It’s summer. It’s HOT. You’re feeling it. You’re feeling the heat! What better way to party it up than to get down to the dance beats on board a boat cruise?

Well, seems like great minds think a like. The cool people at University of Toronto Dance Club are throwing a summer dance cruise.

Come see live performances, a dancing contest, and enjoy a drink on board of The River Gambler! You can also enjoy our games, ticket draws, food & alcohol (18+ event)!

Two floors of music, dancing and fun!
TOP floor: Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Reggaeto
BOTTOM floor: Electro, House, TOP 40 by DJ Incise!

When: Friday, July 4, 2008, 7:30pm – Midnight
Tickets: Members: $30, Non-members: $35. Tickets can be purchased at the UTDC office (21 Sussex Ave, Rm 426) or from any UTDC staff member (email: dance.club [at] utoronto [dot] ca)
Facebook: See Facebook Event Page here.

Courtesy of the awesome people at CINSSU, we’ve got you some FREE passes to an advanced screening of the hilarious new comedy Get Smart, starring Steve Carell and some other people with names you’ve probably of heard of before.

So, to enter for your chance to win, leave a comment below (using your real email address) and suggest what you think is the all-time funniest movie ever! Winners will be drawn randomly.

When: Monday, June 16, 2008. 8:30pm – 10:40pm. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. Passholders will be admitted first. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.
Where: Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave.)
Details: *CONTEST ENDED* Enter in the comments to win a pass. Each pass is good for 2 people. Also, see the Facebook event for more details.

Did you hear about the Strawberry Social this Sunday at Hart House? Well, it sounds like a splendid time! Read the news below:

What is a Strawberry Social?
- An afternoon of classical opera
- High Tea service with culinary delights made from locally grown food
- A trip to a magical strawberry field complete with Strawberry Maidens

Kicking off the event at 3pm will be Soprano Laura Klassen along with David Roth, baritone performing songs by Schoene Muellerin, Willhelm Mueller, and Franz Schubert as well as Papageno/Papagena from finale of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

After the concert you’ll step outside into Hart House’s quadrangle which will be transformed into a magical strawberry field complete with Strawberry Maidens and live entertainment. You’ll enjoy a High Tea service, made from Oikos Teas, with strawberry themed food and sparkling wine.

When: Sunday, June 8th from 3pm – 6pm
Tickets: Admission is FREE, but donations to support the Hart House Theatre Campaign are welcome. Get your tickets online at UofTtix.

Summer has almost arrived. It’s a bit indecisive as to whether or not it’s completely here, but the foot is definitely in the door. And with that, we expect sunny days, warm weather, beaches, and of course, cruising on your bicycles. I love riding my bike. Aside from the obvious fact that biking is sexy, it’s also very convenient and it just feels great.

But, “Wait,” you say, “what if I don’t have a bike?” “Ah ha!” I would answer, “that’s were BikeChain comes in to save the day!”. You may have noticed the row of yellow bikes parked on the west side of St. George street near College. They used to belong to the now defunct Bike Share. Yes, it’s sad that Bike Share is no longer running; however, be happy that BikeChain will now lend you bikes for FREE!

Come in to BikeChain during operating hours with your T-Card and one other piece of ID. Leave a refundable $25 deposit and you’ve got a single-speed, coaster-brake bike for two business days! It’s as simple as that!

I took one of the bikes out for a ride and it rode very smoothly. The only thing to watch out for is they’re all single-speed bikes with back-pedal brakes, which may take some getting used to if you haven’t ridden one before.

Bikechain
International Student Centre (Basement), 33 St. George
Monday-Tuesday: 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Wednesday-Friday: 12 to 5 PM

The Canada Japan Society, together with the National Film Board of Canada, is hosting a special movie night to celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and Japan.

The film, After Life, is a fantastic piece of Japanese cinema. Understated and subtle in tone, it’s a slow film that conveys layers of mood and feeling. The plot itself is quite intriguing as well:

After people die, they spend a week with counselors, also dead, who help them pick one memory, the only memory they can take to eternity. They describe the memory to the staff who work with a crew to film it and screen it at week’s end; eternity follows. – IMDB

The screening of “After Life” will be preceded by the Genie and Cannes award winning, as well as Oscar nominated, Canadian animated short film “Madame Tutli Putli” directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski.

When: Friday, May 16, 2008. 6:30pm
Where: NFB Cinema (150 John Street)
Details: $15.00 General Admission. There will be a wine and cheese reception following the films.

Image from Wikipedia

So, summer is fast approaching and you’re probably thinking, “Hey, I should really do something active.” Good thinking! But what sort of sport should you participate in? Well, BikeChain would like to invite you to consider bike polo! Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Imagine polo, minus the horses, and insert the bikes where the horses used to be, and voila: bike polo.

Below are the listed requirements for participation:
- Access to a road or track bike
- Excellent riding and balancing skills
- An interest in organized bike polo competition

So, if you satisfy those requirements, then head over to the first BikeChain bike polo team practice this Saturday.

When: Saturday, May 10th, 2008. 2pm – 5pm
Where: Meet outside BikeChain – 33 St. George St
Details: Bring a bike. They’ve got the mallets. Don’t bring a horse. I repeat, don’t bring a horse.

Video of Trampoline Hall, by 52 Mondays

Well, it’s not quite what you’d imagine when you hear “Trampoline Hall”. You’re probably thinking of a long, gilded hallway, with vaulted ceilings, where slender, acrobatic youths in tights are somersaulting between a row of trampolines stretching into the vanishing point (… at least that’s what I imagined). What Trampoline Hall actually is, is a lecture series that’s entertaining, whimsical, and quite an active local tradition.

Happening at Sneeky Dee’s on the second Monday of every month, Trampoline Hall is a lecture series that has only one stipulation: The lecture may not give a talk on a subject in which they are a professional expert. The result is… well, you can watch the video above and tell me whether or not you think it’s awesome. Hosted by a frenetic dude who speaks with nervous excitement and attended by a sold-out crowd of curious, well-humoured guests every month, Trampoline Hall is a really quaint and charming local tradition that you should probably check out, at least once. I know I’ve been coming back for more ever since I attended my first one.

When: Second Monday of every month. May 12th this month. 8PM Sharp. Get tickets beforehand!
Where: Sneaky Dee’s (431 College Street)
Details: Get your tickets ($6) starting Thursday the week before (May 8th in this case) at Soundscapes (572 College Street)! Tickets sell out quickly. You can find out about the topics of this month’s lectures on the Trampoline Hall website.