.net or visit www.villageplayhouse.com.

July 25: Theatre 99 presents an improv comedy show to be announced. Check the Web site for updates. Theatre 99, 280 Meeting St. 8 p.m. Admission is $10. Call 853-6687, e-mail thehavenots2000@aol.com or visit www.thehavenots.com.

July 31-Aug. 2: Charleston Stage presents "Guys & Dolls Jr." Join 60 young actors, singers and dancers in their own rousing rendition of this Broadway Musical Classic. Sottile Theatre, 44 George St. 7 p.m. July 31 and 2 p.m. Aug. 1-2. Call 577-5967 or visit www.charlestonstage.com.

Lectures

July 13: The Charleston Center for Photography presents its Second Monday Night Lecture featuring Yve Assad and her photographic journey through India. The Charleston Center for Photography, 645 King St., Ste. D. 7 p.m. Free. Call 720-3105, e-mail laura@ccforp.org or visit www.ccforp.com.

July 18: The City Gallery at Waterfront Park presents "A Lecture with Jonathan Brilliant," an artist who uses wooden coffee stir sticks to create huge on-site installations. City Gallery at Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St., Unit A. 12:30 p.m. Free. Call 958-6484, e-mail citygallery@ci.charleston.sc.us or visit www.jonathanbrilliant.com.

Visual arts

July 1-31: City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department presents Audrey Layne Combs' paintings and drawings in her exhibit "Beauty of Age." This ongoing investigative body of work focuses on the aesthetic qualities of the aging body and the perception of elderly people in American Society. Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Free. Call 745-1087, e-mail culturalarts@northcharleston.org or visit www.northcharleston.org.

July 1-31: Charleston Center for Photography presents Gary Geboy's new collection "The Lost," a photographic series of abstract settings and subjects spanning 30 years of haunting images and hidden, forgotten and ignored subjects. The Charleston Center for Photography, 645 King St., Ste. D. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday- Friday. Call 720-3105 or visit www.ccforp.com.

July 1-Aug. 31: City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department presents Window Exhibit at the Meeting Place: Charleston Kids with Cameras. The Charleston chapter of national organization Kids With Cameras will display photographs by inner city boys and girls. The group aims to show these children the world beyond their neighborhoods and the opportunities available to them. The Meeting Place, 1077 East Montague Ave., North Charleston. Window Viewing. Free. Call 745-1087, e-mail culturalarts@northcharleston.org or visit www.northcharleston.org.

July 12-23: Redux Contemporary Art Center presents its third annual eBay Online Auction to support its art education and outreach programs at local schools as well as the Boys & Girls Club, Cannon St. YMCA, Yo! Arts and the Girl Scouts of America. Call 722-0697, e-mail reduxartcenter@gmail.com or visit www.reduxstudios.org.

July 17: Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association presents its fourth annual Palette and Palate Stroll. Fine art and food connoisseurs will stroll through the historic streets of downtown Charleston, sampling tastes from 13 local restaurants in 13 galleries. Downtown Charleston 5:30-7:30 p.m. Admission is $30. Call 345-3275, e-mail vladia@styleepr.com or visit www.cfada.com.

Through July 19: Gibbes Museum of Art presents "Prop Master: An Installation by Juan Logan and Susan Harbage Page" and "Jeff Whetstone: Post-Pleistocene." Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tueday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $9 adults, $7 seniors, students & military, $5 children 6-12, and free for museum members and children under 6. For more info, call 720-1682 and visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.

July 18: Gibbes Museum of Art presents a Deconstruction Party during which museum visitors can take home a piece of exhibition history. Museum-goers can grab a box (or boxes) from the 10,000 that are the centerpiece of the exhibition "Prop Master: An Installation by Juan Logan and Susan Harbage Page." The artists will be on hand to autograph boxes and encourage visitors to take home a symbol of Charleston's past. Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St. 2-5 p.m. Free with museum admission. For more info, call 722-2706 or visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.

Arts in Charleston is a monthly calendar of cultural events in the Charleston area compiled by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and published as a public service by The Post and Courier. The online version of the calendar is updated daily and can be viewed at www.charlestonarts.sc. Deadline for submissions is noon the 15th of each month. For more info about the calendar and including upcoming events in future issues, call the Office of Cultural Affairs at 720-3816, e-mail event listing to ocaintern@ci.charleston.sc.us, fax the event listing to 720-3967, or write:

Arts in Charleston Calendar

City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs

180 Meeting St, St. 200

Charleston, SC 29401