DANCE
2. GET ON YOUR FEET!The Dance Instructor is a moving, painfully poignant piece, which walks the fine line between tragedy and comedy. In this critically acclaimed oneman show, actor Yoav Bartel serenades the audience with his jokes, choreographies and deeply personal tales. Sitting on three sides of the stage, the audience becomes parts of the performance in the role of dancers coming to a folk dance event.Tonight, 8:30 p.m., Hasimta Theater, Rehov Mazal Dagim 8, Old Jaffa, (03) 681-2126MUSIC
3. LAZER TREATMENTAcclaimed blues rocker Lazer Lloyd will be touring around the country for the next few months in support of his new album featuring the single “Set My Soul Free.” Formerly fronting the heavy haredi bluesmen Yood, Lloyd will be burning up stages in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. NIS 30/40.Tonight, 9, Mushroom Club, Kibbutz Dan, (04) 695-1579.4. RAPPERS’ DELIGHTOrthodox reggae hip-hopper Matisyahu returns to Israel for two performances. The American rocker has appeared here four times previously, including a performance with Sting. The show is part of a tour in support of Matisyahu’s new album Light, which has been criticized for veering away from his reggae roots.Tuesday, 9 p.m., Zappa Club, Tel Aviv, next Thursday, 7 p.m., Kikar Safra, Jerusalem, www.asiamusic.co.il
5. MAE THE FORCE BE WITH YOUVanessa Mae, internationally renowned pop and classical violinist, has joined the long list of artists heading to perform in Israel this summer. Mae was just in her mid-teens when she shattered the mold of the classical virtuoso with the release of her first fusion album The Violin Player, forging a new style that has made her a multi-million-selling worldwide phenomenon. Her music style is self-described as “violin techno-acoustic fusion” as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style.
Saturday, 9 p.m., Caesarea Amphitheater, www.hadran.co.ilJAZZ6. BANG IT OUT WITH BILLYFusion drummer Billy Cobham’s resumé includes collaborations with titans such as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and pop-world music innovator Peter Gabriel. Now 67, Cobham has been at the cutting edge of high-energy jazz for almost 40 years. As part of the Israel Festival, Cobham graces our shore once again on his world tour of his new album Palindromes.Saturday, 9 p.m., Jerusalem Theater, www.israel-festival.co.ilMIXED BAG 7. PISHPESHOOKFree musical performances and street theater are the name of the game in Jaffa’s flea market tonight. Pick from a variety of musical styles such as South American music, an experimental music ensemble or slow rock with instrumentals among the cafes, stalls and eclectic wares.
Runs every Thursday night through the end of summer, from 8 to midnight. Rehov Yefet 15, Jaffa. EXHIBIT 8. LIFE THROUGH AN HOURGLASSThe Israel Museum presents its latest exhibit “Sands of Time,” which spans noted Israeli artist Micha Ullman’s 50- year career in sculpture and drawing.Ullman, who was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize in 2009, is known for subterranean installations, some of which barely protrude from the ground, as well as his sculptures made of iron and sand – all of which address such universal themes as place and home, absence and emptiness. To celebrate this new retrospective, Ullman has created a 200-square-meter installation based on his own unique sand-throwing technique.Ongoing at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, (02) 670-8811.
OPERA9. TRA LA LAThe Israeli Opera presents Verdi’s La Traviata, The opera is complete with costumes, and will be sung in Italian accompanied by Hebrew and English surtitles. La Traviata was the first opera to be performed in Israel 80 years ago and is one of the more well-loved operas in the repertoire. Daniel Cohen will conduct.Runs Wednesday through July 9, www.israel-opera.co.ilUPCOMING FESTIVAL10. THE OUTBACK IS BACKLovers of Aussie film can rejoice, as the sixth Australian Film Festival kicks off this week at the Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv cinematheques. It opens with the critically acclaimed family drama Red Dog (pictured), which received much critical acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival. Feature films, documentaries and short films by aboriginal directors will also be presented.Festival guests include Red Dog producer Wes Nelson.
Runs June 26 through July 9, www.aice.com.au