Shen Yun in Pittsburgh, May 10 and 11.

The Chinese classical dance company Shen Yun will be performing two shows at the Benedum Center on May 10 and 11.

Dou kyu sei (同級生) movie at Hollywood Theater, May 8.

The Hollywood Theater in Dormont will show the 2016 Japanese animated movie Dou kyu sei (Classmates, 同級生) on Sunday, May 8.

Japan-inspired T-swirl crêpe chain to open first Pittsburgh location in Squirrel Hill.

via T-swirl crêpe Facebook page.

Signage went up recently for T-swirl crêpe at 1714 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), scheduled to open in July. T-swirl crêpe has four locations in New York City, one in Philadelphia, and one in California, and has 12 more planned. From the official site:

The story of T-swirl Crepe starts thousands of miles away on the shores of Japan. The Japanese Crepe borrows from a western concept and modernized it into new level of versatility that you can gobble on the go. Building on this new concept, T-swirl started to research and have perfected the 100% gluten free rice flour batter, to craft a crispy thin chewy layer that embraces all the decadent condiments. T-swirl is synonymous with using the finest ingredients to construct a trendy/artistic crepe that arrives to your hand with incredible speed. We have standardized the process to give you a consistently clean and delicious crepe.

Ariba still looking for fluent Korean, Mandarin speakers for overnight customer support jobs in Pittsburgh.

Ariba---"the global leader in business commerce networks, supporting more than $450 billion dollars in yearly trade between over 1 million connected companies"---is again hiring Customer Support Specialists fluent in Korean or Mandarin to work overnight shifts in its Pittsburgh office downtown.

Akiko Kotani's "Strip Mines" going back up at Pittsburgh International Airport.

In a Friday article about live musical performances at the aiport, the Tribune-Review mentions that Akiko Kotani's 1984 piece "Strip Mines" will be reinstalled.

The airport also announced that it has reinstalled “Strip Mines,” a three-panel, 41-foot tapestry of wool on linen by Slippery Rock artist Akiko Kotani. The work, originally commissioned by the Allegheny County Bureau of Cultural Programs in 1984 for Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, was removed for renovations at the airport.

Peelander-Z documentary Mad Tiger at Hollywood Theater, from May 6.

A 2015 documentary about Japanese punk group Peelander-Z will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from May 6.

Steelers' second round draft choice can speak Chinese.

Sean Davis, the Pittsburgh Steelers' second round draft choice in 2016, can count Chinese as one of the three languages he speaks. That's according to his University of Maryland bio that's been quoted in subsequent press releases, and according to a 2012 article profiling him out of high school when he committed to the Terapins:

Something that not many people know about you: “I studied Chinese for three years. I’m tri-lingual – English, Chinese and French. I’ve been speaking French for about five years. I picked up Chinese for three years in high school. … I dropped [it this year]. If I hear it and they’re not speaking too fast, I can understand it. The characters are still pretty hard. I haven’t really mastered it. I probably never will because I dropped it. But I can read books and write letters.”

For what they're worth, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article and a tweet from a 93.7 The Fan producer say he is fluent.

Umami opens in Lawrenceville.

After more than a year in development, Umami is finally open in Lawrenceville, writes Pittsburgh Magazine today.

“Everything fell through. Eclipse (an alternative location) fell through. Investors fell through. There were plenty of delays and obstacles once we started working in this space, too,” he says. Li spent the last year teasing Pittsburghers with line-out-the-door-popular pop-ups while he fought through the delays.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of izakaya, think of it as the Japanese equivalent to a really fun neighborhood pub: there’s crushable, inexpensive, but also well-prepared food that’s meant to go hand-in-hand with a good drink or two.

“After going to Japan many times and seeing the culture of street food and bar food that they have there, I decided I wanted to replicate that here. It’s never been done in Pittsburgh in the right way,” says Li, who from 2008-2015 was the executive chef of the now-closed Tamari. Umami marks a return to his culinary roots; before moving to Pittsburgh in 2005, Li was a sushi chef at Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia.

"Research & Development of Engineered Bamboo Structures" with Yan Xiao of Nanjing Tech, May 5 at Pitt.

The May 5 keynote speech of the "Bamboo in the Urban Environment" symposium at the University of Pittsburgh will be "Research & Development of Engineered Bamboo Structures" by Yan Xiao of the Nanjing University of Technology. Dr. Xiao is an innovator in the field of bamboo in construction, and made the news in 2008 for his plans to use "instant" bamboo structures to house those displaced by the Sichuan earthquake. The talk begins at 1:00 pm in 102 Benedum Hall (map).

"Hands-On Workshop Series—Calligraphy with Xiaoxu", May 3 in Oakland.

Tuesday, May 3, is a free"Hands-On Workshop Series—Calligraphy with Xiaoxu" event at the Carnegie Library in Oakland.

Join us for HOW, a series of hands-on workshops for adults and teens. Learn from skilled craftspeople. Dig in and try things out in a creative, supportive environment. Join us for one or all of these free programs. Materials provided.

Chinese calligraphy is a traditional art form of writing characters using a brush and ink, which has developed over many centuries. You will learn step-by-step how to apply ink with the special brush, write Chinese characters, and take a piece of art home with you.

No registration is necessary for these sessions. Seating for all workshops is available to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. You'll want to come early to be sure you MAKE it on time

The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by over a dozen different buses that service Oakland.