Everybody dance now — this week's newsletter is here

Hello! You're reading the CBC Arts newsletter, and if you like what you see, stick around! Sign up here, and every Sunday we'll send you a fresh email packed with art, culture and a metric truckload of eye candy, hand-picked by our small and mighty team. Here's what we've been talking about this week.

Hi, art lovers!

Before I get into things, I just wanted to send a special all-caps WELCOME AND HELLO to the scads of new subscribers who signed up in time for this week's email. Thanks for joining us. (And that goes for all of you, by the way!) If you ever want to reach out to our crew, this newsletter's your direct line to the CBC Arts team. You know the drill. Just hit reply.

Now, on to the fun stuff.

What are we reading?

This time last week, I was sharing a ton of stories about the Notre-Dame fire, a subject that design teams all over the world have been thinking about as well — but maybe in a more constructive fashion than copy/pasting a pile of links. There are loads of imaginative proposals to sift through already. Could the cathedral be rebuilt using 3D printers, for instance? A Dutch design firm (Concr3de) wants to literally raise Notre-Dame from the ashes, using the charred remains of the cathedral to print it back to life. They've even made a replica of one of the gargoyles already.

It's not as bonkers as some of the ideas floating around. To wit: this concept for "Quasimodo's penthouse," a luxury residence complete with an indoor/outdoor pool and helipad. But if Quasimodo were real (and actually hunting for multi-million dollar real estate), he should probably consider temporarily relocating to Toronto, where the famous Integral House just went on the market. In 2012, it won a Governor General's Medal in Architecture, and it's even the subject of this feature documentary (which, fun fact, was produced by a former CBC Arts staffer). Have a snoop inside and imagine composing an AI-assisted symphony in its performance hall. (I'm saying that because this program, MuseNet, lets you generate four-minute songs, and it's free to try until May 12.)

Or instead of training a computer, train your own brain — to see like an artist. When you've got those skills locked, you'll be ready to apply for this dream job at Studio Ghibli...and maybe even date a Hollywood starlet. (Apparently "art boys" are so hot right now. What's not? The Instagram aesthetic.)

What are we watching?

Monday is International Dance Day, a.k.a. "premiere day" here in the office. Season 2 of The Move is almost here, so watch the trailer — plus the entire first season of this CBC Arts web series in case you somehow missed it. Next time around, the producers should really chase Taylor Swift's choreographer.

And while I'm sharing music videos, maybe save this link for after dark. FKA twigs is back after a three-year absence, and long-time Björk collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang directs her new video for "Cellophane." She plays a pole dancer who'd probably feel at home on Arrakis, and about halfway through the performance she breaks open the space-time fabric or something, causing a hellish freefall that leaves more questions than answers. It looks great, though. More pop music! Personally, I've been listening to Lizzo's new album all week. Same? This New York Times feature reveals how she made her smash hit "Juice."

And because we promised you eye candy

Canadian-born artist Chloe Wise just opened her first exhibition in London, and Juxtapoz has a slideshow of her new paintings.

A few years back we covered Robert Xavier Burden, a Mississauga-raised artist who makes larger-than-life paintings that are as inspired by medieval illuminated manuscripts or 18th-century French tapestries as they are by '80s Happy Meal toys. He sent us an update on his latest work: a painting of the Los Angeles Zoo's famed elephant Billy, who's bursting out of a jungle of pachyderm action figures. (Who knew there were so many?) Limited edition prints go on sale in May, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the L.A. Zoo. (Oh, and there's a timelapse video of how he made it! Watch it on Instagram.)

Alex McLeod is another artist we covered way, way back — and if you're in Toronto this spring, check out his new exhibition, Ghost Stories. It's on at Division Gallery to June 8 as part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival.

You've got to see this

A museum straight out of a storybook - Victorian woodwork, ancient dioramas...and curtains made of human teeth?! They're all waiting for you inside Montreal's Redpath Museum, which happens to be the oldest purpose-built museum in the country. Take a tour with artist Jude Griebel.

Drop in on a dance class that's truly all-ages - It doesn't matter if you're 12 or 72 — everyone loves to dance. We visited a hip hop class that's bringing kids and seniors together in Toronto's Weston neighbourhood.

Before National Poetry Month is over - Our web series Poetic License features performances from eight Canadian spoken word artists, and in the latest video, Faduma Mohamed delivers a piece inspired by her brother who has autism.

Follow this artist

Zadie Xa (@zadiexa) - A few of Zadie's pics went up on the CBC Arts Instagram after we ran this video about her life in London. Here are a few of the top gushing comments: "Gorgeous!" "This is absolutely exquisite." "Sparkle heart, sparkle heart, sparkle heart."

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Until next time!

XOXO, CBC Arts