Tempe Conventions & Visitors Bureau

It’s always exciting around here when Cactus League Spring Training opens. And to fill those hours not taken up with baseball or for those who are not predisposed to the sport, there are many equally exciting arts and cultural events taking place in Tempe this week.

One such event is Emily Johnson/Catalyst: NIICUGNI, ASU Galvin Playhouse, March 2. NIICUGNI (Listen) is a new dance performance by celebrated director, choreographer, curator Emily Johnson (Native Alaskan Yup’ik).  Presented as part of the Gammage Beyond Series, NIICUGNI is presented within a light and sound installation made of hanging fish-skin sculptures. In NIICUGNI, Ms. Johnson has woven elements of theater, dance and art installation into a unique experience. The fish-skin sculptures will be produced by local community members during her residency at ASU Gammage and will be an integral part of an unforgettable theatrical journey fusing music and dance with contemporary performance. It is intended to take the audience out of the theater and into nature, to NIICUGNI (Listen) to our connection with the Earth and our ancestors.

Emily Johnson/Catalyst is the Minneapolis-based performance project company. Ms. Johnson’s work has been called “voracious,” “highly nuanced,” “stunning,” “punk rock-cum minimalist,” “aptly named” and “a force of nature.” She received a Bessie (New York Dance and Performance Award) for Outstanding Production in 2012 and a Sage (Minneapolis Dance) Award in 2010 for her work, The Thank-you Bar.

There are plenty of arts and cultural events choose from in Tempe this week. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

• February 25: Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble: Latin Fantasies, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 26: Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble: Fourth Annual High School Band Festival, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 26: Coheed and Cambria, Marquee Theater
• February 26: Nicole Pesce & Nicole Pesce, Mad Hatter Brew Pub
• February 26: Open Jam, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• February 27: Walk-in Wednesdays Open Mic Night, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 27: David Bernstein; February 28: Colin Barley, Studio Vino
• February 28: Jeff Sullivan, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• February 28-March 3: Stray Cat Theatre Presents: Sons of the Prophet, Tempe Performing Arts Center
• February 28: Arizona Wind Symphony: Bells & Whistles, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 28-March 3: ASU Lyric Opera Theatre Presents Die Fledermaus, ASU Evelyn Smith Music Hall
• February 28: Music on Mill, Mill Avenue District
• March 1: Tempe Comedy Concert Series: Best of the West Featuring Jonathan Gregory and Kristofer Royer, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 1: Phoenix Symphony: Saint-Saens Piano Concerto, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 1: The Spectre: Works by Rembrandt Quiballo Opening Reception,  Night Gallery at Tempe Marketplace
• March 1: Confluence Opening Reception,  Night Gallery at Tempe Marketplace
• March 1: Bethany Heights & Real Life Mannequins, Marquee Theater
• March 1: Jason DeVore, Studio Vino
• March 1: Take Cover; March 2: The Sullivans, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• March 1: Peppermint James; March 2: Scott & John of Hello Swindon, Tempe Marketplace District Stage
• March 1: Laura Walsh Band; March 2: Colton Avery, Tempe Marketplace Barnes & Noble Fountain
• March 2: First Saturday for Families, ASU Art Museum
• March 2: Mujeres Cinco, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 2: Emily Johnson/catalyst:  NIICUGNI, ASU Galvin Playhouse
• March 2: Great Arizona Beer Festival, Tempe Town Lake
• March 2: Stu Siefert Combo, Robbie Fox’s Public House
• March 2-3: Childsplay Presents: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 3: Domingo Degrazia, Desert Botanical Garden