The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

SPECIAL EVENT
Ka-Baam!!

We're not sure how to classify this event. It could be identified as comedy, theater, performance, or art -- but let's just file it under awesome!  HUGE Improv Theater has taken over the BLB's stage in an attempt to bring the Golden Age of comic books to life. Created by Steve Wacker (Marvel Comics), Ka-Baam!! casts four improv super-comedians who follow audience suggestions to create a live-action adventure of heroic proportions -- with more than a little villainy and brawling thrown in to keep things interesting. Special guest artist Chris Jones (The Batman Strikes and Justice League Adventures - DC Comics) will be on-hand to draw along with the action, completing the circle of nerdy authenticity. Runs Thursdays through February 5th.

7 p.m. (6 p.m. doors), Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake Street, Uptown Minneapolis, $10

MUSIC
The Mad Ripple Hootenanny

Helmed by music writer/maker Jim Walsh, the weekly Mad Ripple Hootenanny combines an intimate environment with comfortably elite camaraderie and top notch live music. For sonic appreciators of the most respectable caste, The Hoot may be likened to a humbling sermon, with performers from the Twin Cities and beyond bringing their best work to the ears of a smart-alecky congregation. The number one rule of The Hoot? Listen -- and listen good. Tonight's edition features The Mad Ripple (Walsh's musical alter-ego), Gini Dodds, Jennifer Markey, Dom Bazzett, and more. Can't make it? No worries, HowWasTheShow.com records each Thursday evening Hootenanny and podcasts it HERE.

6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., The Beat Coffeehouse, 1414 W. 28th Street, Minneapolis, Free (pass-the-hat, with all money going to the musicians)

DANCE
James Sewell Ballet

We are always intensely captivated by the grace and fluidity of the Ballet. Personally, we don't dance unless there is tequila involved, and "graceful" is a word we use to describe ourselves only when being highly sarcastic -- so the James Sewell Ballet is a troupe we have mad respect for. This innovative and engaging contemporary ballet company is known for their boundary-pushing, as well as their strength, polish, and nimbleness. Tonight, be the first to lay eyes on this set of world premieres based on the Jerome Foundation sponsored in-studio series Ballet Works Project. The program will feature new works by four emerging and established choreographers: Nicolas Lincoln, Penelope Freeh, Morgan Thorson, and Sally Rousse. Runs through February 1st.

7:30 p.m., Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Avenue S., Minneapolis, $26