If you take a listen to “Chemical Calisthenics” or “Alphabet Aerobics” by Blackalicious, it doesn’t take a high IQ to realize that emcee “Gift of Gab” was aptly named. Gab, or Tim Parker, is known for his ability to produce awe-inspiring, thoughtful rhymes in any tempo and is nothing short of an icon in hip-hop circles. Chief Xcel, the other member of the duo, produces the funky beats behind the scenes. The group’s last album, the experimental 2005 release The Craft, is a reflection of the group’s ambitious approach to hip-hop as it continues to delve deeper into the genre. Blackalicious, who hail from California’s Bay area, bring their heat to Buffalo just in time for the start of spring. Maybe they’re just what we need to jump-start the mercury into rising to where we all want it to be. For the group’s local show at The Icon, Blackalicious will be joined by several other West Coast acts, including the Cunninlynguists, Fat Lip of Pharcyde and Pigeon John.

Dance is in the air at UB’s Center for the Arts! The center has recently hosted a variety of dance performances by both local and national troupes, and it would certainly seem that Buffalo’s dance community is widening, as well as its audience. On Friday, the Greater Buffalo Youth Ballet—Western New York’s premiere youth dance company—presents its version of the classic comic ballet Coppelia for the group’s springtime performance. The story of Coppelia is lighthearted and fun, as ballets go (not tragic like Swan Lake, passionate like Firebird, or eerie like Les Sylphees, for instance), which makes it a good bet for kids and non-ballet-goers too. The spunky heroine, Swanilda, plays a person pretending to be a doll, pretending to be a person—an enviable role for a ballerina because of its quirkiness, tricky choreography and demand for acting ability. The lead roles are danced by Jessica Stirling (as Swanilda) and the Lake Erie Ballet’s Randy Prill as her hapless fiancee who becomes beguiled by a doll. Artistic Director Elizabeth DiStasio-Waddell provides fresh, innovative choreography to match the spirit of the ballet—and of springtime, too.

Having established an accomplished career as a writer, poet, actress and filmmaker, Ohio native S. Pearl Sharp may very well be described as the quintessential Renaissance woman. One of Sharp’s most celebrated works is the 10-year labor of love, The Healing Passage: Voices from the Water. This 90-minute documentary explores how artists utilize their craft to heal the damages sustained from slavery. A particular emphasis is placed on the Middle Passage, one of the most dangerous legs of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In this treacherous journey, hundreds of Africans were transported in the overcrowded hulls of ships for months across the Atlantic to the Americas. Those who survived would serve out the remainder of their lives as slaves. The consequences of 300 years of human trafficking can still be felt today, manifest in what Sharp describes as “psychological trauma, genetic memory, personal and community consciousness.” Sharp explores this connection and how artists begin the healing process through such media as visual arts, dolls, music, dance and ritual. Following a screening of The Healing Passage on Friday (7:15pm) at Canisius, Sharp will host a workshop at the college on Saturday (2pm) titled “Reclaiming Your Ancestral Power” and will appear as a speaker with the Paul Robeson Theatre Artists Workshop Series at the African American Cultural Center at 6:30pm.

Remember the days when the word “alternative” actually carried a little bit of meaning? No? Well, you missed out, friend. Long before podcasts, and back in the days when MTV actually played music videos, Buffalonians had just one option if they wanted to hear new, original and, yep, alternative music—that option was WBNY-FM 91.3. Broadcasting out of the Campbell Student Union, the tiny but powerfully influential station managed to bring new sounds to a young audience and, through constant support of homegrown artists, managed to give now internationally celebrated artists like Ani Difranco, the Goo Goo Dolls and 10,000 Maniacs some of their very first radio play. In the chaotic and cluttered studios of WBNY, DJs with names like the Coffee Orphan, Cal Zone and Captain Chris brought the latest sounds from around the globe and around town to grateful listeners in the city and outlying burbs. On Saturday, the WBNY Alumni Association hosts a concert, party and celebration to coincide with the station’s annual Alumni Weekend broadcasts (airing from Friday at 6pm through Sunday at midnight). The event features live music from the Outlyers, Roadhouse Gypsies and Intergalactic Burnt Toast. The cost of admission benefits the station’s ongoing programs and events.