1st Annual Seattle International Dance Festival Winter Mini-Fest
Since 2001, the local Khambatta Dance Company, has been creating work that is both innovative, emotionally-connecting, and relevant to the world around us. With disparaging comments about immigrants and talk of a potential border wall still in the news, the dance company will team up with Mexico City dance company Ciudad Interior for three very special performances, exploring politics through identity and relationships. During week one, local troupe Khambatta will perform a recent work (“Harmony 2x3”) and new work (“Endangered Species”), while visiting company, Mexico City’s Ciudad Interior premieres “Mercurio Rojo.” The Mini-Fest culminates on Feb. 10 with a performance presenting new works that are a result of Cuidad Interior director Alejandro Chavez and Khambatta swapping companies for the week.
If you go: Seattle International Dance Festival Winter Mini-Fest, Broadway Performance Hall, Feb. 3, 4, 8 ($23 or $30 for festival pass)
Atlas Obscura Society Seattle: The Afterlife of Pets and Resting Waters
Join Atlas Obscura at West Seattle’s Resting Waters and learn what all the cool kids are talking about: aquamation. The technology of aquamation or bio cremation, which uses 95 percent water and 5 percent alkali to break down remains in a way akin to natural decomposition (with less the carbon footprint of traditional cremation), has been around since 1888. It's still cutting-edge, and Resting Waters is the first and only aquamation pet service in Washington. During this 90-minute tour led by the founders of Resting Waters, learn about the science behind the practice and this business’ mission to bring dignified and responsible aftercare to pets and their owners in Seattle.
If you go: The afterlife of pets and resting waters, Resting Waters, 1 p.m. Feb. 3 ($25)
Children’s International Film Festival
As a millenial, I am the right age to remember being dressed in homemade floral print dresses (and to unfortunately have this captured extensively on film and video). Children today are dressed so much cuter than in my youth: printed leggings and vibrant rainboots and elbow-patched sweaters. And why shouldn’t children’s films follow suit? I like Disney movies as much as the next person but there is so much else out there. Head to Northwest Film Forum for a selection of beautiful films, created using new technology and retro methods, that tell diverse stories. I’m particularly excited about the lovely Scandinavian feature, “Cloudboy” and the Indigenous Showcase shorts program, co-presented on Saturday evening with Longhouse Media.
If you go: Children's International Film Festival, NW Film Forum, through Feb. 10 ($12 general admission/$9 for kids)
Family-Focused Collage Workshop
If you’re not watching the Puppy Bowl, there’s really nothing of note to do on Sunday besides collage. For this afternoon workshop, join mixed media artist Lisa Myers Bulmash, whose NAAM exhibition “You’re Not From Around Here, Are You?” uses altered books, collage and sculptures to explore black identity in the Pacific Northwest. To create your own family-focused collage — sure to be an exploration of identity and family history that makes you feel creative in a low-pressure situation — bring two to four high-contrast images of relatives (to be photocopied), as well as any magazine clippings or paper.
If you go: Family-focused Collage Workshop, Northwest African American Museum, 1 p.m. Feb. 4 ($10)
Little Fish Dinner Series
Little Fish, the forthcoming Pike Place Market restaurant from Zoi Antonitsas (formerly of Westward) and Brian Jarr (of Jarrbar), has been popping up at Eastlake’s Cicchetti since the fall. Cicchetti, located right behind sister restaurant Serafina, has the feel of an artist’s studio behind the main house: walk through a little garden, lit by delicate lights, and find yourself in a cozy bar and restaurant. For the Little Fish dinner series, Antonitsas and Jarr have created a menu with a handful of beautiful, inventive dishes split into categories that include Little Fish, Water Inspired, Afraid to Swim and Sweets. Stand-out dishes include Momaja (Spanish salt-cured tuna, called “the jamon of the sea”) with pickled persimmon, chicory and sherry. Another must-try dish is the sea urchin spaghettini, rounded out with the complex and floral meyer lemon, the sweet earthiness of vanilla bean and the texture of breadcrumb. I recommend pairing either of these dishes with a drink or two from Cichetti’s cocktail menu, which is one of the few in the city that gives me both the variety and inspiration I want.
If you go: Little Fish Dinner Series, Cichetti, 5 p.m. Feb. 5 (prices vary)
