10 great things to do in Dayton this weekend

Dayton Ballet celebrates its 85th season Feb. 10-12 at the Victoria Theatre. Pictured: Margo Akin and Daniel Rodriguez in the 2018 production of Septime Weber’s "Swan Lake."

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Dayton Ballet celebrates its 85th season Feb. 10-12 at the Victoria Theatre. Pictured: Margo Akin and Daniel Rodriguez in the 2018 production of Septime Weber’s "Swan Lake."

The Super Bowl will be the biggest event on the national calendar this weekend but there’s a lot to look forward to in Dayton from a Dayton Ballet celebration to a tribute to funk music. Here are some events you should keep on your radar.

1. ‘85th Diamond Anniversary’

When: Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m.

Where: Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton

Details: Dayton Ballet, founded in 1937 by sisters Josephine and Hermene Schwarz and the second-oldest regional ballet company in the U.S., is celebrating its 85th season with a “Diamond Anniversary” showcase. Four routines, all created by female choreographers, will mark the occasion: “Limoncello,” a fun, uplifting work choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a dramatic, character-driven story ballet choreographed by Dayton Ballet artistic director Karen Russo Burke; “I’ll Meet You There,” a spiritual account choreographed by Jennifer Sydor; and “Dear Booky,” a reflective homage to Dayton Ballet history also choreographed by Burke.

Cost: $16-$86

More info: 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org

Left to right: Desmond Kingston (Valentine Coverly), Lily Rowan (Chloe Coverly), Dominic Cullen (Gus Coverly/Augustus Coverly), Dani Grace Nissen (Hannah Jarvis) and Kyle Channell (Septimus Hodge) in Wright State University's production of "Arcadia." PHOTO BY WRIGHT STATE THEATRE

Credit: WRIGHT STATE THEATRE

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Credit: WRIGHT STATE THEATRE

2. ‘Arcadia’

When: Friday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m.

Where: Festival Playhouse of the Creative Arts Center at Wright State University, 3640 Col. Glenn Hwy., Dayton.

Details: Tom Stoppard’s highly intellectual, rarely staged 1993 comedy “Arcadia” receives a beautifully sophisticated and designed production at Wright State. Artfully directed with distinctive nuance by Marya Spring Cordes and set inside a stately Derbyshire country home, Stoppard’s witty if wordy play combines two eras – 1809 and present day – in a three-hour exploration of science, mathematics, literature, love, sex, relationships and philosophy among other thought-provoking themes. The story is most engaging when centered on a group of contemporary academics enthralled by discovering clues to the past. As inquisitive graduate student Valentine Coverly, the remarkable Desmond Kingston expertly interprets weighty monologues about algorithms, equations, music and the temperature of tea with unflappable finesse. Also noteworthy: Julie Murphy (Thomasina Coverly); Kyle Channell (Septimus Hodge); Richard Yannotti (Bernard Nightingale); and Dani Grace Nissen (Hannah Jarvis). Capturing the essence of high art in its embrace of knowledge and language, “Arcadia” dares the audience to sit up, lean forward and truly listen, a difficult task for theatergoers in today’s instantaneous culture. This play will not please everyone but this production exemplifies Wright State’s pedigree as an excellent training ground.

Cost: $15-$25

More info: 937-775-2500 or www.wright.edu/theatre

Magician and illusionist Mike Super will perform Feb. 11 at Arbogast Performing Arts Center. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED

3. Mike Super: Magician and Illusionist 2.OH!

When: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Arbogast Performing Arts Center, 500 S. Dorset Rd., Troy

Details: With Mike Super on stage, it’s possible that someone will travel through time, the audience could solve a murder mystery, impossible predictions will be made, and minds will be read. All of these possibilities involve the audience in a way never before experienced... and this is only in the first 10 minutes of his all-new show: The Mike Super 2.OH!

Cost: $15-$45

More info: 937-418-8392 or www.arbogastpac.com

Wynonna Judd and Friends bring the Judds Final Tour with special guests Little Big Town to the Nutter Center in Fairborn on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

4. Judds Final Tour

When: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Wright State University’s Nutter Center, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Dayton

Details: Wynonna Judd and Friends are out on the Judds Final Tour, fulfilling the dates originally scheduled with Wynonna’s recently deceased mother. The tour includes special guests on each stop, including big names like Tanya Tucker and Brandi Carlile. Little Big Town is slated to join Judd for the Nutter Center date. (Don Thrasher)

Cost: Tickets start at $46.50

More info: 937-775-4789 or www.nuttercenter.com

Dayton Live presents the return of Funk Unplugged featuring the Deron Bell Band in the intimate PNC Arts Annex in Dayton on Friday, Feb. 10.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

5. Funk Unplugged

When: Friday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m.

Where: PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. Second St., Dayton

Details: Dayton Live presents the return of Funk Unplugged. This concert is a special acoustic funk program featuring the Deron Bell Band in the intimate PNC Arts Annex. The popular series features cabaret-style flooring seating and riser seats. (Don Thrasher)

Cost: $25-$35

More info: 937-228-3630 or www.daytonlive.org

Dayton rapper Eman Jones, who released the three-song EP, “The Resolution,” in January, hosts a hip-hop showcase at The Brightside in Dayton on Friday, Feb. 10.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

6. Eman Jones

When: Friday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Brightside, 905 E. Third St., Dayton

Details: Rapper Eman Jones has invited Luther Suede, Cee of Dreams, Vonna 2 Kold and other area artists out for his third annual hip-hop showcase. Jones is currently supporting his three-song EP, “The Resolution,” which was released in January and is the follow-up to his full-length, “Selah,” which dropped last October. (Don Thrasher)

Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door

More info: 937-410-0450 or www.thebrightsidedayton.com

The wife-and-husband team of Erica Rodriguez-Wyant and Caleab Wyant of Yellow Springs group Yikes A Band, are among the acts at Heartsiq, a queer-focused art, music and performance showcase at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton on Friday, Feb. 10.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

7. Heartsiq

When: Friday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m.

Where: Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton

Details: Thrillda Swinton hosts this monthly party for queer-focused art, music and performance. This installment of Heartsiq features work from artists Jes McMillan and Tara Moore, music from Yikes A Band and DJ Sexbox and special guests Rude Burlesque and Eat the Rich. (Don Thrasher)

Cost: $7 in advance, $10 day of show.

More info: 937-424-3870 or www.yellowcabtavern.com

Black Box Impov Theater presents a Galentine's Day celebration Saturday, Feb. 11. CONTRIBUTED

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8. Galentine’s Day showcase

When: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.

Where: Black Box Improv Theater, 518 E. Third St., Dayton

Details: An all-female cast will take audience suggestions and perform in celebration of female friendships everywhere.

Cost: $20

More info: https://www.daytonblackboximprov.com/

9. Oscar nominees at The Neon

Where: The Neon, 130 E. Fifth St., Dayton

Details: The countdown to the Oscars have begun! This weekend at The Neon, you can catch Best Actor nominee Bill Nighy’s marvelously understated performance in “Living,” the quietly compelling Best Picture nominee “Women Talking” (Judith Ivey is superb as an elderly matriarch), surprise Best Picture nominee “All Quiet on the Western Front,” and controversial Best Actress nominee Andrea Riseborough’s performance in “To Leslie,” which also stars Oakwood native and Academy Award winner Allison Janney.

When: “Living” (Friday, Feb. 10-Sunday, Feb. 12 at 12:50 p.m., 2:50 p.m. and 7 p.m.); “Women Talking” (Friday, Feb 10-Sunday, Feb. 12 at 12:30 p.m. and 5:10 p.m.); “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11 at 3:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.); and “To Leslie” (Sunday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m.)

Cost: $8.50-$10.50

More info: 937-222-7469 or https://neonmovies.com/

10. After Dark: Swing the Night Away

When: Saturday, Feb. 11 from 6-11 p.m.

Where: National Museum of the United States Air Force, 1100 Spaatz Rd., Dayton

Details: This adults-only night of fun, food and swing dancing is for ages 21 and older. Tales of love and war featuring artifacts from the museum’s collection, normally not on display, will spotlight stories, fashion and rationing during the WWII era. The event will also include trivia with prizes, a signature drink, food and a cash bar.

Cost: $40

More info: https://afmuseum.com/events/after-dark-events

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