In the world of professional ballet, star power doesn’t get much brighter or long-lasting than the kind Mikhail Baryshnikov has enjoyed during the course of his more than 30-year career (this not accounting for the fact that he was already famous in Russia when he defected in 1974). As far as ballet stars go, he’s about as Hollywood as it gets, so it seems like quite a coup that he’s going to begin his tour with Hell’s Kitchen Dance here in Buffalo. The brand new works—Aszure Barton’s Over/Come and Come In, and Benjamin Millepied’s Years Later—were created at the newly opened, NYC-based Baryshnikov Arts Center, which now functions as home for his original philanthropic venture, the Baryshnikov Foundation. The foundation has long fostered the arts of dance and choreography, and with this high-profile move Baryshnikov is establishing himself as a powerful patron of the arts as well as singular star of the ballet. In keeping with the times, Hell’s Kitchen Dance brings a video component to the performances—a multimedia aspect that may be unfamiliar to fans of classical ballet. The tour will work its way from Buffalo to San Francisco’s UC Berkeley, bringing Baryshnikov and a hand-picked troupe of dancers to state-of-the-art facilities around the country.

As downtown Buffalo eases into its glory days of summer this weekend with the annual Allentown Art Festival, Nietzsche’s invites patrons to come in, cool down and enjoy a band and a drink. Kicking off the weekend, Friday at 10pm, Americana folk-rock duo Redheaded Stepchild (pictured above) will make a special return appearance to Buffalo for the festival, bringing with them the nostalgia of Allentown festivals past as David Nanni strums a jazzy blues guitar and lead singer Kathryn Koch croons on Allen Street for the ninth straight year. From 2pm Saturday until 9pm Sunday (June 10 &11), Nietzsche’s will present an incredibly diverse, nonstop lineup of talented local and regional acts. Tim Baldwin, the Corrections, the Outlyers, the Voice of Cheeze, Scott Celani Trio, the Invisible Choir, More Than Me, Whatsie and the Complete Unknowns will appear among Nietzsches regulars Noa Bursie, the Liz Abbott Band, the Allen Street Jazz Band, Ann Philippone, Mike Meldrum, the Tom Stahl Band and Irish music group Trefoyle. Lazlo Hollyfield will bring their genre-defying brand of high-energy instrumentals, Sonic Garden, the area’s premier Grateful Dead tribute band, will be prepared to steal your face and rock quartet 53 Days, of national radio and MTV fame, will make a Saturday night appearance. Nietzsche’s Music Fest will be showcasing Buffalo’s favorite local acts all weekend during the Allentown Art Festival.

In hardcore circles, Jimmy Gestapo is a legend. Along with bands such as Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags, Gestapo’s band, Murphy’s Law, is responsible for the creation and nurturing of the second wave of New York City hardcore, which began around 1984. More militant and gang-oriented than what came before them, second wave New York City hardcore became the sound of the times, and most bands have since aped it and applied it to their own sound. Although both Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags often displayed a “thug-like” brutality in their music, Murphy’s Law was always a bit more lighthearted, injecting humor into a scene that was often accused of having none. Both the self-titled debut and the band’s second album, Back With a Bong (Another Planet) remain classics of the hardcore genre, and while Murphy’s Law has gone through what seems like hundreds of lineup changes, Gestapo continues to front the band with as much fervor and rage as ever. Last November, fans at the Mohawk saw them almost demolish the place, and the bartenders were kept busy long after they wanted to go home. We’re hopeful, in a strangely conflicted way, that the same will happen this Saturday night. Special guests Wolf Tickets, Trailer Park Tornados and Ken-Ton Vigilantes will share the stage.

Strolling down Elmwood or Hertel on a warm May evening, it’s easy to forget that not all parts of Buffalo are as prosperous as these entertainment districts. Take a wrong turn or walk just a little too far and you’ll be reminded that many of the Queen City’s neighborhoods have not fared so well . This city has allowed its downtrodden neighborhoods to spiral past the point of no return for decades, as Buffalo’s politicians and citizens take a “see-no-evil” approach to Buffalo’s decline. Knuckle City Films’ new documentary, The Forgotten City, aims to put an end to this tunnel vision and force Buffalo natives to see the plight of the inner city. The film, which delves into the lives of jobless fathers, hustlers, politicians, pastors and single mothers, aims to point the finger directly at you. You, casual downtown walker, because you never did make that wrong turn into the Lower West or East Sides to see for yourself the desolation of this City of Light. The film catches both shocking and heartbreaking moments on camera, arguing that there remains hope for Buffalo’s fading neighborhoods, but that someone must put a stop to the drug use, violence and perpetual racial segregation that has torn this city apart. Filmmakers Addison Henderson and Korey Green ask who that someone will be. Byron Brown? Outside politicians? You?