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#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 !

#OutandAboutAva Explores, Rescues, Protects and Reviews #OctonautsLive @DPAC ~Recap by #SobeSavvy .com

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Calling all Cadets! The Octonauts crew has something exciting for you at their brand new Octonauts Live! show.  #OutandAboutAva and I just saw the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure at DPAC and had loads of family fun watching the Octonauts come to life on stage. This high-tech production featured costume characters and animated projections to a massive screen on stage. The audience was filled with kids and families who enjoyed the opportunity to be apart of the action by joining the Octo-Cadets! 

DPAC packed the house on November 11 with fans to see this popular children’s show. The tour comes on the heels of new Octonauts episodes premiering throughout the year on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. Seasons one, two and three are also available on Netflix, and the first ever Octonauts 4D movie adventure is coming later this year. But just in case you do not know the Octonauts, they are a very dynamic team of heroes who go on a fast-paced, exciting underwater adventure. Their mission: to explore new underwater worlds, rescue amazing sea creatures and protect the ocean. The group is led by Captain Barnacles the bear, and also includes Kwazii the kitten, Peso the penguin, Dr. Shellington the sea otter, Dashi the dog, Tweak the bunny, Professor Inkling the octopus and Tunip the `vegimal’ (part vegetable, part animal). 

This stage show features sing-a-longs and alot of interactivity with the characters on stage. It was also educational as I learned alot about the ocean. Did you know it had layers like a cake? There’s 3 total: sunlight, twilight and moonlight before hitting the bottom of the ocean floor. Here is more of what you can expect to see at Octonauts Live! https://youtu.be/Bb1Nns8yKMg

Following the show, we attended the Octopod Explorer Party, which I talked about here in my prior post about Octonauts Live. It truly enhanced our Octonauts experience and I recommend upgrading your ticket for the following perks:

Deep Sea Adventure & #FamilyFun Awaits @DPAC #OctonautsLive Nov 11,6pm #Durham #NC @Octonauts

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Durham, NC get ready to Explore. Rescue. Protect! with Octonauts Live! at DPAC November 11 @6pm.

“Octonauts” has a brand new, action-packed and interactive theatre show for the very first time in the U.S ! The Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure features brand new and fan favorite songs led by the entire Octonauts eight-member crew including Captain Barnacles, Lieutenant Kwazii and Medic Peso, as they invite audiences aboard an underwater quest through a world full of adventure, interactivity, and tons of sea life surprises! I am looking forward to having family fun and seeing this show with #OutandAboutAva, as this is one of her favorite shows on Disney Jr. !

The Octonauts live show, produced by Red Light Management & Fiery Light, in association with Silvergate Media, consists of two acts each running about 30 minutes, plus a brief intermission. For more information, visit www.octonautsliveus.com,www.facebook.com/octonautslive or search on social media using #octonautslive.

Savvy Tip: Octonaut Party Explorer Upgrades are now available to all current ticket holders looking to enhance their Octonauts experience. Upgrades include a Meet & Greet / Photo opportunity with Captain Barnacles and Tweak,an interactive Octopod photo booth, activities and games, an exclusive Octonaut Explorer party gift, early venue entry with crowd-free merchandise shopping, and an on-site exploration guide. Upgrade your tickets now: http://www.cidentertainment.com/events/octonauts-tour-2016/

Starting in San Diego on September 22, this tour will head coast-to-coast visiting more than 60 cities this fall. Here is a look at their remaining tour schedule :

November 11 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
November 12 Baltimore, MD Hippodrome Theatre
November 13 Washington, DC Warner Theatre
November 15 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall Theatre
November 16 Wilkes Barre, PA Kirby Center
November 18 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
November 19 Morristown, NJ Mayo Performing Arts Center
November 20 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
November 22 Bethlehem, PA Sands Bethlehem Event Center
November 23 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
November 25 Wallingford, CT Toyota Oakdale Theatre
November 26 Brookville, NY Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
November 27 Richmond, VA Carpenter Center
November 29 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
November 30 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
December 1 Ft. Myers, FL Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
December 2 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
December 3 Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips Center
December 4 Miami, FL Fillmore Miami Beach

Hey #Raleigh ! #DisneyOnIce #FollowYourHeart is coming to @PNCArena 12/8~Enter Giveaway 

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​Make unforgettable memories with Mickey, Minnie and all your Disney friends when Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart skates into Raleigh, NC at PNC Arena from Thursday December 8, 2016 thru Sunday December 11th. And guess what… SobeSavvy.com has tickets to giveaway to send a family of 4 to opening night of this live production ice-skating extravaganza produced by Feld Entertainment!

Follow your heart straight to adventure at Disney On Ice! Just keep swimming with Dory and new pal Hank from Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory as they set out to find her parents and discover the devotion of family. Cheer with Joy, Sadness, and the rest of the Emotions from Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out as they work together to boost Riley’s spirit and win the big hockey game. Venture to wintery Arendelle where Olaf and Kristoff help reunite royal sisters Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen and learn love is the most powerful magic of all. See Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel and the Disney Princesses make their dreams possible through virtues of bravery, kindness and perseverance. And celebrate true friendship with Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the Toy Story gang. 

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased here. This show is recommended for all ages, so make your family fun plans NOW and get ready to discover the magic of Disney on Ice ! 

Giveaway: One winner will receive a Family 4-pack of tickets to see Disney on Ice presents Follow Your Heart for opening night, Dec. 8th 7pm at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC.  3 ways to enter…

  • Comment below who your favorite Disney character is ???
  • Follow & Comment on the SobeSavvy.com Facebook page here
  • Follow & comment on Instagram page here

Giveaway ends November 28 and winner will be randomly selected and notified shortly thereafter. Good Luck…and don’t forget, sharing is caring!

***Contest has ended. Congrats Kiara Ruth ..you won 4 tickets to see Disney on Ice. Enjoy!****

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to Disney on Ice in exchange for this post, however I only promote events I believe in and that will appeal to my readers.

#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 !

#TastyThursday spotlight on @ZoesKitchen new Kids Menu and more ! #LiveMediterranean 

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Here’s a common dilemma. You’re out and about, hungry and want something for your little one {and yourselves} that does not come in a greasy bag and require waiting in your car talking to a speaker. What to do, where to go ? What if I told you about this place where the food is made fresh in a stylish attractive setting at a even more attractive price ? THAT place is  Zoës Kitchen.

As soon as you walk into this bright, casual dining restaurant, you get a sense that your tastesbuds are in for a treat! Their motto: Tasty, Fresh and Original recipes is something that is very appealing to my family. And if you are really in a hurry, you can call ahead and take your meal to go!

*Here is the number for the North Hills location in Raleigh, NC

Zoës Kitchen recently expanded their kids menu to offer even more wholesome and diverse options and treated SobeSavvy.com to try these with young foodie #OutandAboutAva who happens to love mediterranean food just as much as we do!  Born in Generation Z, she has always been open-minded about trying different foods and very vocal about the things she does not like. What’s cool about their kids meal is that children can customize it! Here’s what they have to choose from:

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My girl decided on the kid sized Shrimp Kabob. Shrimp is her absolute favorite. Sides include hummus, Greek salad, roasted vegetables, pesto farro or fresh fruit! 

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img_4976House made Greek Dressing.

img_5017  My little one and I shared a cup of their delicious lentil soup. It is made from scratch daily and is soooooo good. 

No meal is complete without dessert right? As a member of the clean plate society, she received an award: Zoës Kitchen house baked chocolate chip cookie. It was big enough for all 3 of us to share!

A big cookie gets a big smile !

Here is a slideshow of photos showing more of why Zoës Kitchen is a simple, tasty, and fresh choice for your entire family. Enjoy! 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMEfYEkAPpi/
Savvy Tip: Download their ZK app for Android or Apple so you can order online,access their nutrition calculator and keep track of your Zoës Kitchen rewards here !

‘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