Also this issue: Model Image The fragmented personae of Veruschka. -Robin Rice Shut Up and Dance 11 -A.D. Amorosi Macbeth -David Shengold Line Dance -Deni Kasrel Monsters, Mickey and Mozart -Juliet Fletcher The Game Is Ova Heredity fashions an engaging tale from the ethics of reproductive science. -Justin Bauer The Crucible -Toby Zinman The Fever -Toby Zinman

March 13-19, 2003

artpicks

Tere O'Connor Dance

"Winter Belly" might not be the title to make most Philadelphians rush, tripping over their snow shovels, down to the Painted Bride. But dancer-choreographer Tere O'Connor might make you a convert to the season: He's been quoted as saying, "I love winter."

But let's ignore that and focus on dance. O'Connor has been making dances since 1982, winning two Bessies (the second for Sustained Achievement in 1999) along the way. One of the best reasons to see "Winter Belly" is that he makes one of his increasingly rare dance appearances in it (He's been concentrating on choreography). In addition to his homage to winter, O'Connor brings us "Choke," which apparently is exactly what he did. He describes himself as "multi-referential" and likes to include talking in his dances, but when he went to find the words for his new piece, he choked. So he decided to stop talking and go back to movement. He sent his dancers out to imitate ordinary behavior, including what people said. He just wanted them to do all this silently. The result is not so much a return to pure movement as what he calls an exploration of the midpoint between moving and talking.

Tere O'Connor Dance, Thu.-Sat., March 13-15, 8 p.m., $15-$20, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914.

—Janet Anderson