Bask in the Heat of Latin Fest 2011

There’s something about salsa that makes you think of warm weather. Salsa for eating. Salsa for dancing. Well, we like the image. Bring it on.

And how about some nice fluffy merengue as well?

Join headliners Melina León and Kevin Ceballo, plus UConn’s Latin Dance Club, BAILE, in a hot hot hot dance cabaret at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts this Saturday, April 2. DJ Wil G is also on the program, which starts at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7.

Enjoy Latino dinner fare and cash bar in Jorgensen’s nightclub setting. Semi-formal attire is required. This is a special night, presented by Jorgensen and the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center on the UConn campus. Univision is sponsoring. Call 860-486-4226, or order tickets ($35, $30, $25) online at jorgensen.uconn.edu.

Strindberg with Strings

You might bump into some puppet masters and fans who are in Storrs for the International Puppetry Conference this weekend, March 31-April 2, especially if you go to a Connecticut Repertory Theatre performance of Strindberg’s A Dream Play at the Studio Theatre.

The production of original puppet creations, adapted and directed by Joseph Jonah Therrien, tells the story of Agnes, daughter of the gods, who is sent down to earth to see if life is tough among mortals. Puppet artist Therrien has an open landscape for creating a reinterpretation of the surreal Strindberg 1901 classic, where “everything can happen, everything is possible and probable.”

Shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. For tickets, priced at $26 or $29, call 860-486-4226. For information, call 860-486-1429. Or visit the CRT website for either.

Taste of Manchester Puts On the Dog

Can’t decide which great downtown Manchester restaurant to hit this week? Try a bunch at Taste of Manchester Tuesday, April 5, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. For a $25 ticket you can venture into Rocco’s Pizza Bar & Grill, The Main Pub, Great Harvest Bread Co., El Mariachi Loco and plenty of others. Sample to your heart’s content and don’t worry about the weather. A complimentary “limo bus” will cart you from site to site.

The event will benefit the Manchester Dog Owners Group. Get tickets at participating restaurants or the Town Hall Customer Service & Information Center. This event can sell out, so better hurry.

It’s Young, It’s French, C’est Ebène

One of the world’s most sought-after young chamber ensembles is France’s Ebène Quartet. And the group is performing at Jorgensen on Wednesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. These musicians were the darlings of critics on their first U.S. tour and in 2009 won both “Recording of the Year” at the Classic FM Gramophone Awards and BBC Music Magazine’s “Newcomer of the Year.” The quartet has been described as playing “with a sense of controlled danger.” I’m in.

Don’t miss this program of Mozart, Debussy and Mendelssohn or the pre-concert talk by Michael Lankester, former head of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $28 and $30 with some discounts. Call 860-486-4226 or visit jorgensen.uconn.edu.

Scrapbooking Crawl

Scrapbookers are a zealous lot, and so the 2011 Scrapbook Store Bus Tour to four Connecticut vendors Sunday morning, April 3, won’t throw them. For $65, hobbyists get breakfast, lunch and snack and stops at four specialty shops. The price also includes free gifts, shopping discounts and round-trip transportation to their store of origin.

The day starts with breakfast at 8 a.m. at the first stop and ends about 11 a.m. at the same place. The nearest departure point for eastern Nutmeggers is Inspiration Station, 13 Furnace Ave., Stafford Springs. Other stores are New England Scrapbook Co. in Canton, Papercraft Clubhouse in Westbrook and Wiggles & Giggles in Wethersfield.

Seating is limited, so register soon for this transporting crafts event. Call Inspiration Station at 860-684-2641, New England Scrapbook Co., 860-693-9197, Wiggles & Giggles, 860-529-5899, or Papercraft Clubhouse, 860-399-4443.

Scholz Watercolors at Tolland Arts Center

Local artist Art Scholz is showcasing his new watercolors of rural, New England shore and Tuscan scenes this Saturday, April 2, and next at the Arts Center of Tolland on the town green. Scholz, an active member of several arts societies, is known for his paintings of people and nature in close harmony, portrayed with freshness, richness of color and expressive style.

You can see the works from noon to 4 p.m. on either Saturday. Admission is free. For information, call 860-871-7405 or visit the arts center’s website.

Last Call for Ballet Fans

Don’t forget to see the Russian National Ballet Theatre perform Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and the repertoire staple Chopiniana tonight, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $25-30, with some discounts. For information, call 860-486-4226 or visit Jorgensen at UConn.