Reading Time: 2 minutes Last Wednesday, dance students and passers-by in the PE hall stumbled across a rather unusual sight: the energetic Kim Strunk, UVU dance instructor extraodinaire, was struggling to keep up in dance with an older woman who had a cast on her foot. That woman was Mabiba Baegne, on her annual tour around the country, stopping in to grace us with her talents and to teach the willing – and the very nimble – the simple- looking yet deceptively complicated traditional African dances.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Just like every local music scene, Provo has its disappointments, but Danny Torriente is not one of them. His audiences can’t help but listen mesmerized or take to the dance floor as he lets his fingers “play” with the guitar in the literal sense — there is nothing methodical here.

Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’ve been to a major book seller in the past month, you’ve probably walked past a tower of neatly arranged books titled The Darkest Evening of the Year. Borders, Barnes and Noble, and to a lesser extent Walden Books all have been pushing this latest title by Dean Koontz pretty hard.

Reading Time: 2 minutes It does not get much better than Crack the skye, the latest album from heavy metal outfit Mastodon. Forget the eyeliner-wearing, prissy stuff that passes for metal nowadays, Mastodon is the real deal and Crack the skye is their masterpiece. If you like your metal heavy, and without all the whining and crying of modern so-called hardcore, then this is the band for you.

Reading Time: 2 minutes For those of us that love tights and fights in our comics, it’s hard to find a better monthly comic book than Captain America. Under the skillful hand of Ed Brubaker, the book is consistently incredible and often mind-blowing. What used to be a monthly flag waving fest has become a dark espionage thriller with a deeply woven plot that keeps its readers on the edge of their seats.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Devils Cuntry, a dark bluegrass/country/western band, celebrated the first anniversary of their formation last Saturday. They play local Utah Valley venues as well as Salt Lake Valley shows. Their popular songs “Hittin’ That Bottle Again” and “Coke and Whiskey” have already come out on their first CD, and the second has just been released.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Singer and songwriter Kirby Heyborne will be live in concert at the Covey Center for the Arts on April 3, 2009 for the release of his new album, The Elm Tree. The 10 track album includes collaborations with distinguished violinist Ryan Shupe and trumpeter Chris Lane.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Nintendo’s cult classic Fire Emblem series is known by gamers the world over for its ability to inspire both pleasure and frustration in shockingly equal amounts. Seldom-used word combinations like “punishingly addictive” or “enjoyably frustrating” are employed freely by anyone and everyone that’s ever given the franchise a spin.

Reading Time: < 1 minute What do sequins, flowers and feathers all have in common? They are being spotted on heads all across campus. Headbands and elastic head wraps have returned once again. Celebrities like Mary-Kate Olsen, Nicole Richie and Rachel Bilson have been seen sporting hippie style headbands throughout the last couple of years, and this vintage style hair accessory has made it to the mainstream.

Reading Time: 2 minutes “For one afternoon people cover each other in colored powders, and our differences are erased in one swipe,” says Charu Das, manager of Holi, also known as The Festival of Colors. Celebrated largely in countries with large Hindu populations such as India, Nepal and Bangladesh, the festival is also held yearly at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork.