Parsons Dance Company

I know it's a great dance performance when I have to hold onto my seat and not attempt to leap up on the stage to join in. And no one gets me out of my seat like the Parsons Dance Company. The Parsons troupe seamlessly combines David Parsons' choreography with the incredible athleticism of his dancers—set to music as wildly diverse as Bach, Rossini, Milton Nascimento and Esquivel; I never miss a local performance. Their signature piece, "Caught," has you convinced they can defy gravity. Set to Robert Fripp's pulsing score, with strobe lighting controlled by the dancer, the piece gives the illusion that the performer is walking on air. I caught them in November at the Annenberg;don't miss them when they are back in town.

--Peggy Amsterdam

President, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

The Legend of Johnny Cash

The CD The Legend of Johnny Cash—released recently with the movie—has been high on my playlist. The scenes in the movie seemed to depict the atmosphere onstage really well. The emphasis placed on the glare of the lights and the close camera shots made you feel like you were standing with the performers. As a closet karaoke junkie, I have spent my fair share of nights behind a microphone ... singing "Ring of Fire." I could be lured away from this architecture gig with the invitation to sing lead vocals in a band. I can dream, can't I?

--Tony Bracali

Architect/designer of Philadelphia's new Schuylkill River Skatepark

The Dhammapada

My daughter is of an age where I'm starting to think about how to introduce her to religion. So I've been reading a lot of religious texts lately. My favorite is the Dhammapada—a Buddhist guide for living in this world. It is simple and beautiful and really difficult to adhere to. Humility and forgiveness are not easy. There is a part of me, however, that, every time I open it, hopes that instead of telling me to "retreat into stillness," it will say, "Your anger is totally justified—fuck that guy."

--Jennifer Childs

Artistic director, 1812 Productions

Wikipedia

Wikipedia.org is my newest guilty pleasure. This free encyclopedia is a factoidal Google. It's engrossing both as entertainment and as a supplement to news articles, TV shows and even history books—or history in the making, from the juicy details of Borat's exploits with the Kazakh government (look up The Ali G Show—another guilty pleasure) to background information about the Arab-Israeli conflict and even the current prophet cartoon violence. Biographies abound, and even gossip for those unwilling to buy gossip magazines (look up the movie stars and see what I mean). Now don't go thinking this is the end-all and be-all of a subject, with articles being authored by flesh-and-blood writers with a point of view (articles are being rewritten as we speak), but it surely is refreshing.

--Jaime Salm

Creative director, MIO Design