My friend and I attended the 2022 Nutcracker Production and it was adorable! It's 2 hours long with…read morea 20 min intermission. Beautiful costumes, dancing and overall just loved it! We even got a couple laughs because of the adorable tiny dancers.

We attended the Huntsville Ballet (Cinderella) yesterday. I had first heard of the performance last…read moreweek on the radio. My niece is 4 years old and is enrolled in ballet and loves Cinderella and all things princess. My sister called to see about tickets and information and was treated with the upmost respect and kindness. Turned out for the price of $30/ticket we were able to get a special package. It was the Royal Ball package. My niece was able to dress as her favorite princess, go on stage with all the other little ones for a princess parade, meet the characters, had pictures made by a professional photographer with Cinderella (which we received free of charge with the package 5x7), we were served royal refreshments (glass slipper cookies, fruit, cheeses, and punch), and all the children received a goody bag with a glass slipper keepsake. It was amazing. They also give each child a week worth of free classes at their ballet school. The staff were all above and beyond what is required. They greeted all the children and adults with special thanks and appreciation. My niece definitely got the royal treatment! She loved being addressed as princess (which all the staff did). The performance was second to none. The acts were brilliantly placed and the ballet was beautiful. I have never been to a ballet program, only plays, but this show was great! Even though it had no words or talking the picture was perfectly clear. Would highly recommend this show and I am looking forward to watch another!

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.

Fantastic winery! We just attended a great spring festival with wine tasting, music, and food. If…read moreyou want to enjoy a variety of wines from dry to sweet, and everything in between, stop by!

Some of the best wine i have tasted! You will love this place! Affordable and delicious! Ask for…read moreJulie!

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!

We did an evening here watching the play Back to the Future. It's a fairly modern and large theater…read morethat was well designed when built. It's starting to show its age with things like worn carpet. Our seats were in the 'nose bleed' section and although the entire stage was visible we were quite a distance from the performance. Bathrooms were under built for the number of people. Concession stands were also under sized for the number of patrons resulting in very long lines. The play we saw was excellent, the theater needs some work.

I came here to see Water for Elephants a couple of weeks ago. The theatre is contemporary looking,…read morewhich I'm not used to. I'm used to old theatres so I wasn't impressed by the ambiance and all of the steps. There are steps going up to come down. They offer snacks and some beer and alcohol. The seats have good views and the sound is good. The offerings for the upcoming season are good so I bought a 6 show season, along with a friend. Will definitely be back.

Tony an d I happened across this gorgeous landmark while visiting Fort Payne on Sunday March 2nd…read more The town has several locations to visit. The Fort Payne Opera House, located at 510 Gault Avenue North in Fort Payne, DeKalb County in the U.S. state of Alabama built during the industrial boom in 1889. The Fort Payne Opera House is the only one in the State of Alabama still in use. The establishment has been used as a movie theater, live theater and a public forum. The Opera House still hosts live theatrical events and is on the National Register of Historic Places and the National Register of 19th Century Theaters in America. Completely restored, the Opera House is a cultural center of the community. Located on Fault Avenue (main street down Fort Payne) The Fort Payne Opera House is a historic building in Fort Payne, Alabama. It was built in 1889 and continues to be in use today, thanks to regular maintenance and upkeep. Completed during the region?s industrial boom, the Fort Payne Opera House is the oldest theater in Alabama that is still in use today. Through its more than a century of existence, it has already been used for various purposes including as a movie house, a live theatre, and even as a public forum. It has truly contributed a lot in the development of the area. Today, the Fort Payne Opera House is still open to the public. It still hosts live performances, and tours can be arranged for those interested in exploring this historic site.

What a fantastic organization of talent with community outreach! I will support these folks…read moreanywhere//anytime. I enjoyed their production, and they captured my heart working with that many kids to accomplish such a well done production. I can't wait to see their spring production!

A shining star in north Alabama. Philanthropists Allan and Debra Jenkins had a vision to transform…read morea boarded up building in a neglected part of town into a performing arts center to rejuvenate the area. They used their own time, energy and finances to renovate the building and opened to the public in 2007. After several years, Mrs. Jenkins, through a series of occurrences, realized that local children and adults with special needs can rarely, if ever, take performance art classes. My daughter, for example, tried a local performance art studio but didn't fit in because she wasn't intellectually on par with the others. The Jenkins' ended up starting a day program for adults with special needs and an after school program for children with special needs. My daughter enjoys it so much that her acting classes are the highlight of her week. The program is 5 stars -- the participants all love it and there's simply nothing else like it around. Special needs kids and adults have such pure hearts and are accepting of one another as they are. If only the rest of the world can be that way! The productions are top-notch and the facility itself superb, complete with a 300-seat theater and state-of-the-art technology, such as closed captioning above the stage. Shows are open to the public, too; it's not just for participants' family and friends. In addition to the special needs productions, they have special concerts and events throughout the year... even Billy Bob Thornton, who is a supporter of Merrimack.