CRITICS’ PICKS

MUSIC

What: Lisa LeBlanc with Ramblerspeak and The Unfaithful Servants Where: Upstairs Cabaret, 5 Bastion Sq. When: Friday, 7 p.m. Tickets: $18 at Lyle’s Place or Ticketzone.com Why: Writing about Montreal banjo-blues belter Lisa LeBlanc is like writing about M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense: Say too much and you’ll spoil the secret. This walking, talking highlight-generator is a must-see performer, with no shortage of effusive ink spilled in her honour from critics across the country. You’ll have to be at her show Friday to discover what makes the native of Rosaireville, N.B., so explosive. Trust me, it will be worth the effort. — Mike Devlin

BELLY DANCE

What: Ava Fleming Where: McPherson Playhouse When: Friday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $23.50 (250-386-6121) Why: When it comes to the ancient art of belly dance, shimmy queen Ava Fleming has it all going on. A winner at the Annual Belly Dance of the Universe Competition in 2004, Fleming is considered to be among the cream of the U.S. belly-dancing crop. The evening also features performances by Nath Keo, the Sacred Centre Dance Company and other guests. — Adrian Chamberlain

FILM

What: Best of the Fest: My Scientology Movie Where: Vic Theatre When: March 24, 26, 7 p.m.; March 24, 4 p.m.

Why: Having been stonewalled after purportedly setting out to make a conventional documentary about the Church of Scientology, BBC provocateur Louis Theroux recruited a former Scientology enforcer and whistleblower to make this riveting, surreal alternative. Although what goes on behind the church’s closed doors is no laughing matter, the muckraker capitalizes on the sect’s absurdity and frightening dogma to create a lightweight, stunt-driven documentary as funny as it is scary. — Michael D. Reid