by Jas Keimig

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February is here and, boy, is it full of L-O-V-E. For this month’s arts roundup, we’ve got a bevy of Valentine’s Day events for you — everything from Love Jones to BurlesKaraoke – with Mardi Gras celebrations, an Asian American film festival, and a two-night comedy set done entirely en español. Keep your eyes peeled for both a Black History Month and Lunar New Year event roundup dropping on the site soon!

Think we missed something? Let us know at [email protected].

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Jan. 31–Feb. 2
Watson Signature Event Center
11521 Bridgeport Way SW, Lakewood

Start your Black History Month off with a bang at the Fifth Annual Black-Owned Business Excellence Symposium in Lakewood, whose theme this year is “Purchase, Hire, and Deposit into the Washington State Black Ecosystem.” The event starts off with a virtual screening of documentary The Cost of Inheritance on Jan. 31. The rest of the symposium includes keynote lectures from people like Good Steward CEO Shawn D. Rochester, panels on how to access business financing, as well as an awards ceremony honoring five Black-owned small businesses in the state of Washington.

Feb. 1–26
ArtsWest
4711 California Ave. SW, Seattle

Liz Duffy Adams’ play Born with Teeth at ArtsWest follows two poets you may have heard of — Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare — in a time of authoritarianism, paranoia, and brutal policing. As Marlowe and Shakespeare meet up to craft a history play cycle, the two young artists “navigate the perils of art under a totalitarian regime and flirt like young men with everything to lose,” according to ArtsWest. Long live queer interpretations of historical figures!

Feb. 3, 1–3 p.m.
Rainier Arts Center
4709 36th Ave. S, Seattle

Head down to the Rainier Arts Center Event Hall on Feb. 3 to participate in the envisioning of the Rainier Valley Creative District. The afternoon will be filled with discussions of arts and cultural partnership opportunities, creative place-keeping strategies, and how artists can access community resources. There will be food and entertainment!

Feb. 3, 6–8 p.m.
Wa Na Wari
911 24th Ave., Seattle

New art is up at Wa Na Wari and they are having an opening to celebrate. Sway to live music and sip on some refreshments while you check out soft pastels from Marin Burnett, assemblage and airbrush paintings from Brandon J. Donahue-Shipp, DK’s multimedia work, and arresting photography from Christopher Iduma.

Feb. 5, 6:45 p.m.
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
2033 6th Ave., Seattle

Jazz drummer, mentor, and educator Clarence Acox shaped Garfield High School’s music program into one of the best youth music organizations in the country. From 1979 to his retirement in 2019, Acox guided the Garfield Jazz Ensemble to winning every major competition on the West Coast. Now, the legendary band director is being honored by Onyx Fine Arts Collective with a fundraiser for local student music programs like JazzEd, Garfield Jazz Foundation, and Jazz Scholars. There will be a live silent auction and music with Abe Beeson serving as MC and Matt Lorce as auctioneer. And. of course, the man of the evening, Acox, will be in attendance as well!

Feb. 9–10
Emerald City Trapeze Arts
2702 6th Ave. S, Seattle

What better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than by watching acrobats fly through the air? Join Emerald City Trapeze Arts for Madame Mars’ Mystic Society: A Mardi Gras Spectacular party. The evening will be full of cabaret, flying trapeze, circus arts, drag, music, dance, and MUCH more. And if you stick around after the Feb. 10 show, there will be a moonlit dance party under the big top … go party with the acrobats!

Feb. 10, 1–4 p.m.
Backyard Bar
3820 S. Ferdinand St., Seattle

Come dressed in your Mardi Gras best for Soul Unique Events’ Bayou, Beads, and Bougie Day Party! DJ Mr. Nyice Guy will provide the classic old-school beats while Altha’s Louisiana Cajun & Deli will be cooking up some gumbo, red beans and rice, and more delicious New Orleans foods. Tickets are $55 and include your food and drink.

Feb. 14, 6 p.m.
Wa Na Wari
911 24th Ave., Seattle

For Valentine’s Day, Wa Na Wari in the Central District is hosting a screening of romance classic, Love Jones. Set in Chicago, the film follows the passionate connection between poet Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate) and photographer Nina Mosely (Nia Long), who meet at the worst time. Nina is just getting out of a relationship, and Darius is a commitment-phobe, but there’s just something that draws them to one another. When Nina decides to move to NYC to try to work things out with her ex, their connection is put to the test. It’s sexy! It’s emotional! It’s fun!

Feb. 14, karaoke at 7 p.m. and burlesque at 8 p.m.
Queer/Bar
1518 11th Ave., Seattle

There’s nothing like karaoke and burlesque to soothe and excite your weary little heart. And BurlesKaraoke has a giant dose of both for you this Valentine’s Day. Trot on down to Queer/Bar on Feb. 14, where Baby Van Beezly is holding down karaoke for the first hour before the burlesque shenanigans begin. Ruby Mimosa, Issa Man, Pussy Willow, Glenn Coco, Rockabilly Barbie, and DasBee will be on deck to tease and please you — so be sure to bring some cash!

Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m.
The Royal Room
5000 Rainier Ave. S, Seattle

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Argentine tango quartet Tangoheart is returning to The Royal Room for Valentine’s Day this year after selling the joint out for V-Day of pre-pandemic days back. Kick back and savor Tangoheart as they present to you the iconic works of tango king Astor Piazzolla as well as those of his contemporaries, Osvaldo Pugliese and Anibal “Pichuco” Troilo.

Feb. 22–24, doors at 7 p.m. and show at 7:30 p.m.
Theatre Off Jackson
409 7th Ave. S., Seattle

Join comedy duo Rebecca M. Davis and Tootsie Spangles for Fried Green Beaches: A Comedy About a Couple of Gal Pals. Over the course of 80 minutes, the two besties will do sketches, sing songs, and tell stories about womanhood, friendship, and queerness as they send up and pay tribute to the pop culture they grew up with.

Feb. 22–25
Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Ave., Seattle

The 12th annual Seattle Asian American Film Festival gives space to pan-Asian American voices and perspectives told through film. The fest opens with unseen, a documentary following Pedro, a blind undocumented immigrant and aspiring social worker, as he navigates political systems trying to obtain his degree and provide for his family. Other presentations include the world premiere American Son, a doc about tennis prodigy Michael Chang, and shorts program “Have You Eaten Yet?” which is centered around the Asian American experience and food.

Feb. 24–25, March 1, 3, 6, and 9
McCaw Hall
321 Mercer St., Seattle

Closing out Black History Month this year means donning your opera gloves and heading to McCaw Hall to see the life of Malcolm X translated to the stage. Starting in 1931 with the death of Malcolm’s father Rev. Earl Little, the opera follows the activist and orator’s entire life from his turbulent youth and conversion to Islam to his ascendancy as one of the foremost voices in the Civil Rights Movement to his brutal murder in 1965.

Feb. 29–March 1
Tacoma Comedy Club
933 Market St., Tacoma

One of my favorite social media accounts is that of comedian Angelo Colina. He blew up over the past several months for not only his hilarious commentary on language, sexuality, pop culture, being a Venezuelan immigrant, and Latine identity but also because he does his sold-out sets entirely in Spanish. NPR wrote that his shows “are designed to connect first, second, and third generation Latinos — and also dig into the experience of being bicultural and bilingual.” Even if your Spanish isn’t that great, come through to polish it up, though be warned — Colina loves doing crowd work!

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📸 Featured Image: “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” brings the visionary’s story to the Seattle Opera. (Photo courtesy of Opera Omaha.)

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