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#1: ArcAttack at Mesa Arts Center - Jan. 24
What can one expect from a performance art group that plays “Tesla Coil Music”? Thunderbolts and lightning! The centerpieces of this show are two custom Tesla coils (machines that emit huge bursts of electricity and lightning) that have had their spark outputs modified to play musical notes. There’s also a robot drummer, an MC who doubles as a stuntman, and chainmail-clad guitar and bass players walking through the lightning of the electrical fields. It’s a superb collision of spectacle, science and rock ‘n’ roll. $27, 3 p.m., at Mesa Arts Center.

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#1: “Cats & Guitars” Artist Reception at Chartreuse Gallery, Jan. 15
Nine lives meets six strings in this “Exhibition Celebrating the Feline Form and the Lure of Luthiery.” More than 37 artists from 11 states and five countries will get “catty” with works in a range of mediums from whimsical watercolors and photoshopped portraits to acrylic paintings and mixed media sculptures. Curated by Hauspanther founder Kate Benjamin, the show runs through January 29 and features pieces from artists including Barbara Lipp (Peekskill, NY), Jenny Fontana (Beaverton, OR), Mark Bell (Torquay, United Kingdom), Stine Kaasa (Oslo, Norway), and Phoenix creatives such as Baron Dixon, Cindy Schnackel, Richard Bledsoe, and Stacey Gordon. The portrayals of kitty ditties aren't limited to guitars – ukuleles, bass guitars and banjos may also make appearances. A free artist reception takes places from 6-10 p.m. at Chartreuse Gallery in Phoenix. Visit catsandguitars.com.

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Say "so long" to 2015 at one of these five fine fetes around Phoenix.

“Dinner, DJ and Dancing” at jade bar
sanctuaryaz.com
DJ Hybrid spins dance tunes in the stylish jade bar at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain resort. Dinner & Entertainment packages (includes dinner, party favors and a bottle of Dom Perignon) are available for groups of four people ($1,000) and six people ($1,500).

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Downtown Phoenix never seems more festive than during the winter season. Sculptures of giant red bulb ornaments decorate courtyards, holiday music wafts from outdoor speakers, and the neon lights of retail spots and restaurants cast a warm, colorful glow down on the crowds that mill about CityScape and its seasonal outdoor ice rink, CitySkate. And thanks to the “Stay & Skate” special package from Kimpton's Hotel Palomar Phoenix, Valley residents and visitors can enjoy myriad wintery delights for one low, smoking-hot price.

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The poet T.S. Eliot wrote, “Cats are much like you and me / And other people whom we find / Possessed of various types of mind.”

It is true, as any cat lover will tell you, that cats can be awesomely attitudinal and incredibly diverse. And ailurophiliac attendees at the 23rd annual CFA All Breed Cat Show on December 12 and 13 will get to see more than 300 felines from 41 breeds, including the sultry Siamese, the smooth-skinned Sphynx, and the pouty-pudgy-faced Persian. And that's just the competition part of this massive feline fete.