Rally the Troops
SAT 1/31
The name of Saturday’s Chili for Choice event is intriguing. Even the best bowl of chili we could ever imagine would be unlikely to convince Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to vote in favor of a woman’s right to choose. You can only expect so much from a comfort food. But the chili dished up by activists Whitney Johnson (pictured), Lisa Harrison, Renee Boman and Shannon Hiop at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, from 6 to 9 p.m. isn’t intended to change anyone’s mind on its own. It’s meant to raise money for locals who want to attend the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C., this April but can’t afford the $140 bus fare. Your $4 contribution gets you a choice of vegetarian, meat or white chili. And it supports someone who wants to tell the Bush administration that there are a lot of women who will be very, very angry if anything happens to Roe v. Wade.— Gina Kaufmann
From Russia With Love
SAT 1/31
One of the great lessons in the need for expert timing is Cinderella, which the Moscow Festival Ballet performs at the Municipal Auditorium Music Hall (13th Street and Central) at 8 p.m. Saturday. First staged by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1945, the piece sets composer Sergei Prokofiev’s lush score to the title character’s disconsolate living situation and her eventual retribution in the form of a hunky royal. Headed by former Bolshoi dancer Sergei Radchenko, the Moscow Festival Ballet is in the midst of a lengthy American tour, with Cinderella sharing the spotlight with Swan Lake and Giselle. Radchenko admits that American audiences are not as Prokofiev-savvy as his homies back in the former U.S.S.R. “In Russia,” he says, “we use this music so very often.” Call 816-415-5025 for tickets or information.— Steve Walker
Business
All Pro
TUE 2/3
Your artist’s mind normally can’t be bothered with details like a business plan or copyrighting — but the ramen is starting to taste like crap. The series “Why It Is Important to Be Professional in Today’s Creative Community” offers advice, starting with “Setting Up Shop” this Tuesday. Three lawyers will lecture on which business structure is right for you and whether you want to start a co-op or just go solo. Classes cost $10 each, or you can attend the four-part series for $30. (There’s also a $5 student discount.) Presentations are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Arts Incubator, 115 West 18th Street. Call 816-221-1777 to register.— Nadia Pflaum
