KC Ballet, Folly Jazz, Mardis Gras Crawl set an eclectic beat for Downtown

Roll the highlight reel to generate some heat on Swan Lake and in the Downtown arts and entertainment scene from Monday to Sunday, Feb. 17-23:

Bartle Hall , 301 W. 13th St. This week, World of Wheels – featuring America’s top hot rods, customs, trucks and motorcycles – returns to the Big Town this weekend – from 3-10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

The City Market, 20 E. 5th St. This week, explore Kansas City’s original marketplace connecting local businesses and regional growers to the community. City Market merchants are open daily , and Farmers Market vendors are open weekends only from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through March.

Crown Center, 2405 Grand. This week, Fairy Tale Village brings classic children’s tales come to life, as families enter an enchanted world where kids can interact with characters from their favorite stories and rhymes.  Discover a world of make-believe around every corner. The Village is open daily through May 3. And… the Ice Terrace, KC’s public outdoor skating mecca, is open daily at 10 a.m. through March 8.

Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. This week, featuring two standout performances, including:

• Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin presents a panorama of timeless works, expressing the passions and emotions of Baroque music at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Presented by the Friends of Chamber Music,, The Boston Globe sets the stage for the KC performance by reporting, “The ensemble is superb—it’s as much fun to watch these performers listen to one another as it is to hear them play.”
• Stacey Kent brings her French, Italian, and German inspirations into her romantic music for her Folly Jazz Series performance at 8 p.m. Saturday. With 7 best-selling albums, the 2001 British Jazz Award, and 2002 BBC Jazz Award (among many other awards), Stacey is an icon in romantic vocal jazz.

KC Public Library, 14 W, 10th St. This week, featuring Things We Didn’t Talk About at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Central Library.  Jeannie Vanasco was a sophomore in college when she was sexually assaulted by one of her closest friends from high school. Now a writer and an assistant English professor at Towson University, Vanasco walks through her trauma, feelings of betrayal, and need for accountability in a discussion of her new book. What sets the #MeToo-era memoir apart is the voice she also gives to her attacker who agreed to speak with her at length for the book. Vanasco boldly explores how the rape impacted both their lives.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway. This week, featuring six breathtaking performances, including:

• Swan Lake – The Kansas City Ballet presents the most recognized ballet of all time, Swan Lake makes its highly-anticipated return after breaking box office records in 2016. The most enchanting love story ever seen continues this week with six performances on the Muriel Kauffman Theatre stage. Now through Sunday.
• Fabulously French – Embrace la vie en rose by joining the Kansas City Symphony for a free happy hour concert at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Helzberg Hall. Enjoy French chamber music favorites performed by Symphony musicians, and a glass of wine in the spectacular Brandmeyer Hall.
• National Geographic Presents award-winning filmmaker and photographer Andy Mann, who combines his passions with purpose as a voice for the world’s oceans, following scientists to some of the most extreme locations on the planet in the hope of inspiring change. Mann will share his story and his remarkable images at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Kauffman Theatre.

Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester. This week, KC’s favorite honky tonk will kick the East Bottoms with 10 rockin’ performances, including Martin Sexton at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers featuring The Edge of Forever and Mark and The Sharks at 8 p.m. Saturday; and comedian and ventriloquist Andy Gross at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Midland, 1228 Main St. This week, featuring two wildly different productions, including:

• NGHTMRE, the dance festival music guru, will bring the magic at 8 p.m. Thursday, along with special guests Kompany, Wavedash and Black A.M.
• King Solomon Lives – A Nubian Love Story is a dazzling production full of zest, zing and zeal. This powerful drama tells the true legendary love story between the wise and wealthy King Solomon and the exotically beautiful Queen of Sheba. Two performances are set for 4 and 8 p.m. Sunday.

National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Dr. This week, featuring a special exhibition on The Vietnam War. More than 40 years after its conclusion, the War remains one of the most controversial events of the 20th century. How did the conflict begin? Why did it begin? What are the connections between the war and its confounding cousin, World War I? This exhibition – on display through May – explores themes of patriotism, duty and citizenship through a remarkable collection of objects from the New York Historical Society.

Power & Light District, 50 E. 13th St. This week, Redneck Rumble – The monthly mayhem series presents wrestling-themed games, drinks and the chance to win a trip to Tampa for WrestleMania beginning at 7 p.m. Friday at PBR Big Sky; and the 11th annual Mardis Gras Bar Crawl from 8 – 11 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy an all-inclusive party package at 14+ bars and entertainment venues! Festivities include live music, crawfish-eating contests, fire jugglers, street performers and more!

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 1616 E. 18th St. This week, beginning the Centennial Celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. The celebration – which officially began on Thursday (Feb. 13) – started with the opening of a special Centennial Art Exhibition featuring the stunning works of artist, Graig Kreindler. The exhibit serves as a visual history of the Negro Leagues through a showcase over 200 original portrait studies of Negro League greats commissioned by Seattle businessman and NLBM licensee, Jay Caldwell, owner of Dreams Fulfilled. The exhibition will also include rare artifacts from Caldwell’s personal collection. Click here for complete details on the NLBM centennial experience.

Sprint Center, 1407 Grand. Coming, Buckle up for four big nights of rodeo with the WCRA Royal City Roundup on Friday, Feb. 28 AND the return of PBR: Professional Bull Riders on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 29 and Mar. 1.

The Truman, 601 E. Truman Rd. This week, will rock Downtown with three back-to-back show this weekend, including Peekaboo with Moody Good, Zeke Beats, Isoxo and LoTemp at 8 p.m. Friday; White Reaper with The Aquadolls at 8 p.m. Saturday; and the 20-year celebration of Dashboard Confessional with The Get Up Kids at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd. This week, Genghis Khan – Bringing the Legend to Life – Discover how legends are made in this world-class exhibition that explores the culture, conquests and heritage of the world’s greatest conqueror . . . the man Time Magazine and The Washington Post named “The Most Important Person of the Last Millennium.” Journey back 800 years, to experience the treasures and stories of Genghis Khan’s 13th-century Mongol Empire, the exhibition is showing seven days a week. Click here to learn more.

LIVE THEATER – This week, featuring performances on four stages, including:

• Forever Plaid – Singing in close harmony and executing charmingly outlandish choreography with overzealous precision, the “Plaids” – the original jukebox band – are a smash, with a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that will keep you laughing when you’re not humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the 1950s! Performances run through Sunday at MTH Theater in Crown Center.
• Miss Nelson is Missing – Theatre for Young America presents the story of a beloved teacher who goes missing and is replaced by Viola Swamp, a scary substitute teacher who assigns homework from hell and wields her ruler like a sword! The mystery runs through Feb. 29 at City Stage Theatre at Union Station.
• A Raisin in the Sun – According to The New York Times, this is “the play that changed American theater forever.” First produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun asks what happens to people whose dreams are constantly deferred. Performances continues through through Feb. 29 at Just Off Broadway Theatre.
• Titanic – Winner of five Tony Awards in 1997, including Best Musical, “Titanic” tells the true story of the quintessential 20th Century disaster through the eyes the captain, the owner, the designer, the officers and crew members, as well as the passengers from the 1st, 2nd & 3rd class decks of the ill-fated “unsinkable” ship. Performances run through Sunday at The Arts Asylum.

LIVE MUSIC is on tap most nights at these Downtown clubs and joints: Blue Room Jazz Club, Black Dolphin, The Brick, Gem Theater,  Green Lady Lounge, Hush, The Majestic Jazz Club, Mutual Musicians Foundation, The Phoenix, Prohibition Hall , throughout the Power & Light District, The Record Bar and The Ship.

AND, UNIQUE TREASURES are plentiful via Downtown museums and attractions, including the Airline History Museum, Downtown Airport; American Jazz Museum, 18th & Vine; Arabia Steamboat Museum, River Market; Black Archives of Mid-America, 18th & Vine; Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity, Union Station District; Boulevard Beer Hall, Westside; City Market, River Market; College Basketball Experience, Sprint Center; Garment District Museum, Garment District; Kansas City Public Library, Central Business District; Hallmark Visitors Center, Crown Center; Hy-Vee Arena, West Bottoms; Kansas City Museum, Corinthian Hall; Money Museum, Federal Reserve Bank of KC; National Archives, Union Station District; National WWI Museum and Memorial, Liberty Memorial; Legoland Discovery Center, Crown Center; Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 18th & Vine; Riverfront Heritage Trail, River Market area; Science City, Union Station; Sea Life Aquarium, Crown Center; 21c Museum Hotel, Historic 9th District; TWA Museum, Downtown Airport; and Union Station, Union Station.

For more of what’s happening in Downtown and Kansas City, check out ArtsKCGo and VisitKC.com