ChinatownConnection.com

2008 Chinese New Year Festivals in Houston

4th Annual Planting Party on the Parkway. Mark your calendars! The Bayou Buddies will join forces with the Trees for Houston RedBuds for the Fifth Annual Planting on the Parkway. We will be planting native trees in Tony Marron Park.. Bayou Buddies and Redbuds will also be maintaining the perennial beds, removing litter, and pruning existing trees. Houston events at Downtown, in Buffalo Bayou. Call 713-752-0314 for more info.

Da Camera of Houston - Ravi Coltrane Quartet. The second son of John and Alice Coltrane, tenor and soprano saxophonist Ravi Coltrane is at the forefront of the restless few who are carving out new paths in jazz. Down Beat calls him “a modernist who has absorbed a wealth of jazz.” Ravi Coltrane's most recent CD is 2005's In Flux. Houston events at Wortham Center, 501 Texas. Call 713-524-5050 for more info.

Houston Symphony Time Warner Family Series - Gotta Dance!  10am and 11:30am. From tutus to the can-can, this concert will set your toes to tapping and your hands to clapping. Houston events at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. Call 713-224-7575 for more info.

Dominic Walsh Dance Theater - Celebrating Moving Bodies - Moving Minds. 7:30pm. Houston events at Hobby Center. To mark the fifth anniversary of the company’s premiere performance, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater will present a celebratory program with Jiri Kylian’s Double You as the centerpiece. Born in Prague, Kylian is considered to be one of the most prominent contemporary choreographers in the world today, and adding this icon to the company’s repertoire is a milestone. Call 713-652-DWDT for more info. Event ID:2/9

Alley Theatre - The Lieutenant of Inishmore. The Lieutenant of Inishmore revolves around a group of terrorists in a radical IRA splinter group and their ruthless (and cat-loving) leader “Mad Padraic.” When Padraic’s beloved cat is found dead, the death must be concealed before Padraic returns from a stint of violence. What follows are a series of savagely funny events that are both shocking and surprising. Houston events at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. Call 713-228-8421 for more info. Event ID:2/24

Jersey Boys. Houston events at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts. Call 713-622-7469 for more info. Event ID:2/9

Alley Theatre - Love, Janis. Houston events at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. A musical about Janis Joplin, Port Arthur, Texas’ most famous daughter, Love, Janis goes behind the music of the legendary rock/blues singer. Following her life from 1966 until her death in 1970, Love, Janis features performances of many of her smash hits: “Piece of My Heart,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Mercedes Benz” and “Ball and Chain”. Call 713-228-8421 for more info. Event ID:2/10

Genome: The Secret of How Life Works. Have you ever wondered what you have in common with a potato? How genes affect growth and aging, or what your future children might look like? Stop wondering and start exploring! Scientists have mapped the human genome – a person’s entire set of genes. Genes are the secret codes, or recipes that make us who we are and that influence who we might become. Houston events at Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive. Call 713-521-1515 for more info. Event ID:5/4

CSI: The Experience. This completely immersive exhibit invites visitors to enter one of three mock crime scenes, where they identify and record the evidence. It then takes them inside forensic laboratories for scientific testing and to autopsy rooms for pathology analysis. Houston events at Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Call 713.639.IMAX for more info. Event ID:4/30

Pompeo Batoni: Prince of Painters in Eighteenth Century Rome Exhibition. Houston events at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Sesame Street Presents: The Body. Get to know what’s under your skin at Sesame Street Presents: The Body, an amazing new educational exhibition featuring Elmo, Oscar, Grover and the rest of your Sesame Street friends! Run, jump and play your way through a new interactive exhibition all about the human body. This exhibit will cover everything from fingers and toes to your ishy-squishy insides. Houston events at Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive. Call 713-521-1515 for more info.

Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia. Discover five million years of Ethipia's diverse history and culture. The exhibition will include the original fossilized remains of the 3.2 million-year-old hominid known as Lucy. With 40 percent of her skeleton intact, Lucy remains the oldest and most complete adult human ancestor fully retrieved from African soil. Location: Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Event ID:4/20/08.