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6 Moving Things To Do In Kansas City This Weekend

AllieKF
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Flickr-CC

Move or be moved.

While that suggestion may seem like a marching order, I’d rather think of it as merely a heads up to anyone interested in having their emotions helpfully set in motion this weekend. That’s right, feelings matter. And if we don’t find meaningful ways to connect with them, it’s easy to become a hollow shell. Yuck.

So find a way to be moved this weekend – I said, move it! See how that works? I just discovered my inner drill sergeant.

1. Kansas City Dance Festival

Bodies will be moving all over the place at this two-day celebration of classically trained local, national and international dancers performing a stellar assortment of choreography, including the work of the legendary George Balanchine. Feel the passions of human loins set free. Oh, my.

Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St., Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $25, $35.

2. An Evening with Graham Nash

First as a member of the British band the Hollies and later with the seminal singer-songwriter collective of Crosby, Stills and Nash (and occasionally Young), Graham Nash proved his poignancy to a generation of rock music fans. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and political activist still packs a wallop with such favorites as “Teach Your Children,” “Just a Song Before I Go” and “Our House.” Here’s hoping he also reaches back to a few of his Hollies hits, including the sing-along favorite, “Carrie Ann”.

Saturday, 8 p.m.; Uptown Theatre, 3700 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $45-$105.

3. Heartland Chamber Music Festival

The stated mission of the Heartland Chamber Music Academy is to “inspire young musicians through the study and performance of chamber music within a community of nationally recognized artists-as-mentors.” The academy’s annual festival involving more than 100 students, faculty members and visiting musicians will commence at Johnson County Community College’s Nerman Museum of Contemporary art with a free concert by the Wires, an alternative string duo whose repertoire includes tango, jazz and rock. Enjoy the eclecticism with a bite from the Taco Republic Food Truck parked outside. Festival performances will continue at JCCC’s Yardley Hall at the Carlsen Center through Aug. 1.

Friday, 7:45-9 p.m., Nerman Museum, JCCC, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kan.; admission: free.

4. Platte and Wyandotte County Fairs

Do you feel a flutter inside at the sight and sound of cars crashing into one another at a demolition derby? How about the soil-disrupting frenzy of a truck and tractor pull? Then the Platte County fair is the place for you, even if it only takes an old-fashioned square dance to get your motor running. The concurrent Wyandotte County Fair is no slouch in the visceral thrill department, either, with go-kart races and the Midwest Mud Boggers. Don’t worry, it’ll come out in the wash.

Thursday through Saturday; Platte County Fair, 15730 Fairgrounds Road, Platte City, Mo.; Wyandotte County Fair, 13700 Polfer Road, Kansas City, Kan.

5. ‘Mary Poppins’

The moment that the cast of “Mary Poppins” begins belting out the show’s wonderful finale, “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” well, let’s just say I’m all about the box tissues. And I know I’m not alone. The stage musical based on the classic Disney film about an English nanny who redirects the lives of both kids and parents to find true happiness offers plenty of reasons, musical and otherwise, to be deeply touched. Good grief, I’m blubbering already. Better bring two boxes.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 8 p.m.; Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $16-$146

6. Species Spotlight: Apes

Without descending into controversy about who or what humans descended from, anyone can see that we bear strong similarities to the great apes. This weekend’s Species Spotlight at the Kansas City Zoo will focus on that feeling of familiarity, as well as how we’re very different from gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. Get to know the zoo’s two newest apes – baby gorilla Masika and baby chimpanzee Milo – and learn from related zoo keeper chats. Bring questions, along with an open mind and heart.

Saturday, zoo keeper chats begin at 9:30 a.m.; Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Dr., Kansas City, Mo.; admission: free with regular zoo admission.

Brian McTavish follows popular culture in the belief that the search for significance can lead anywhere. Brian explains, "I've written articles and reviews ... reviewed hundreds of concerts, films and plays. And the thing is, these high arts all sprang from the pop culture of their day. Don't forget: Shakespeare was once Spielberg."
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