Arts editor HELEN MUSA focuses on what making arts news in this week’s “Arts in the City” column. 

“CIRQUE Mother Africa” is back on town with a new 90-minute extravaganza combining contortion, acrobatics, traditional dance, live music, pan spinning and hand balancing from nine African countries including Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Canberra Theatre, Tuesday, March 28. 

ENSEMBLE Offspring presents Tchno Folk, a trio of clarinet, percussion and piano playing new work from Melbourne’s Joe Chindamo, Karen Tanaka’s “Techno Etudes”, Chick Corea’s “Children’s Songs,” Alice Chance’s “Mirroring” and commissioned works by Samantha Wolf and Nicole Murphy. The Street Theatre, March 29.

JARRAD West’s long-awaited production of “Holding The Man”, adapted by Queanbeyan-born Tommy Murphy from the book by Timothy Conigrave, will open the 2023 season for ACT Hub, Kingston. Until April 1.

THERE’S a new art gallery in Yass with an interesting name – Tyger, named after William Blake’s famous poem (“Tyger Tyger, burning bright”). Its current exhibition is “Bryter”, a show of 10 artists from the Southern Tablelands and beyond. Tyger has committed to giving at least 50 per cent of its profits to local charities and is the brainchild of Yass collector Martyn Pearce. Located prominently in the front of the Memorial Hall building on Comur Street, it’s open Friday to Sunday. 

FOUR photographic art images by Canberra artist Margaret Kalms have been accepted into ArtExpo New York, March 30-April 2. Kalms has, for some years, been focusing artistically on images of women suffering from endometriosis. 

ART Song Canberra’s next concert, “Touches of Sweet Harmony”, built around the words of Shakespeare, will be given by two former ANU School of Music lecturers – mezzo-soprano, Christina Wilson and Alan Hicks on piano. Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, 3pm, April 2.

BRAIDWOOD-based artist John R Walker tells us of a major acquisition by the National Gallery of Australia of his works “Eagle Spirit, Vathiwarta”, 2021, archival oil on polyester canvas and a related “Vathiwarta” Chinese concertina drawing book. 

LUMINESCENCE Chamber Singers presents “Of The Body”, an unusual musical dissection of our relationship to flesh and blood. It features the premiere of a new song cycle by tenor and composer Dan Walker. In addition to home performances at ANU Drill Hall Gallery on March 30 and All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie, on March 31, “Lumi” will sing at Wollongong Art Gallery and Sydney Opera House’s Utzon Room.