Arts, Music & Culture

@CarolinaBallet Presents The Nutcracker Review + Giveaway,Win 2 Tix 12/16 show #NC #FamilyFun 

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Photo Credits: Carolina Ballet

On Saturday​ December 10 , SobeSavvy.com joined other ballet lovers in celebrating the 15th anniversary of Carolina Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker. This family friendly show, performed today at DPAC, is totally unique: it’s the only one that features illusions from world-renowned magician Rick Thomas. We got to experience breathtaking ballet, mind blowing illusions and see our favorite characters levitate, disappear, and reappear!

My daughter just had The Nutcracker story read to her at school as well as learned the music in class, so the timing was perfect to introduce her to this holiday classic. Carolina Ballet, under the direction of CEO/Artistic director Robert Weiss, does an outstanding job performing this magical tale of holiday adventure based on a novel by E.T.A. Hoffman. The Nutcracker is one of the most recognizable scores in the ballet repertoire and definitely a performance everyone should see! 

In case you need a refresher of what The Nutcracker is about, here is a quick synopsis:

It begins when young Clara receives a nutcracker from her godfather, a wizardly toymaker named Drosselmeyer. Sneaking downstairs to see the toy after everyone else has gone to bed, she suddenly finds herself caught in the middle of a pitched battle between the toys and an army of mice. After saving the nutcracker with a well-thrown shoe to the Mouse King’s head, Clara and her now-living prince venture into the Land of Snow and the Land of Sweets to celebrate. Throughout their adventures, Tchaikovsky’s dazzling inventiveness propels the dances of nimble flowers and regal fairy queens. The “Waltz of the Snowflakes” floats weightlessly whereas the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” tiptoes to the haunting, music-box chimes of a celesta. A medley of exotic national dances—including a Spanish bolero and Russian Trepak—add to the phantasmagoric celebration before the whole dream ends, as all dreams must. 

This was my first time taking #outandaboutAva to see Carolina Ballet presents The Nutcracker and to share the moment with her will be a holiday memory that I will never forget!

Now I would like to give you the chance to be awed by the magic and choreography of Carolina Ballet and giveaway 2 tickets to see The Nutcracker perform on Friday December 16, 7pm at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. 1 winner will be randomly selected on December 14th at noon. Enter by leaving a comment below sharing why you want to go! 

Good Luck! 

#RudolphTheMusical goes down in history thru 12/24 @DECRaleigh @BroadwaySouth

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​You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen

Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen

But do you recall

The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer..

We all know and love the song that goes along with the animated television story of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” ! Now is your chance to fall in love all over again with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Musical, now playing at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts as part of Broadway Series South. My lil one wore her antlers gleefully and we were on our way to A.J.Fletcher Opera Theater to see this all time favorite holiday classic brought to life on stage! 

Before the show, we checked the adorable gifts and plush toys that were for sale and also took the opportunity to take photos with the larger than life characters from the special including Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, and, of course, Rudolph!

We all grew up watching this all time favorite cartoon special every single year at Christmas time. Now you can experience it live on stage ! This broadway caliber performance transported the audience all the way to the North Pole to Santa’s workshop . This is where all the drama on stage takes place. Kids of all ages were in the audience this afternoon to experience the wonder that this story truly is.

There was plenty of dancing and singing. All of your favorite characters from the cartoon were there. From the abominable snowman to the Elf who wants to be dentist were well represented ! This musical truly brought the cartoon to life. My 5 yr old laughed with delight every single time Rudolph’s nose lit up crimson red ! The show was 75 min with a 10 min intermission. My favorite scene was on the island of misfit toys. It had a deeper message that there is no such things as misfits, there are just some people that are just different than others.

The play hit a crescendo when it appeared that due to dangerous weather conditions, Santa was gong to have to cancel Christmas..but you know the rest !!

The last scene actually had REAL snow falling on the audience and suffice to say,my little girl LOVED,LOVED, LOVED that special effect.

Grab mom, grab Grandma {Or Nana} and ALL the kids and adults and buy your tickets now to Rudolph The Musical. It is the absolute must do for this holiday season !!

Now thru Dec 24, grab your family, young and old to see the greatest Christmas tale ever told ! Come dressed in your holiday pjs or wear a Santa’s hat to this family fun show filled with singing, dancing and great acting! Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and Rudolph all came to life !

#HipHopNutcracker Performs @DPAC ~It’s a Must-See Holiday Classic with a Modern Twist! 

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On Saturday, November 26, 2016 , The Hip Hop Nutcracker blazed the stage at the Durham Performing Arts Center and entertained a sold-out crowd! Just like Hamilton is doing so well on Broadway, it is no surprise that this show is appealing to the masses.In the spirit of Hip Hop, I decided to give you my recap of this evening’s performance in a non-traditional way. I thought I would have a little fun giving you a poetic review. Enjoy!

Headed to the DPAC to see a show

With Special guest MC Kurtis Blow

You know him as a trail blazing rapper

Tonight he opened for The Hip Hop Nutcracker

A holiday mash-up for the whole family

Combined Tchaikovsky’s Music with Hip Hop choreography

Classic, Comtemporary, Timeless ,Cool

The Hip Hop Nutcracker nicely blends old & new school

Choreographed by Jennifer Weber, who also directed
A supercharged cast of dancers , who all perfected

Transporting the audience to NYC on NYE

With superb production and digital scenery

It’s a love story, a celebration

A magical classic for this generation

A DJ and a Violinist also made an appearance

Everyone should go see this one of a kind experience! 

Photo Recap: Opening Night 2016 #NCChineseLanternFestival @BoothAmp #KokaBooth 

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Get Ready, Get Set and Go…………….. make plans to see the NC Chinese Lantern Festival this holiday season! SobeSavvy.com was there along with many more for the kick off of opening night on November 28 at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre. Now thru January 15, 2017, join thousands of people to see a magnificent display of art and culture.

WHAT: The Festival displays hundreds of larger-than-life lanterns all aglow with thousands of LED lights, creating a mesmerizing feast for the eyes that takes about an hour to walk thru!

WHEN: November 25, 2016 – January 15, 2017, Tuesdays – Sundays: 6pm – 10pm

WHERE:  Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC  *Parking will be free of charge in venue owned lots.

WHO: Fun for the whole family!          Kids 2 and under free                                Buy Tix HERE

Ages 3 – 17 – $10 , Adults ages 18+ – $15

Groups: Contact Jessica at 919-459-8319 orjlevasseur@rprk.com for groups of 20 or more

WHY: Why not?!  It is truly something that must be seen to believe. The Koka Booth Amphitheatre is turned into a mythical magical place with a two story pagoda entrance into this colorful world of lanterns.This bright lights festival features dozens and dozens of hand made silk animals, people and yes, even a ginormous dragon on Symphony Lake lit displays for all to look at in awe. The panda bear display is one of my little
ones favorites. A pair of Pandas were even on a see-saw playing!

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This year the festival has added cultural performances that grace the main stage at planned intervals.  Last years festival drew 52,000 people,so count on big crowds and big fun. They have some food booths and food trucks available if you get hungry. See why this great display of Chinese artistry should be a part of your family tradition every holiday season in the Triangle. Check out this cool video sneak peak:

Here are some photos from opening night: 

More photos can be seen here on SobeSavvy.com ‘s Facebook page. Also on social media, follow #ncchineselanternfestival to see pictures shared by visitors who attended this wonderful event! 

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#Raleigh ,Celebrate the Holidays @NCSymphony ~A Kids’ Christmas Review & pre-Black Friday Sale

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Thanksgiving is the beginining of the holiday season, so what better way to kick it off then by joining the North Carolina Symphony ! 

Today #outandaboutAva and I joined other kids and their familes for A Kid’s Christmas… a one-hour singing and dancing celebration held at the beautiful Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh. Although the show started at 3pm , guests were encouraged to arrive early to meet the Snow Princesses and Santa! We also paid a visit to the popular Instrument Zoo located in the lobby and got a chance to try out orchestral instruments. Check it out..

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A Kids’ Christmas featured music we all could enjoy from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Frozen, The Polar Express and so much more ! It was so cute to see kids dressed in their jammies and/or their favorite Frozen character while singing along. The Triangle Youth Ballet was there to perform as well as the Raleigh Boy Choir, making this a very special event! Bravo to conductor David Glover and the NC Symphony as well for their wonderful performance. 

If you are looking for something to do this weekend with your family, join your North Carolina Symphony for Thanksgiving Holiday Pops Weekend, where Santa will also be in the libby before the concert.

 Savvy Tip: Now until 11:59pm tonight , save 50% on Holiday Concerts using Promo Code: PBF17 ..stay tuned for more discounts on Black Friday & Cyber Monday ! Purchase tickets here

In the true giving spirit of the holidays, NC Symphony is also collecting “Soup-to-Go” to help feed 1000 local kids at risk of hunger in the Triangle during any of the performances at Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall. You can also take your donation in person to the North Carolina Symphony State Headquarters. For more information , call 919.733.2750

Here are some pictures from today’s special event. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving !

#OddSquadLive goes on a mission @DPAC @OddSquadPBS @PBSKids #familyfun #Durham #NC

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On Saturday November 5th, I joined in on some spy fun with my little one to see Odd Squad Live! , an interactive live show based on the popular PBS KIDS program Odd Squad. My 5 year old daughter and her 10 year old cousin were super excited to go on this spy adventure along with many other kids in the Triangle who headed out to the DPAC for some family fun !  

Under the supervision of their favorite agents, the audience got to put their skills to the test to decode the strange and odd occurrences happening. Through digital audience participation, we turned into junior agents and got to interact with the Odd Squad in real time to work together on the very special mission delivered by Miss O to solve an exciting mystery! How cool!

In Odd Squad Live! you got the same weirdness that you get from the tv show, which won a Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Writing in a Children’s Series” but with a twist: The kid agents were turned into adults and it was up to the children in the audience to turn them back! For the live show you can expect singing, dancing, laughing and of course oddness while building math, problem-solving and collaboration skills.

Whether you are a fan of the show or not, you will be entertained during the 90 mins (plus intermission) by the new gadgets, funny villians, and catchy hit songs from the Odd Squad favorite band, Soundcheck !  For more information please go to  OddSquadLive.com , PBS KIDS Website: http://pbskids.org/oddsquad/

1 head plus 2 bodies…Now that’s ODD! 

Be sure to check out what is coming next to the Durham Performing Arts Center at www.DPACnc.com. 

#Raleigh celebrates #Halloween with @NCSymphony The Music of #StarWars Young People’s Concert 

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This beautiful fall afternoon my family and I went to Meymandi Concert Hall for a very special kids event: The North Carolina Symphony Young People’s Comcert The Music Of Star Wars. The iconic movie soundtrack that has now been around for 2 generations was the centerpiece of an afternoon of kid centric fun just in time for this Halloween weekend in Raleigh, NC !

The NCS Kids Young People’s Concerts are perfect for families and children ages 4-12 and a great introduction to the world of music. Each performance features fun, interactive activities related to the concert’s theme, beginning in Meymandi Concert Hall’s Swalin Lobby one hour before the concert. Here is a video of what to expect:

This performance was the first one in the 3 part Young People’s Concert Series for the 2016/17 season and because it was Star Wars themed guests got to take pictures with their favorite costumed Star Wars characters from the all-volunteer 501st Legion!
Make sure to arrive early for all the pre-concert activities, including face painting and our popular Instrument Zoo!

So get dressed up as your favorite Star Wars characters and join in the fun ! Get your tickets to 4pm Raleigh show today or tomorrow’s performance in Wilmington here !

Savvy Tip : See all 3 Young People’s concerts for just $49 when you buy a package ..or 2 concert series for just $30 at ncsymphony.org !

May the Force be with you !

‘Music, Love, Laughs’ Recap of #LoveJonesTheMusical @DPAC #lovejonesmusical #NC 

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A generation ago, Generation Xers fell hard for a timely realistic urban love story that was the movie entitled, Love Jones. The movie made stars of it’s two main characters portrayed by actors Lorenz Tate and Nia Long. The movie was stylish with poetry reading and a iconic soundtrack that captured the mood of the late 1990’s. We all wished we could feel like that again. We wait no more !

Love Jones The Musical, a stage adaptation of one of the greatest urban films of all time, is touring the US and SobeSavvy.com was invited to review it last night at DPAC in Durham, NC. I am a big fan of this iconic movie and was thrilled to be apart of the 20th anniversary celebration of the film.My guest and I were ready to sing the songs and recite the poetry we all came to know and love, however MC Lyte made the audience aware that:  a) this is not the movie but a musical so expect lots of music b) there will be no poetry from the movie c) there will be no Nia Long or Lorenz Tate but if you want to see them,  watch the movie at home! The audience laughed along and was ready to have a great time!

Originally released as a movie in 1997, Love Jones became a cult classic that captured the imagination of an entire generation! Ask any culturally-aware man or woman over the age of 30 about Love Jones and you will almost certainly encounter a nostalgic, almost reverent, retelling of the classic, yet gritty, love story of Darius and Nina. The brand recognition of this title, amongst the core demographic, is astonishingly universal.
The screenplay, written and directed by Theodore Witcher, brings the title of the movie to life with the help of musical stars Musiq Soulchild, Chrisette Michele, Marsha Ambrosius, MC Lyte, Dave Hollister and Raheem DeVaughn ! Also Michel’le , who recently shared her story in the movie “Surviving Compton” on Lifetime, was there and sung one of my favorite songs “Something In My Heart” ! These stars all have a recognizable catalog of hits which truly made Love Jones – the Musical an event and had us all singing in our seats! 

This show is full of great music and dancing, and is produced with the size and scale of a concert, only with a theme. And that theme is the telling of a classic story that captured the hearts and minds of an entire generation of music and movie lovers.Tony Grant and Chrisette Michele did an amazing job telling the iconic and classic love story of Darius & Nina in Love Jones, the Musical.  I highly recommend seeing it and experiencing a night of r&b , hip hop and soul when Love Jones The Musical comes to your city. 
SobeSavvy tip : If you live in North Carolina, you have more chances to see this show tonight in Charlotte Oct 20 and Fayetteville Nov 9

For more information please go to www.LoveJonesTheMusical.com

To learn what is up next at DPAC, check out www.DPACnc.com 

#Durham says “Yeah,Yeah” ! to #KinkyBoots Opening Night Recap @DPAC @KinkyBootsBway

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“Ladies, and gents and those who have yet to make up their mind” came out to DPAC last night for the opening night of the 2013 Tony award winning musical, Kinky Boots ! As part of the Encore Broadway at DPAC series, this must see smash-hit musical makes its return to Durham September 13-18.

The musical, inspired by true events, tells the story of Charlie Price (played by Adam Kaplan), who has big shoes to fill when he inherits a shoe factory from his Dad. Charlie meets a beyond fabulous drag queen named Lola (played by a North Carolina native, J.Harrison Ghee). Together, they both develop a plan to produce a line of high-heeled boots. But not just any boots….sexy, stiletto-heeled, kinky boots! I was motivated to step out in some boots and see this popular production, directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell. Here we are in our kinky boots inspired outfits along with (center) Justin Natvig, aka Vivian Vaughn, who currently holds the title of Miss Gay North Carolina America.

DPAC was prepared to make this a night to remember in the Triangle by having local Drag Queen sensations greet guests with Kinky Boots playbills. We even got to take a selfie with local drag queen sensation, Mary K. Mart !

This Cyndi Lauper (the Grammy® and Tony® winning pop icon) scored musical was energetic, playful and fun yet came with a serious message: to accept someone for who they are !  It made me think of the discriminatory NC HB2 law and the Black Lives Matter movement and how relevant this musical is on so many levels. If Charlie and the gender bending Lola can form an unlikely bond over Kinky boots, so can the world! The final number “Raise You Up/Just Be” was my favorite as it summarized the whole theme of finding humanity in everyone. This joyous musical celebration is about the friendships we discover, and the belief that you can change the world when you change your mind.
So if you asked me if this is a musical to see, my reply would be “Yeah, Yeah”! It’s spectacular score will have you singing for more. The choreographed dance moves will have you feeling the groove. Get ready to have fun with the factory workers of Price & Sons. Look up the word fabulous and Lola’s pic will be there for her style, sass, talent and flair! Along with her girls, Lola and her performances were perfection and is the heart of the show ! Make sure you get a ticket to see Broadway’s huge-hearted, high-heeled hit; Kinky Boots before it goes!

Find tickets online at DPACnc.com, Ticketmaster.com or at The Ticket Center at DPAC, in person or by phone at 919.680.2787.

Here is photo recap of last night’s amazing opening night of Kinky Boots at DPAC ! 

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#Durham enjoys a night of #RetroSoul @DPAC w/@LeonBridges & @LianneLahavas #ComingHome Tour

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leon

A little more than a year ago Leon Bridges http://leonbridges.com/music-and-video/ was a 23 year old dishwasher in Dallas/Ft.Worth, Texas. He played whatever gigs he could get at local coffee houses there on the side. Tonight he performed before thousands at the DPAC arena in Durham http://www.dpacnc.com/ What a difference a year makes!

He put two of his songs on the Sound Cloud music platform last year that garnered the attention of Columbia Records who promptly signed him to do an album. While his first album was in production, he built further buzz during last year’s SXSW festival in Austin. He was THE topic of the entire festival and his following grew. His debut album entitled, “Coming Home” was released in June 2015. He had arrived. The Album’s title piece became a hit. The album was recorded on Analog straight to tape. This old school method {which D’Angelo also used for his underground album “Messiah”}captures a richness that digital simply cannot. He has been compared to Sam Cooke and the comparison is valid.

Lianne la Havas, http://www.liannelahavas.com/ the acoustic folk alternative singer/guitarist opened for him. This British ingénue has carved out her own little niche amongst her fans. Her crisp playing and song bird delivery was a delight to behold. She performed a few songs from her grammy nominated album, “Blood”. Instead of wardrobe changes, Lianne changed acoustic guitars 3 times during her set! It was A great beginning to a wonderful evening.

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The headliner was up next. Leon’s smooth delivery and stage presence was magnetic. His clothing; bowling shirt and polished brown saddle shoes are an important part of bringing the 50’s and 60’s back to life. But garb alone is not enough for long term success. His talent is unique. He commanded the stage and had the audience in a soul induced trance. I was pulled into the rhythm of his guitar and yesteryear voice. Warm and rich like a warm mug of cocoa on a cold winter evening. Leon is different than everything else out there today and THAT is a good thing indeed.