Duke Energy Center of Performing Arts

Kid-Friendly Ideas For Festive Family Fun In Raleigh NC

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Hello December! We’ve officially kicked off our holiday season in our home and ready to spread some cheer. The Christmas tree is up, we’ve already started drinking eggnog and Motown Christmas songs are on repeat on Spotify. My #HeighPartyof3 (which consists of my spouse, our daughter and me) are in the Heigh-liday spirit {get it๐Ÿ˜‰} and have began some of the holiday traditions that we enjoy.ย So today I am sharing my list of Kid-Friendly Ideas for Festive Family Fun In Raleigh,NC ~


๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„

HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES


๐ŸŽ„ RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL


๐™๐™ช๐™™๐™ค๐™ก๐™ฅ๐™ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™๐™š๐™™-๐™‰๐™ค๐™จ๐™š๐™™ ๐™๐™š๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™™๐™š๐™š๐™ง: ๐™๐™๐™š ๐™ˆ๐™ช๐™จ๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™ก, is now playing at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts until DEC 24th in downtown Raleigh. My family has enjoyed this live performance for the last few years now and it just keeps getting better! They’ve even added something new this holiday season to the beloved TV classic.
See all of your fave characters: Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Corneliusย and, of course, Rudolph, as they sing and dance their way to your heartsย while teaching kids of all ages to celebrate what makes you different because its your special superpower!๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿฝโค ๐ŸŽ‰

SobeSavvy Tip: The fun continues in the lobby with great photo ops next to larger than life inflatables and cool photo props. Get your kids face painted before the show or shop for some holiday gifts during intermission!


๐ŸŽ„ CINDERELLA


Continuing my list of Kid-Friendly Ideas for Festive Famiy Fun in Raleigh, it wouldn’t be the holiday season without Raleigh Little Theatre’s Cinderella! Celebrating its 36th year, Cinderella runs December 6 – 22.
This amazing production has
* a sparkle of magic โœจ
*ย  a delightful blend of comedy and romance ๐Ÿ’‘
* elegant scenery and costumes ๐Ÿ‘—
* outstanding singing & dancing ๐Ÿ•บ๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ’ƒ
….and great actors to bring this timeless story to life! We loved all the modern updates and twists that were added to this classic tale, plus there is some audience interaction that everyone enjoyed!ย  Make plans to see #RLTCinderella for the holidays and
Get your tickets today!

SobeSavvy Tip: Stay after the show and get a chance to meet The Fairy Godmothet or snap a pic with King Darling! There’s also merchandise available to buy for your little prince or princess in the lobby. Plus, RLT is collaborating with WRAL and accepting donations for Coats For The Children.


***SAVE THE DATE & GET TIX NOW for these upcoming shows at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts:

โ€ข DEC 13th and 14th Holidays with the North Carolina Symphony |HOLIDAY POPS features the holiday songs everyone knows and loves at Meymandi Concert Hall. With falling snow, hot chocolate, carolers, and an audience sing-along, this festive concert is the perfect holiday tradition. Audiences are invited to come early to meet Santa!

ย 

โ€ข DEC 18th – 29th ‘The Nutcracker’ Carolina Ballet | From the moment the curtain rises, the magic of this Holiday classic is mesmerizing. Take a journey to a land of whimsical characters featuring magical illusions, magnificent sets, and beautiful costumes. Listen as a live symphony orchestra plays Tchaikovskyโ€™s famed score.ย The Nutcrackerย is the perfect story ballet for the young and young at heart.


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HOLIDAY EATS & SWEETS

๐ŸŽ„ SANTA BRUNCH at STIR

If you saw my Instagram story/post this past weekend, then perhaps you caught me and my Heigh Party of 3 hanging with ole Saint Nick aka Santa at STIR, located in North Hills. BRUNCH WITH SANTA at STIR is a recurring event happening every Sunday in December and is on my list of Kid-Friendly Ideas For Festive Family Fun In Raleigh because of the good food and intimate moments with Santa. Saint Nick works the room like a pro and is so kind to take photos with everyone. Enjoy $1 Mimosas ๐Ÿฅ‚ + a buffet bar filled with goodness is included with your entree! My daughter loves their avocado toast customized to her liking and I am all about the fresh seafood selections like Oysters and Shrimp & Grits! Santa was quite jolly and dapper in his suit, so get ready for your close-up with ole Saint Nick! Just take a look at these photos to see some tasty highlights at STIR! ๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿฝ

SobeSavvy Tip: While at the brunch, take advantage of the Gift Card Sale! Give $50 or more and get 20% at STIR for yourself! ๐ŸŽ


๐ŸŽ„ DUNKIN Holiday Treats


Do you like to ride around and see neighborhood Christmas lights while listening to holiday tunes? We do and we like to enjoy it while sipping on a warm beverage and eating snacks. So we stopped in our local Dunkin for some holiday treats. My daughter and I both had hot chocolate and their newย Holiday Brownie Crumble Donut, which features a vanilla frosted yeast ring donut dipped in brownie crumbles and drizzled with dark green icing. My husband enjoyed the eggnog latte with a yummy glazed donut. I think we may break tradition of leaving Santa cookies this year and give him a plate full of donuts with coffee on the side from Dunkin!

SobeSavvy Tip: Download the Dunkin app, earn DD perks and skip the line if order on the app before you go! Not sure what to get someone this holiday season, check out some of the cool merch offered by Dunkin inside the store and online or a DD gift card is always a great idea!


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Holiday Movies


๐ŸŽ„ ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE RALEIGH


Going to the movies is always a good idea for a family date. Make plans to see a feature film or catch one of the holiday themed films now showing at ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE RALEIGH. This is our go to theater for movies because of the Alamo Family program. The perks for parents with kids are great and you have the ability to watch a movie and eat/drink at the most comfy seats.

SobeSavvy Tip: Gift cards make perfect stocking stuffers. Give the the gift of Alamo, which is good for tickets, food, drinks and merchandise!


๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„

There are so many fun things to do with kids in Raleigh and throughout the Triangle this holiday season. This is just a bit of what we like to do but take a look at Visit Raleigh, Facebook, Eventbrite, and Carolina Parent for more Kid-Friendly Ideas for Festive Family Fun In Raleigh, NC!

What festive family fun do you plan to have this holiday? ๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿฝ๐ŸŽ
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@CarolinaBallet Presents The Nutcracker Review + Giveaway! Win 2 Tix 12/29 @DPAC #NC #FamilyFun #Arts

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On Sunday December 16, SobeSavvy.com celebrated the 18th annual performance of Carolina Balletโ€™s The Nutcracker presented by PNC with magic sponsored by WRAL-TV. This family friendly show, performed at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium has become a Mommy & Me tradition for us. We both love performing arts and enjoyed seeing magic combined with ballet in this wonderful show featuring Tchaikovsky’s incredible music. Choreographed by Robert Weiss, Carolina Ballet presents The Nutcracker is not only “Magical.Magnificent.Mysterious”, but Unique because it features grand illusions by world renowned magician Rick Thomas as well as a live music by the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle!

My daughter, fondly referred to as #outandaboutAva, first saw this perfomance in 2016 when she was 5 years old. Now that she is 7 and has read The Nutcracker story, seen the Disney movie: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and learned the music in school, she was so excited to see this holiday classic! Carolina Ballet does an outstanding job working with the children from ballet schools across the Triangle as well as their own, The School of Carolina Ballet to perform 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 the whole family should see because it appeals to the child in everyone!

What is The Nutcracker about?

This enchanting tale, in which toys come to life and treats dance with delight, follows young Clara and her prince as they journey to the Land Of Sweets. 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 Kingโ€™s head, Clara and her now-living prince venture into the Land of Snow and the Land of Sweets to celebrate. Throughout their adventures, Tchaikovskyโ€™s dazzling inventiveness propels the dances of nimble flowers and regal fairy queens. The โ€œWaltz of the Snowflakesโ€ floats weightlessly whereas the โ€œDance of the Sugarplum Fairyโ€ tiptoes to the haunting, music-box chimes of a celesta. A medley of exotic national dancesโ€”including a Spanish bolero and Russian Trepakโ€”add to the phantasmagoric celebration before the whole dream ends, as all dreams must.

When and Where is it playing?

Dates: December 14, 2018 – December 23, 2018 at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Raleigh at 3401 Atlantic Ave., Raleigh, NC 27604

Dates: December 29, 2018 – December 30, 2018 at DPAC- Durham Performing Arts Center in Downtown Durham at 123 Vivian St., Durhan, NC 27701

*See website>> CarolinaBallet.com or call 919.719.0900 for dates/times/prices

SobeSavvy Tip: Before/After the show or during intermission, you can get some holiday shopping done at The Nutcracker Boutique. You’ll find a variety of things like ornaments, socks or even a nutcracker of your very home to take home to be apart of your family traditions for years to come!

Enter to WIN 2 Tickets !!

Carolina Ballet presents The Nutcracker and SobeSavvy.com have teamed up to share a #SobeSavvygiveaway with you and give one winner a holiday memory that you will never forget!

Enter for a chance to be awed by the magic and choreography of Carolina Ballet and win (2) tickets to Carolina Ballet: The Nutcracker at DPAC on Sat 12/29 at 7pm.

To Enter:

๐Ÿ’ฅ Like this post

๐Ÿ’ฅ Leave comment below why you’d like to go

๐Ÿ’ฅ๐Ÿ’ฅ Bonus entry if you leave comment on the Instagram post below + Follow @SobeSavvy

Winner will be chosen by random.org on Dec.19, 2018 at noon.

Good Luck!

Update: Contest Closed. Congrats to Valerie Contreras, @hellominimama ! Have a wonderful time!

RECAP ~ #NuSoulRevivalTour let the #RaleighNC fans know #GoodMusicStillLives ! @DECRaleighย 

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In celebration of drawing over 10,000 soul and R&B music lovers, from all over the U.S, to the largest annual Soul Music Festival in the SE region, the producers of the ATL Soul Life Music Festival are expanding on that successful concept. The 22-city NuSoul Revival Tour is boasting a lineup of some of the genresโ€™ finest who have been quite busy in 2016. The tour kicked off last night in Raleigh, NC at the Duke Energy Center of the Performing Arts.

SobeSavvy was lucky enough to witness this great event. I was joined by my cousin who admitted, ” I came for Musiq SouldChild” ! Although I love ALL of the artists on this tour roster, I also could not wait for the headliner Musiq Soulchild to do his set. But before we get to that let’s talk about who was up before him.

Opening up on stage was beloved Grammy Nominated and; Multi-Award Winning Artist, Avery*Sunshine whose loyal fan base includes music icons Aretha Franklin, Baby Face, Teddy Riley, Jazzy Jeff, and Patti LaBelle. Avery has the vocal chords and stage presence that any real music fan could appreciate. The crowd included hundreds of folk who came there just to see her. She.is.amazing.Whether bllads or uptempo james Avery is a force to be reckoned with !

โ€œFirst Couple of Soulโ€, Kindred the Family Soul came out first.Since their debut with Surrender to Love which charted #29 on Billboard R&B and received a Soul Train Award and a BET Award nomination, Kindred the Family Soul continues to show fans why they are fondly known as the First Couple of Soul.  Their lead Single โ€œWhere Would I Be (The Question)โ€ from their second album hit top 10 on urban AC radio and they celebrated critical success with the 2014-released, A Couple Friends.  โ€œTheir albums are filled with a level of substance rarely found in popular music, and they combine that with great grooves and vocals. It is for that reason Kindred has been one of the most important acts of the 21st Century.

I had been wanting to see this husband and wife duo for forever and they did not disappoint. ” Far Away” was my favorite song of theirs and it just took me back to when I first heard it with my husband many moons ago. They were so energetic and just plain uplifting. The love they share in their union definitely came through with the warm interactions they had with each other on the stage.

Chester Jermaine Jennings better known as Lyfe Jennings took the stage and the crowd {ladies}went wild.The cautionary tale spinner who is well-known for his superior lyricism and signature ballads -Lyfe Jennings – has been delighting his fans since his critically acclaimed platinum-selling debut album, Lyfe 268-192 Jennings continues to raise his own bar.  In 2013, he covered Michael Jacksonโ€™s classic hit, โ€œHuman Natureโ€ exclusively for Grammy.com’s Reimagined series. And, in 2015, the raspy-voiced singer released Tree of Lyfe, which he has described as his most personal work to date.

His singing and acoustic guitar skills are a rare blend. I discovered my love of this artist some years back when I was mesmorized by his smash hit ” Must Be Nice” It’s now iconic music video which to date has over 44 million views stands as proof that he is a visual artist himself.. Judge for yourself below:

https://www.youtube.com%20/embed/GkpN3uiZ-Ew

When he sung Must Be Nice this arms were swaying and we all were harmonizing {some better than others} to the beat !

Finally, what alot of us had been waiting for..MUSIQ !! The man who has had two platinum albums, two gold albums, and seven hit singles, and continues to amass industry nods such as awards from Billboard, BET, ASCAP, BMI, and Soul Train.&nbsp was coming on stage.

He has also earned award nominations from MTV, the American Music Awards, the NAACP, and 11 Grammy nominations since arriving on the scene over 15 years ago. The singer who enjoys fusing soul, R&B, funk, jazz, and hip-hop has also enjoyed notable collaborations with Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige, Ice Cube, tour mates Kindred the Family Soul, Ceelo, Bilal, Swizz Beatz, Estelle, and India Arie โ€“ perhaps some of them will make an appearance on the tour.

His appeareance last night followed an exciting 2016 which includes his seventh studio album, Life on Earth entering the US Billboard 200 at #27, his single “I Do” reaching #3 on Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and performing in the highly anticipated musical adaptation of the cult classic, Love Jones.

Musiq took control of the audience and played a compilation of his many many hits. “So Beautiful” sounded so great. After so many years Musiq has not lost a step or a vocal chord. I simply loved it . Great night. Great company.Great Concert.

This tour is also a party for a cause , per their press release…The NuSoul Revival Tour seeks to send the message that โ€œGood Music Still Lives! โ€œwhile continuing to support artists whose music is the soundtrack, and in some cases, a blueprint of areas of our lives.  It also seeks to raise awareness for Alzheimerโ€™s disease which affects over five million individuals in the United States.

Here is a short video clip from last night’s concert in Raleigh of Kindred the Family Soul singing one of my favorite songs “Far Away”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQEqjncDLxK/

 

 

To the NuSoul Revival Tour, style:initial;vertical-align:baseline;font-weight:bold;font-size:13px;line-height:normal;font-family:"color:rgb(70,70,70);text-align:justify;”> 

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#NuSoulRevivalTour     #GoodMusicStillLives

Coming to a city near you!

 

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