Since moving to Nashville a couple of years ago, I've attended three ballets performed by the…read moreNashville Ballet. And I've been blown away by all three. I know that ballet probably sounds old and stuffy and traditional to people, but let me go out on a limb here and say that the Nashville Ballet is pushing boundaries of what ballet is and can be and that their performances are among the best performance art experiences I've had in this city. Don't believe me? Let me try to convince you! My first ballet was Cinderella. It's a traditional ballet with music composed by Sergei Prokofiev. So what did Nashville Ballet's amazing artistic director Paul Vasterling do with it? He showcased men in the roles of the evil stepsisters - all three male dancers had to dance in pointe shoes for the first times in their careers. He made sure that the Cinderella in his version of the ballet was a strong character (not a damsel in distress). The ballet was a joy to watch. My second ballet was The Raven followed by Lizzie Borden (a double feature just time for Halloween). The Raven was a world premiere of a piece inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe poem, and Lizzie Borden examines (you guessed it) the double-murder case in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892. These probably aren't the ballets you picture when you hear "ballet." They were bold and original and interesting, and I was glued to my seat. Just this past weekend, I attended the Friday night performance of Superstitions and Seven Deadly Sins. Superstitions was a piece composed by a local composer, and the choreography was inspired by both ballet and hip hop/contemporary dance. It was powerful and beautiful. I can't begin to say enough about Seven Deadly Sins. Nashville singer-songwriter collective Ten Out of Tenn composed seven songs inspired by each of the seven deadly sins and performed them live on stage as the ballet was performed. Not only was the music amazing, it was a perfect accompaniment to the ballet's choreography. This is what art in Nashville can be when artists aren't kept in their boxes of classical music, country music, performance art, etc. This was Nashville's talent being used to its fullest potential: great dancers, great choreographer, amazing artistic director, great writers, great musicians. This was inspiring and amazing - and, I'm not kidding, I loved it so much I went again Saturday night. Next year I have tickets to attend Lucy Negro Redux - a world premiere and another performance made possible by talents that might not necessarily collaborate in a city without Paul Vasterling as the ballet's artistic director. Based on a book by a local poet about the "Dark Lady" in Shakespeare's sonnets and featuring an original score by Rhiannon Giddens with spoken word performed by the poet? I'm there. Even if ballet isn't your thing, maybe scroll through their season overview and see if anything strikes you as interesting. Nashville Ballet is always pushing boundaries and experimenting with ballet (but they do keep a few classics - The Nutcracker, for example - on the books for traditional ballet fans), and there might be something that inspires you to give ballet a second chance. The tickets are reasonably priced (less than many concerts in Nashville), and it's a fun night on the town/date night/girls' night to grab a fancy dinner and go to the ballet. I've loved each and every performance of the Nashville Ballet I've seen, so I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for what they're up to for the 2019-2020 season!

The traditional offerings, such as The Nutcracker, are delightful and well-done. But what sets the…read moreNashville Ballet, and makes it world-class, are the commissioned, original works. Last year I experienced "Lucy Negro Redux," an amazing performance of the spoken word, original music, and amazing dance. This year it was "Attitude: Other Voice," an inventive beautiful work that explored gender and sexuality and gender roles. Nashville is not just "Music City." the Nashville Ballet is helping us become a city that celebrates dance as well.

In a city that claims to love music, it seems that it only likes certain kinds (mostly one kind?)…read more The opera has had disappointing crowds each time I've gone, which is really too bad, because the opera here is doing some really interesting things and producing some great productions. This past season, I went to all but one of their operas. In October 2017, I went to Tosca (twice actually). Tosca is Puccini, so this opera was classic and traditional and beautiful (and really sad, of course). In January 2018, I went to Hercules vs. Vampires, which was a 60s cult movie set to a new operatic score and sung before a large screen playing the film - it was wildly fun and funny. And in April 2018, I went to Susannah - a more modern opera, sung in English, and set in East Tennessee; it's described as a "folk opera." For this last opera, I went with a friend of mine who had never been to an opera before, and we both really enjoyed the production! In three operas I saw over the course of a single season, the Nashville Opera blew me away! This past season was a great mix of traditional and modern and playful. It feels very much like they are trying to be a modern opera for a growing, youthful city, so I hope that more people give the opera a try during the upcoming season. It's more varied and interesting and entertaining and beautiful than a lot of people might expect. Keep up the great work, Nashville Opera!

I am sure that this review will be upgraded to 5 stars within the next 6 months as I finally plan…read moreto check out a few of their upcoming events and shows. However, what I can give feedback on is the absolutely beautiful facility they have in Sylvan Park... WOW! I had no idea that this modern HQ was behind Climb Nashville and the Nashville Ballet all this time. Once you turn the corner, you can't miss the large and contemporary offices. I met with their Marketing Manager Andrea Smith who gave me a tour and filled me in on what they have in the pipeline for this season. From light-filled rehearsal space (which can double as an interesting event space, for all of you party planners) to the costume warehouse, I was a kid in a candy store. The most impressive thing for me is that the Nashville Opera yearns to grow their audience by infusing unique and fun elements into their shows such as the Western Wear Contest for the upcoming show of The Girl of the Golden West or Opera @ Dyer Observatory - Opera on the Mountain coming up in the Summer. Picnicking and opera music? Yes. Please. Don't count out the Nashville Opera as a stuffy institution because you'll miss out!

It's always a great time with this bunch of songwriters and their stories! I've been lucky enough…read moreto be in the audience watching the show, as well as a participating songwriter for these shows, and either way, it's a good time! You just book the show for your private event, no matter how big or small, and BOOM! You have songwriters at your place ready to perform! Everyone from multi-platinum hit songwriters to up & coming artists.... there's a good time to be had for you & your party!

From the owner: If you love the live original music and singer songwriter nights that built this town. We offer a…read moretruly unique custom experience for you and your friends guests clients or special someone. We have packages that can come to you or a host location for your event. Nashville Nights is for you if you like the Stories behind the songs or a comedy show or we even offer a Murder Mystery Songwriter night all with original award winning music.

As a card carrying member of the Belcourt, I have been to probably hundreds of times since I moved…read moreto Nashville in 2022. However, today was just one of those days that makes you appreciate a place like The Belcourt existing in Nashville. 11:30 matinee of Interstellar on a cloudy July 5th. Popcorn was hot, fresh, and flowing. The sound is booming. Love the staff here, they are always down to chat and make your visit feel extra warm and welcoming. Can't say enough good things about this spot. Such a treat.

The venue was small but quaint. The concession stand gave us free filtered water to drink in loo of…read morea $4 bottle of water. The seats in the theatre were not particularly comfortable after 2.5 hours, but we endeavored to persevere because we loved Ralphie 'May and came to support his wife and children. The movie "Come what May" was a documentary produced by his wife and was an inward look at his life as a comedian, husband and father. He is loved and missed very much. RIP, Ralphie.

True burlesque performers, with one eye focused on the origins of the art and another on the…read morecutting edge. These girls have it all! Every member brings their own style, grace, and energy to each act. There are the burlesque purists, the sex bombs, the comics and the alternative performers. If you are new to Nashville, a long time fan, or just passing through: add an McB show to your to do list.

The lovely and talent ladies of Nashville's Music City Burlesque are a reason to be proud of living…read morein this city. Beautiful and skilled burlesque dancers who make me proud to be a woman! Most of their performances are at Marathon Music Works, though I have also seen shows at Darkhouse Theater and Exit In (I have reviews for all the venues) but the Marathon shows are the best. They have a Cabin Fever show each winter which is worth braving the cold for. They have done special shows with the touring Suicide Girls and with local songwriters. The tickets are always reasonably priced so there's no excuse not to go. These ladies are not strippers. They are dancers, classical and edgy. So many people I know are nervous about going to one of their shows but these are classy, fun girls providing classy, fun entertainment. The crowds are energetic and great to be a part of. The dancing is about tantalizing, teasing, enticing...and it's fun! Their skits are a combination of dance and humor and beauty. I would highly recommend attending one of these shows. You will not be disappointed. I am proud to say I attend every show I can and I bring anyone I can with me, and everyone has fun...so check out their website and check out their shows!

YOU WILL NOT REGRET SEEING THIS TROUPE…read more Seriously - they are not only hilarious, but super fun people! High energy, while at the same time low key and intimate performances with smaller crowds. They can take literally any suggestion and make it incredible - and they will almost never go in the direction you think they will! Date night, team building, work friends night out, non work friends night out...even family night out - they try to keep it PG/PG-13, and still kill it! For real though, why are you still reading this review? Go buy your tickets to their next show!!!!

This is probably the best improv I have ever seen in my life (tied with Upright Citizen's Brigade…read morein New York City). Where as some improv shows can really be awkward with poor taste or just niche jokes (AKA: beating to death sex jokes), this group really has insanely amazing creativity. What I really like about this is that every show is tons of group participation and the stage is small, so there really is no such thing as a bad show. Oh, yes and they always take advantage of the opportunity to add some Nashville flair in it (AKA: local knowledge), just to give it a home town touch. Trust me, it is worth every penny of the 10 dollar ticket (got it, in LA there are 3 dollar improv shows... but this is better than them all!).

Marathon Village is a historic, repurposed 19th-century automobile factory transformed into a…read moreunique complex featuring local shops, restaurants, distilleries, and museums. Located just west of downtown, it houses attractions like Antique Archaeology (from American Pickers), Nelson's Greenbrier Distillery, and the Marathon Motor Works museum. Our visit was relatively brief and was limited to a quick walkthrough, a pen purchase as the Nashville Technical Lounge, whiskey and wine tasting (primarily Gayle and Erin), a Johnny Cash t-Shirt purchase at the "Storyteller" business, a cool look at the vintage cars across the street, and me posing in front of an old Shell Oil gas station. The building itself was worth the visit.

The interior, with its omage to the history of the building, was really cool. Old machine parts and…read moresome that were interactive to get a sense of how things worked. There were quite a few shops which made making the trek to the destination feel worth it. There were quite a few shops and distilleries, but overall, not my vibe.