top 8 things to do in February

1. KODO DRUMMERS

Kodo Drummers. February 10. This just might be the only thong-wearing percussion group you’re likely to hear this year. The Kodo drummers hail from Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. This month, their worldwide travels bring them to SMU. This isn’t music for the faint-hearted or the provincially minded. McFarlin Auditorium, SMU. 214-528-5576.

2. Moiseyev Dance Company. February 16. The company thai began as a group of 30 amateur dancers has grown to more than 200 professionals performing Russian dance, with choreography from Spain. Argentina, Poland, and America thrown in for good measure. Bass Performance Hall, 4th and Calhoun streets. Fort Worth. 817-335-9000.

3. Russell Banks.

February 22. The acclaimed author of Cloudsplitter and The Sweet Hereafter kicks off the holiest literary series in town with a reading from his work. Dallas Museum of Art. 1717 N. Harwood St. 214-922-1219.

4. Watting for Godot. February 6-Marvh 7. Question: What is the meaning of existence? Answer There is none. So goes the thinking in Samuel Beckett’s hilarious and terrifying masterpiece. The Kitchen Dog Theater at the MAC is the perfect place to explore the human quandary. McKinney Avenue Contemporary, 3120 McKinney Ave. 214-953-1055.

5. Arturo Sandoval and the Dallas Symphony.

February 4-7. One of the world’s best trumpeters, Sandoval has won three Grammys and lias played with the London Symphony, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennett. Dizzie Gillespie put it this way: “He’s got bull chops!” What more do you need? Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. 214-670-3600.



6. Harlem Globetrotters. February 5. Who would have thought that “Sweet Georgia Brown” and backyard ball would go so well together? The Harlem Globetrotters did. and they made themselves into American icons in the process. The faces may have changed, but the antics haven’t. Reunion Arena. 214-373-8000.

7. Matisse & Picasso: A Gentle Rivalry.

Through May 2. Maybe it wasn’t OUTexas, but the artistic competition between the 20th century’s two masters was a rivalry nonetheless. For more than two decades, the artists responded to one another through letters and on canvas. This exhibition, held exclusively at the Kimbell, examines that dialogue. Kimbell Art Museum. 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. 817-332-8451.

8. Junior Brown. February 5. He may be what marketing gurus call a “crossover” artist, but that doesn’t mean he’s a lightweight. Austin’s honkytonk hero brings his act to Dallas, singing such Brown favorites as “Gotta Sell them Chickens” and “My Wife Thinks You’re Dead.” Gypsy Tea Room, 2548 Elm St. 214-744-9779.