A-List

100 Proof

Sat., May 6, 9pm. $7. TYZ, 1418 Rodman St. 215.546.4195. www.plainparade.org

Ask Dumpsta Players founder Ricky Paul if he ever thought his outrageous crew of gender bending, lip-syncing, endearing theater geeks would see their 10th anniversary-he'll say he's just as shocked as anyone else. But Paul's fierce charisma and off-the-cuff, irreverent John Waters-style sensibility has indeed garnered the troupe such longevity. "It just started off as a side project," notes the longtime actor and DJ. "Then it was like, 'I'm DJing and here are my crazy friends.'" Paul's "crazy friends" include an interesting cross-section of gay, straight, white-collar and unemployed writers (namely Plain Parade's Sara Sherr's students) and professional actors. The performances themselves contain a healthy dose of improv and lip-syncing in the drag queen tradition. "It's definitely the place to come if you want to see Sara Sherr making out with a girl parodying the Russian pop group T.A.T.U." No doubt that's a crowd pleaser. (Maggie Serota)

>>DJ

DJ Stylus

Sat., May 6, 10pm. $7. Aqualounge, 323 W. Girard Ave. 215.769.5114

Few DJs out there can claim to be as technically skilled and versatile as D.C.'s Rhome Anderson, aka DJ Stylus. That's not to say reaching his level of acclaim and technique wasn't an epic journey in and of itself, ever since he first joined up with the Soul Controllers crew in 1991. He and the Soul Controllers first garnered critical attention as the hosts of University of Maryland's WMUC underground hip-hop show before moving on to a national audience with a show on XM satellite radio. Stylus also serves as DJ for D.C.-conscious hip-hop darlings Poem-cees. Now he makes his way north to make a special appearance at the IllVibe crew's bimonthly Bodyrock party. Of course the IllVibe peeps have never had a problem attracting talented collaborators, given they've already shared stages with icons like Q-Bert and Prince Paul. (M.S.)

>>festival

Kensington Arts Day

Sat., May 6, 9am-midnight. Arts and Crap Sale 4.0: 9am-1pm. Free. PositiveSpace Sculpture Garden Lot, 2000 Frankford Ave. 215.917.0576; Trenton Ave. Arts Festival: 11am-6pm. Free. 2000-2200 Trenton Ave. 215.460.4119; Mascher Dance Studio opening reception: 4pm-midnight. Free. Mascher St. and Cecil B. Moore Ave. 215.917.0798

As the limelight continues to sneak up on Kensington's warehouse galleries and textile studios, it would seem only fitting to dedicate an entire day exhibiting the area's unique underground style. Providing yet another twist to Philly's ever-growing art scene, Kensington Arts Day hits the streets with three groups, each with a hopeful (but wildly different) approach in spreading the word about local artists. Using a vacant lot off Frankford Avenue, PositiveSpace-a Fishtown-based group that helps network and create new ideas for artists of diverse media-starts the morning with its annual Arts and Crap sale, a spin-off of a crafts fair, only with more kick. Around the corner on Trenton Avenue, the East Kensington Neighborhood Association, a group that's part of a community-wide effort to better the area by decreasing crime and increasing creative development, holds an arts festival featuring everything from glass sculptures to vintage clothing by local designers. As dusk settles the fest continues with Mascher Dance Studio's launch party, featuring the company's avant-garde performances, neon light installations and a DJ to keep the place bumping till midnight. Prepare to get your fill of that cutting-edge stuff found only north of Spring Garden. Welcome to Kensington. (Lex Chalat)

>>music

SundayOUT!

Sun., May 7, 11am-6pm. Free. Market St. between Second and Fifth sts. Equality Live! Concert: 6pm. $15-$20. Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd. and Chestnut St. 215.732.3378. www.equalityforum.com

Closing out this year's Equality Forum are activities that reflect the event's championing of diversity and commitment to civil rights, both within Philly's GLBT community and beyond. Kicking things off is a street festival showcasing more than 100 local artisans, outreach organizations and businesses-including MANNA, the Philadelphia Gryphons gay rugby team and 12th Street Gym (rebounding nicely from the recent Santorum-supporting scandal). If you want to get your dance on, check out the Equality Live! concert. Headlining the show is Taylor Dayne, who will take a break from wanting you to "Prove Your Love" long enough to be joined by Gina G. (whose "Ooh ... Aah, Just a Little Bit" celebrates its first decade of being lodged in your brain) and former Q102 faves Pretty Poison. Rounding out the bill are what The Village Voice dubbed "feisty electro bitches" Shiragirl with DJ Lava, percussion-heavy ensemble Alô Brasil and a performance of Philly-based choreographer Brian Sanders' The New Wave by University of the Arts students, whose movements should provide a contrast to the Dance Party USA flashbacks the music will induce. (Chris Cummins)