Wednesdays, The New Wednesdays

Dick Button thinks Wednesday's layback spins could use some work. Tonight: The Theatre of Yugen presents an evening of geckos and moonlight by Czech-Japanese Butoh dancer Ryuzo Fukuhara. Butoh is a type of modern dance that originated in post-WWII Japan, and "it is a departure from expression bounding towards transformation. Butoh is a state of being present, hanging between light and darkness; it is dance that thrives on change." We're not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds cool. $15, 8 p.m., at NOHspace, at 2840 Mariposa between Florida and Alabama.

Thursday: We really need to work ourselves up into a true SFist Rants frenzy about Chronicle columnist Jane Ganahl, who's just not one bit unhappy about being middle-aged and single, oh no oh no! Ganahl another other contributors will be reading from the new book she edited, called "Single Women of a Certain Age," about -- you guessed it -- being middle-aged and single. We hope there's no self-loathing involved. $7, 6 p.m., at the Mechanics' Institute Library (57 Post Street, near Market).

and Friday: The jug of water, the microphone, the three-legged stool ...who doesn't love a poetry slam? Youth Speaks kicks off the San Francisco preliminary rounds of the 10th Annual Youth Poetry Slam tonight at Galeria de la Raza. 7 p.m., 2857 24th Street (between Mission and Valencia), $6.

Picture of Ryuzo Fukuhara by Dana Jesswein. Hey, do you have an event you'd like to see in this column? Let us know.