Some Glass Jars and Shifting: A solo performance with voice, glass jars and movement by a talented young dancer who emerges from Cunningham's non-literal dance experiments of the fifties. David Appel claims he's been a musician since the fourth grade, but says his real interest is the fine line between unconscious changes in movement and those made consciously. If nothing else, his two pieces should be a victory for sheer concentration as Appel winds his dances tighter and tighter and each movement appears as a completion of the one that came before. April 30 and May 1 at 8 p.m. at 173A Mass. Ave. Tickets $2.
The Odori Festival of Japan; A dazzling repertory of traditional devil dances, temple dances, dragon dances and displays of ritual combat on tour with 40 dancers as Japan's offering to the bicentennial. May 3 - 4 at 8 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, corner of Mass. Ave. and Boylston Street. For tickets call 426--6310.
Introspection: Vicki Rubin and Lydia Sargent try unsuccessfully to invent a personal form of dance to express their inner thoughts. Working with a company untrained in even the most basic modern dance forms, even the two pieces in the program which are drawn from a recognizable style ("Yearning" uses tap dancing) or on a communicable idea ("Taking a Walk" uses interesting combinations of men and women taking strolls together) don't work. May 1 at 8 p.m. at 15 Newbury Street in Boston. Tickets $2.
Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble: A lively, versatile 35-member troupe performs traditional dances from 9 countries. April 30 at 8 p.m. at the Peabody School Auditorium, 44 Linnean Street, Cambridge. Tickets $3.
In it Together: Well done, well crafted modern dance by Dorothy Hershkowitz and Amy Ellsworth of the Dance Circle of Boston. April 29 - 30 at New England Life Hall, 225 Clarendon Street.
