Stirring up a recent shitstorm is the recent enforcement of a 1993 tax on admission with an "opportunity to dance." Anonymous bars, clubs and venues told The Stranger that the State Department of Revenue has started hitting them up for back taxes they've never had to pay before -- up to $210,000. The businesses, and the City Department of Film and Music, say they have never seen the tax enforced on music venues before. The Department of Revenue says this has always been a thing, and they have always said that that this is a thing. This leaves bars, clubs and nightlife patrons wondering: what is this tax, what does it apply to, and why has it only recently been enforced? more ›

For your Friday afternoon, here is something else that is not a prank. more ›

There is no way quite so glamorous to celebrate the season like going to go see The Nutcracker. It's nostalgic and timeless. The Tchaikovsky score is as much a part of Christmas as fruitcake, and the story, imagery and the setting are all pure yule. While most of us have fond memories of going to see it as children--all dressed up in our finest and gawking mystified at the spinning ballerinas--it's a delight for adults as well. more ›

Remixing SAM! Art, music, drinks, activities, tours, fashion show, variety performances and much more! more ›

Sometimes, all you have to do is shake your bony little ass and the party organically develops around you. Who knew? IF YOU DANCE IT, THEY WILL COME. more ›

UK comedy Morris: A Life with Bells On has its last screening tonight at 7 p.m. at SIFF Cinema. Writer, producer, and actor Charles Thomas Oldham will be at the screening, along with all the local Morris dance fans you can shake a staff at. The event should produce a unique Venn diagram overlap of fans of PBS Britcoms and Christopher Guest mockumentaries. more ›

GENUINELY COOL, ARTSY FARTSY NIGHT: Go to the Filter release party at the Richard Hugo House tonight for readings, hobnob opps with writerly folks, and performances by Awesome!. The literary magazine celebrates the release of its second issue, and if you haven't seen this work of art yet, you may not know: this is a beautiful and well-crafted literary magazine, not only in content but in construction. more ›

Rudolph Valentino. Ray Charles. Jerry Lee Lewis dancing on pianos, for God's sake! Dance in Seattle had anything but a boring 20th century. We were prowling around the internet this morning and discovered that today is the anniversary of the date the city banned a really bizarre but popular 1920s and '30s fad called "dance marathons" within its city limits. That was enough to pique our interest, and we've spent the day researching what was happening in the world of dance during the 20th century. Here are some of the highlights, thanks in large part to our favorite local history website: HistoryLink.org. more ›

Normally that scenario doesn't turn out well, but the Old 97s' rabid fan base (an acquaintance we ran into described her boyfriend as wanting to perform fellatio on them all) kicked up the energy in the room something fierce. The second opener, Hayes Carll, had us nervous: with the oompah rhythm, lack of backbeat, and the liberal application of lap steel, there wasn't much "alt" about their take on country. But the Old 97s, led by Rhett Miller, emerged to pound out something that sounded a lot more like good old-fashioned rock-and-roll than anything. And the crowd responded by doing something we rarely see in Seattle clubs: dancing. more ›

Fun with stickers on traffic signs, thanks to ~wesa~. You can find more like it (and more unlike it) in the Seattlest Flickr pool. Come drop us a shot. Thanks! more ›

We bring you installment number one of Seattlest's Midnight Movies. No, that's not Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, and Casey Wilson. That's real life. That's Bob Fosse. more ›

Two ambulances pulled up outside the Showbox SoDo on Monday night, just as the doors were opening at 8pm. They attended to a very drunk young lady who no doubt missed out on the all-ages Diplo/Justice bill for that evening. Ah, the youth. more ›