Six months ago, the talent and imagination possessed by (or possessing) Jaclyn Schanes was known to a small, but appreciative, circle of friends and critics. That circle has widened to encompass multitudes now and Show Pony, her recent "midnight ride" at RE:View Contemporary, has become a template for other shows of a similar nature, a similar ambition and (we hope) a similar vision ...

And half a year ago there was an even smaller coterie of admirers to extol the efforts of Studioklinik Seven. This hive of productive energy is "home" to a photographer who goes by the alias Studio X. A recent arrival to this city, her works (which are NOT exhibited as widely as they deserve to be) invariably focus on the paradox of renewal in Detroit and the persistence of eros in a sterile milieu. It is a pessimistic subject to be sure; hence, the pleasant surprise when you discover that the images were taken by a woman whose own spirit is a veritable wellspring of optimistic defiance ...

The multi-screen setups that bring movies to the masses these days are here to stay, but lately more and more people have grown to love the scaled-down charm and intimacy of other venues. The Redford is a classic (or if you prefer, retro) bijou built at a time when movie houses were as important to the soul's nourishment as the (equally retro) churches of certain urban neighborhoods. The schedule of flicks is invariably the same as that offered up by TCM, but where else do you get both a convenient intermission and a melodious tide of organ music? The Burton Theatre has no King of Instruments, but it too is rising in popularity and now enjoys an enviable reputation as the city's most discerning art house — a reputation embellished of late with its screening of both cult favorites and BBC documentaries ...

Capoeira, the syncretic Afro-Brazilian martial art/dance style/music genre, is actually NOT as exhausting as that description might imply. Last year at this time, Detroit enthusiasts numbered in the hundreds; those ranks have swelled considerably since then and continue to grow every month. If all this is news to you, RDW strongly suggests you investigate what Centro TABCAT has to offer — and if you're very lucky, that initial foray may result in a meeting with instructor and director Master Caboquinho, a Capoeira  Master from Brazil with over 30 years of experience in this demanding and liberating discipline ...

Described by many as "Mensa on tap," pub trivia may very well be the most rewarding exercise your brain can get in this age of cerebral dysentery. You and your friends go to a bar, you sign up with a moderator after coming up with an appropriate and/or scatological name for your team, you order a round or two of drinks, and then happily discover that you're more well-rounded than your parents, teachers, pals or ex-girlfriends ever suspected. The Miller Beer-sponsored My Trivia Live is now a constellation of satellites in the metro area, but other watering holes have opted for the DIY method. Melody Baetens, for example, presides with merciless poise over a weekly gathering at Small's in Hamtramck — an event that (not surprisingly) has become very popular with an arts and music crowd that usually eschews Trebek-ian mind treks ...

And of course, the People's Arts Festival at the end of August will see the cliff dwellers at Russell Industrial in all their glory — aided and abetted by an army of DIY creatives and an equally impressive and expanding lineup of music combos. If the expected heat of the event (we're talking meteorology here) is overwhelming, you can take heart in the fact that the DIA is already setting up a very cool exhibit for the fall dealing with "fakery" in the art world. Picasso once said art was just "a lie which makes us realize the truth." That truth (or "truth") still rings true today. | RDW

Robert says it's getting hot in here. Email him: robert@realdetroitweekly.com