Art is meant to disturb," claimed the Cubist painter George Braque. It can also heal, inform -- and simply entertain. And anyone who's even dimly aware of the news knows that we need all of the above. Vermont's fall performing arts season delivers.

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company offers consciousness-raising choreography. The Flynn Center's 25th-anniversary Bigger Than All of Us celebrates the special bond between performers and their audience. "Yunnan Revealed" uses music and dance to illuminate China's multiethnic southwestern region. Dave Douglas & Keystone play along with Fatty Arbuckle's silent-screen comedies. The list goes on and on.

To whet your appetite, we offer four takes on performers and performances. Paula Routly checks in with Kevin McKenzie, a ballet big shot born in Burlington (page 32a). Elisabeth Crean sounds off about Vermont's youth-based Voices Project (page 34a). Pamela Polston laughs it up with stand-up funny woman Cindy Pierce (page 38a). And Casey Rea clicks on the webspace where bands are hanging out (page 40a).

To keep up with what else is happening, watch the Seven Days calendar for each week's offerings, or go straight to the sources -- listed at right -- and plan ahead.