03 NovWatch the Video Below and Discover how you too can Improve your Ballet skills…

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18 JanBilly elliot

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Billy Elliot musical is based on the box-office hit film with the same name. The musical is a story of a boy’s dream to achieve his ambitions against the odds. The background of the story is linked to the 1984/85 miner’s strike in North East England. Billy maintains his passion for dance in secret to avoid disapproval of his struggling family. Theirs is a harsh coal-mining town in County Durham. The life is tightly bound by tradition coupled with harsh economic aggravation and police oppression because of the strikes, which occurred during Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative regime. His father and brother were struggling hard to earn their bread. At the age of eleven Billy comes across ballet class, which shares the hall, at the village boxing club. Billy was captivated by the dance and was passionately inclined towards it. Father and brother discover his interest and explode as Billy was spending their hard earned boxing money on dance. They thought the dance to be unmanly. His father being of old fashioned idea thought that dancing jobs are for girls and as such could not accept Billy to dance but to box. Mrs. Wilkinson who was conducting ballet classes thought Billy to be good for ballet and asks for an audition and to try him out at the Royal Ballet Company. The teacher persuades Billy and gives him free teachings, clandestinely. Billy is unable to even explain just why he likes to dance; he has no answer but others could make out that Billy finds true happiness only in dancing. Billy misses his first audition due to his brother’s fight with the police. Billy dejected started unleashing his feelings in front of his friend Michael. His father realizes his the power and animation of his son’s talent, and ultimately gives in and allows Billy for the audition. And Billy as happy as ever makes it to London for the audition. There is of course a small scene about a gay boy hitting on Billy, which appears to be slightly away from the play. The result is an erotic scene matching what Nabokov wrote about in Lolita. This apprehension of his sexuality is seen in more than one scene and his otherworldly potential is seen from beginning to the end. It is also seen that in spite of what happens to Billy, people become emotional at the end. According to numerous appraisals, Billy Elliot Musical is regarded as of Oscar quality. The musical has enthusiastic reviews by the media.”The New York reviews enthusiastically reported about Billy Elliot saying that it is the saving grace of the Broadway season, and the show will probably win a number of Tony awards that will extend its box office life.”

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17 JanEnjoy London Nightlife With Good Food And Great Entertainment

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London nightlife is vibrant and full of activities for young and old. London has an enormous variety of night entertainment to please everyone.

London’s theatres in the West End and on the South Bank are world famous. There is a healthy, innovative fringe theatre scene too, plus world-class ballet and opera in venues such as Sadler’s Wells, the Royal Opera House and the Coliseum.

London offers a wide range of theatrical entertainment including musical, drama, thriller and comedy.

In London you will be able to hear the best music, ranging from classical, jazz and rock to rhythm and blues. There are excellent indoor arenas like the O2 Arena and the Royal Albert Hall to stage top-class concerts. Concerts in London are well organised and attract top international artists.

London nightlife for the dedicated movie buffs means there are hundreds of different films, both in large, multi-screen complexes and excellent small independent cinemas.

London Pubs and Bars play an important role in London nightlife. Apart from serving good food and drinks, pubs also provide excellent entertainment. Some pubs have live music, like modern jazz at the Bull’s Head in Barnes, and the Golden Eagle in Marylebone is a central London piano pub with nostalgic singalongs a few times a week.

Sports bars are popular as well. The Sports Cafe at 80 Haymarket, Piccadilly, has four bars over two floors, a dance stage and 120 television sets showing global sporting events.

Nightclubs and cabarets are hot again. These are scattered from Soho to Shoreditch and most of them have restaurants serving great food. They also cater for stag nights and hen parties. Notable nightclubs include Egg Nightclub in Kings Cross, Cargo Nightclub in Shoreditch and Pacha located in Victoria.

You can also go on a London nightlife bus tour of the West End night clubs. They also cater for comedy nights at one of London’s infamous comedy bars.

Renowned as the world’s dining capital, London thrives on an extraordinary culinary diversity. With lots of Chinese, Indian, Italian and French restaurants, eating out in London restaurants enable you try out different cuisines from around the world.

The broadest choice of restaurants are scattered around Covent Garden, Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Soho and Mayfair. There are also plenty of great restaurants in Bayswater, Notting Hill Gate and Kensington.

Many people are taking up dancing in London, both to keep fit as well as for fun. From jazz to hip hop, ballet to ballroom, pole dancing to tap, you can do it all in London.

Dance Attic Studios in Fulham host dance classes including hip hop, ballet, jazz, salsa and Bollywood. Danceworks in Mayfair offer an array of classes including Broadway tap, flamenco and burlesque. Marylebone Dance Studio in Marylebone has classes in ballet, belly dance, swing and folk as well as general fitness and martial arts.

 

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16 JanTop 5 Cuban Festivals

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As anyone who has been lucky enough to go on holiday in Cuba will probably tell you, the Cubans really know how to throw a party! The island is a vibrant centre of dance, art and music, and the blend of Spanish and Caribbean cultures has given rise to a number of international festivals and annual carnivals that are a real treat for visitors and locals alike.
There are numerous great events going on throughout the year in Cuba; holidays to the island will usually coincide with a festival or two if you are lucky. But there are some events that it is well worth planning your holiday in Cuba around: here are five of the biggest and best…
International Jazz Festival
There are plenty of jazz festivals that you can go to while on holiday in Cuba, but the biggest is the International Jazz Festival, held every February in Havana. Starting out as a little local event at the Casa de la Cultura de Plaza in 1978, the festival now holds events in theatres and nightclubs all over Havana, with the famed Chucho Valdes as its artistic director.
Havana Carnival
July is Carnival season in Cuba; holidays to the island in this month are very popular for just this reason. Carnivals in Cuba mean street parties, floats, processions, dancing, music, and plenty of Cuban rum! Every neighbourhood in Havana has its own Carnival float and practices for months to perfect their routine, and visitors to the island at this time of year are treated to a riot of colour, sound and all night parties.
Santiago de Cuba Carnival
The Carnival in Havana is a massive event, but its counterpart in Santiago de Cuba is potentially even bigger and better. The whole city seems to turn into one giant conga line in July each year, and the carnival in this city attracts the biggest crowd on the island. The street parties go on all night, and music, dance, traditional Cuban food and spectacular street displays are all there to be enjoyed by visitors on their Cuban holidays.
Las Parrandas de Remedios
Those who go on Cuba holidays at Christmas are rewarded with a unique experience – Las Parrandas de Remedios, a festival on the 24th of December that has been running for almost 200 years. Legend goes that a priest in 19th century Remedios sent children into the streets of the city to make as much noise as they could and drive the locals to mass. The residents took it as a cue to take to the streets and have a good time! Nowadays the festival takes the form of a “parrandas”, or competition between the two neighbourhoods of El Carmen and San Salvador. Each neighbourhood competes to construct the most spectacular float, surrounded by lanterns and kites, and on the evening of Christmas Eve the two sides go head to head in a parade, accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display.
International Havana Ballet Festival
Cuba may be more famous for Salsa and Mambo than for ballet, but the International Havana Ballet Festival, which runs from the 24th of October to the 6th of November every two years, is a major international event for ballet lovers. The best companies come from all over the world to perform at the Great Theatre of Havana, which has seen almost 200 world premieres since the festival began in 1960. If you have any interest at all in ballet, a Cuban holiday at this time of year is a must.

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15 JanWhat Items are Usually Included in Plus Size Dancewear Selections?

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Dancing is an activity which a lot of people enjoy.  Traditionally, dance groups blend their ideas and come up with a costume that matches the music they sway their bodies to.  As the trend went from conventional to modern, plus size dancewear had also been out in the market.  The catalogues of fashion companies always have plus size models wearing these attires to help customers visualize which among the apparels best suit their dancing requirements.  Here is the list of items usually incorporated in the brochures whether through online businesses or not.Leotards.  Leotards are very common in most dancing stints.  Plus size models wear this clothing in a variety of colors and forms.  The usual colors are black and red which are on the darker side.  These hues provide a slimmer figure for the wearer.  Besides the color selection, leotards take different forms as well.  This plus size dancewear may either be sleeveless or short or long-sleeved.  The fabrics used are cotton or nylon.  They may also be custom-made depending on the client’s specifications.  Leggings and pants.  For this type of plus size dancewear, the material used very often is the lycra.  The different styles worn by plus size models are bootleg, capri, relaxed dance pant, cropped and ankle tights.  They may also be like low-rise jeans showing the belly button.  Accents or accessories are not used to add embellishments on the pants as they may create a bulkier look.  They are better seen without any prints at all to complement the leg and thigh area and not to emphasize on weight.Shorts and Skorts.  Shorts are used to support every dance movement.  Skorts on the other hand, are two-in-one plus size dancewear which has both the qualities of a skirt and a short.  There are V-notched or A-lined skirts which will help the dancer project a more feminine appearance while working on the dance floor.  Boy-cut briefs are also used down under to complement mini skirts.  Bike shorts also fall under this category.  Ballet skirts.  It may sound unusual to have plus size ballerinas. However, nobody is prohibiting these individuals to try the dance.  Along this line, a plus size dancewear known as ballet skirts have been introduced.  It is usually a wrap-around skirt longer than the tutus worn by slimmer ballet dancers.  Unitards.  As there are skorts for shorts, there are also unitards for leotards and tights.  Unitards are actually an extension of the leotards where the upper and lower extremities are covered.  This is a good deal for every dancewear buyer since there is no need to spend on a leotard and a tight.  Dancers make use of these attires for ballet lessons and performances and are found under the ballet skirts.It is indeed a wise thing for clothing companies to include plus size dancewear in their very long list of offerings.  It is delightful that such outfits are planned carefully.  Another interesting note is the fact that purchasers get the privilege to have their own dancewear custom-made especially if they do not want those worn by plus size models.  Everybody is encouraged to take a look at the other performance wears available in various catalogues.

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15 JanA Fusion of the Old and New

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Recognised as one of the most sacred performance halls in the country, Pasadena Civic Auditorium is a historically acclaimed work of genius. It comes with 3,029 seats and has hosted many distinguished events such as world class ballet performances, Broadway musicals, celebrity speakers, symphony orchestras in addition to the Prime Time Emmy Awards and the People’s Choice Awards.

Built in 1931, Pasadena Civic Auditorium opened its gates in 1932. The main floor comes with 1,922 permanent seats with 98 installable orchestra pit seats. The loge accommodates 560 while the upper balcony seats 449 making the overall capacity a staggering 3,029.

One of the main features at Pasadena Civic Auditorium is the classic Gold Room which is positioned on the second floor. It provides an impressive setting for small scale receptions, meetings and even dinner parties that can hold a total number of 300 guests.

A part of the Pasadena Centre, The Pasadena Civic is a perfect combination of the long established traditions and the contemporary. It is a living symbol that reflects the excellence and exquisiteness of this fine city.

In February, 1932 the new Pasadena Civic Auditorium was devoted to the people of Pasadena whose hard work made the creation of this attractive and valuable building possible. Over the years, The Civic has hosted a large number of community events like Graduations, Rose Queen Ceremonies, benefit concerts, speeches by eminent persons and numerous programs for children.

Following the creation of the Pasadena Centre during the 1970s, Pasadena Civic Auditorium transformed itself to a comprehensive convention centre which included an exhibition building, conference building, a hotel and convenient parking facilities.

Today this distinctive masterpiece is home for world renowned ballet performances, musical comedy, symphony and even television programs. The Civic has also hosted numerous world class orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Known to be the best venue for ballet, the Civic hosted the dance program for the Olympic Arts Festival in 1984, the San Francisco Ballet, repeating engagements of the American Ballet theatre and Dance Theatre of Harlem.

There are many hotels in Pasadena that are positioned with easy reach to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Both performers and Travellers who wish to explore and view some great performances at the Auditorium can easily plan their stay at any of the nearby Pasadena hotels. For instance, Langham Hotel Pasadena is an ideal place to stay for those seeking comfort, style and convenience amidst a superb location.

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14 JanNeed a Pastime?

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Large numbers of people are currently cutting back their spending, trying to avoid unnecessary purchases and generally being more financially cautious.  For a lot of people these are not very cheerful times, with money worries and fears of pandemics such as swine flu all over the media.  It is important that, if at all possible, people do not stop participating in activities they enjoy due to the recession.  Keeping cheerful is key to enjoying life, taking part in hobbies and pastimes can help to take your mind off troubles and reduce stress.  If you do not have a hobby outside of work hours and have some spare time you want to devote to a new pastime, there are all kinds of options to consider.In modern times large numbers of people have very sedentary jobs, and do not get enough exercise per day.  Having an energetic hobby can be a good thing for those in this position, for example office workers.  Which activity you choose will depend on how much energy you want to expend!  Some like to go walking with friends, some like to jog.  Others prefer more organised activities like yoga, gymnastics or dance classes.  Enjoying the activity you choose is important, you don’t want it to become something you dread!  Or something you give up on quickly, making you feel lower in confidence than before.  Some adults will decide to pursue childhood hobbies again, even though years may have passed.  An example of an activity which captures the hearts and minds of many is ballet.Ballet classes can be quite expansive, and often price is indicative of quality, though this is by no means always the case.  When choosing any pastime consider how much equipment you will need to purchase – a painter needs paints, an athlete sportswear, and a dancer may need clothes ranging from tutus and leotards to ballet tights, not to mention shoes!  One potential benefit of the ‘credit crunch’ is the great offers available on the high street and online.  Retailers have to be very competitive in order to shift stock.  This means that you should be able to find good value for money on items you need, whether they be ballet tights or packets of modelling clay.There are loads of reasons to take up an evening class of any kind.  You can meet new people, make friends and socialise.  This can be particularly important to those who live alone, and also to parents who spend all day with energetic kids!  Having fun is great for everyone.  If you are nervous of going to classes, see if you have a friend who is also interested, they may leap at the opportunity to learn new skills too.  Doing something fulfilling is important for people psychologically – not many of us have a dream job, many really dislike their work and often need cheering up at the end of the day or at the weekend.  So if you love to dance, look out for bargains on shoes, tutus and ballet tights!

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13 JanDon’t Waste Your Time In Getting The Billy Elliot Tickets

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If you are interested in watching the theatre plays and you want to spend some good time, then you shouldn’t waste time in buying the Billy Elliot Tickets. This is one of the best plays of the West, written by Lee hall and directed by very famous director Stephen Daldry. The whole drama is directed in the united kingdom in its famous country Durham, which is also well known for its natural beauty. After watching this drama you will feel more relaxed and all its beautiful scenes will give good affect to your eyes. The hero of this play, which is child star named as Jamie bill is performing as eleven year old child, who love to dance and want to become the most famous dancer of his region. Gary Lewis is performing as his father, while Jamie Draven is acting as the elder brother of Billy and Julie Walters is acting as the Billy’s teacher for the ballet.

Popularity Of The Billy Elliot Play

Billy Elliot play was released by motion pictures association of America in 2007. The play not only got the tremendous popularity in the beginning; in fact, it is still very remarkable and people do not want to miss it. They want to buy Billy Elliot tickets at any cost, because they love to get the excitement by watching this exclusive play. Once the play starts in the theater, you can observe the pin drop silence, which is all because of so much interest of the people in this play, which make them to forget about all the other things. The story of the play revolves around the small kid, who loves to dance and want to make some outstanding name in Ballet dancing. Once you go for buying the Billy Elliot tickets, you will find people of all ages, which is because of the fact that this play is not only liked by young people; in fact, people of all ages and gender love to watch this play. Here is list of some of its venues, for whom you can buy Billy Elliot tickets and can enjoy the play without any disturbance.

Excitement of the Billy Elliot play

No doubt, you can watch any play at your home as well, but there are many people, who love to watch it at the theatre and that’s why they buy the theatre tickets, so that they can enjoy the real fun and excitement of the play on the large screen. The whole story of the play is very exciting, which develops the interest of all the people, because this story is made on the small child, who love ballet dancing and want to make some good name in this dancing. However, he is opposed by his family, who do not want to see him as ballet dancer. For this, his father made him into different activities, but he does not show any interest in any of these. This is only teacher of Billy, who supports him a lot in learning the ballet dancer, but all they do this secretly. There are many other exciting things as well, which you can see after buying the Billy Elliot Tickets for Billy Elliot play. So don’t waste your time and get it as soon as possible.

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12 JanThe True Nature of Political Reality

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THE TRUE NATURE OF POLITICAL REALITY

The true nature of political reality is that God exists, that God’s power exists, that God is living in the world, that God has come to live in the world to share his power with his chosen friends, that those such chosen friends of God are the state and capitalism, that God is therefore a capitalist-royalist, that God is the power and intelligence behind the means of production. This is the true nature of political reality and the true nature of political reality is revealed.

- God exists.

- God is living in the world

- God has shared his power with the state and capitalism.

- God is a capitalist-royalist, the power and intelligence behind the means of production.

 

The existence of God and the powers of God are revealed in such things as Paradise, Ballet, Cool, Hair, Rugby, Gymnastics, Elocution.

 

PARADISE. What does the word paradise mean. Obviously the word paradise means para-di-se which means parallel dimensions see.

 

Interpretations.

Heaven after death. If you die you go to the parallel dimension of heaven.

 

Heaven on earth. Knowing about God’s power on earth means that you know about parallel dimensions, atomic power etc. God has shared this power with the state and capitalism obviously.

 

 

BALLET. Ballet dancers are cool, they have the power and intelligence of God to perform ballet. They know how to control physiology, mind and body.

 

Obviously God gave the ballet to the White Russians, he shared his power with them, and having done so obviously didn’t want to destroy that tradition. This illustrates, proves that marxism was an ideological deceit, an anti-socialist philosophy and strategy.

 

 

COOL. Ballet dancers obviously have God’s power, atomic power and know how to be cool. If you didn’t know how to be cool and realised that others have God’s power and know how to be cool then obviously you would desire to have that power also and know how to be cool.

 

Therefore, we know that God exists and we know that God knows how to pacify the mind. Therefore there is no need for psychiatry obviously.

 

If psychiatry was abolished then all people would know this, and all people could have God’s power.

 

I want to abolish psychiatry.

 

 

HAIR. Why did a person write a musical about hair. Obviously to make the mind think about God’s power, atomic power. if you have God’s power, atomic power, you can fashion your hair in various ways,

 

 

RUGBY. The atomic idea is obviously written in the game of Rugby. You would always be living in fear playing that game unless you were safe. The solution is God’s power, atomic power. Obviously God’s has shared his power with the game of Rugby.

 

 

GYMNASTICS. Obviously you need God’s power and intelligence to perform gymnastics.

 

 

ELOCUTION. The ability to be able to speak in public and to sing is a power of God given to human beings.

 

The true nature of political reality is that God exists, that God has come to live in the world to share his power with his friends, the state and capitalism, that God is a capitalise-royalist, the power and intelligence behind the means of production.

 

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10 JanMost Poised Billy Elliot Tickets

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Billy Eliot is a drama, which was written and directed in the year of 2000. This is a kind of a drama film, which is written by Lee Hall and this British drama is directed by Stephan Daldry. This drama is set in the fictional town, Everington. This fictional town is in the original County Durham in United Kingdom. The main star caste of this play includes Jamie Bell, who is performing the role of an 11 year old Billy, who is an aspiring dancer and wants to become the most successful dancers, Gary Lewis (coal miner), the father of Billy, Jamie Draven as in the role of Billy’s elder brother and last but not the least, Julie Walters, as in the role of Billy’s ballet teacher.

This play was opened at the Broadway, in the year 2008 and in Australia, in the year 2007. This theatrical movie has been released under the banner of Motion Picture association of America. Since the time, this play has been entertaining the audiences, from that point of time, the love and likeness for this play has been increasing. Basically the play is all about the love of Billy for ballet dancing. He has great passion to learn ballet dancing, but his father and elder brother are against the decision of Billy and in order to keep him always from dancing, the father of Billy takes him to boxing classes, where Billy shows least interest and in this way his boxing trainer starts giving complaints to Billy’s father, for which his father gets angry and abandons Billy for learning ballet, but Billy’s passion keeps him learning ballet and for this purpose, his dancing teacher helps him a lot in teaching Billy, ballet secretly.

This is one of the most interesting and unique theatrical plays, you have ever got to watch. The live shows of Billy Elliot attract a large number of audiences and every time, the show of Billy Elliot is organized, the fans of this play runs to the theatres, where this show is held. Billy Elliot tickets for the fresh three shows are on the sale. There are a number of upcoming shows of Billy Elliot for which the fans of this play are going crazy and want to get their hands on Billy Eliot tickets.

These tickets are right now the most wanted tickets and the fans of Billy Eliot just want to grab the tickets for all the shows, which hare going to be held in the theatres of three cities including Chicago, London and New York. There are going to be many shows, which will be held in these cities. Therefore, the opportunity of watching this play, live in the theatres including Ford Centre for the performing Arts-Il, The Victoria Palace Theatre and Imperial Theatre of Chicago, London and New York. All these theatres are going to be the most crowded theatres during each and every show of Billy Eliot. You should not miss this golden opportunity and should hurry up and buy Billy Eliot tickets. These tickets are available on internet and you can buy Billy Elliot tickets from the website, which is offering the tickets, comparatively at reasonable price.

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09 JanPlaces to go during Advent and Christmas — recommendations by Peter Menkin

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Introduction to Advent & Christmas events

The Christmas season has an ethos of joy and celebration, an ethos of well-being in its statement of goodwill to men, and peace on earth. What an odd celebration, and so popular in California and the United States, throughout the Western World, too, of course. Who does not know this? Everyone likes the winter festival Christmas in some sense or another. It is about love, after all, and so the Christian believes. The music celebrates this love of mankind by the great God of history through the birth of his son Jesus Christ.

  Writing in her recent book, Camaldoli Benedictine Oblate Paula Huston says of the kind of love Christmas and its ethos of spirit offers:   …Jesus puts it very simply;   And though not specifically about Christmas, per se, the words speak to the spirit.   They will know we are Christians by our love. C.S. Lewis insists that we are almost never converted through logic but instead “infected by a love that moves us so powerfully we can’t help but succumb. A modern spiritual writer, Donald Nichols, reiterates the central importance of love to evangelization when he refers to the “theology of faces,” or the look of love that says everything about the faith behind it. Our society, however, is characterized instead by its hyperindividualism and its intense need for “personal space” and privacy. We feel that we are doing well simply by avoiding conflict. The notion of actually loving one another sounds either idealistic or uncomfortably communal. We much prefer our separateness, even as Christians—hence our many sects and denominations.   Though her book is titled, “forgiveness: following Jesus into radical loving,”  Paraclete Press, the theme of the book is an indirect remark on God’s willingness to offer man a New Testament, a new covenant of which a part is the old-new idea of forgiveness. This is a season when we can forgive one another, when the heart warms, when the brightness is brought into the darkness of winter.  

 

These various events around the area give testimony and celebration, entertainment and festivity and even fun to the season of charity and good will to all. Come enjoy this wonderful season, this Holiday, this gift of the winter celebration in various places: mostly through music and some through dance.The Jewish year, too, in its winter, has the celebration of Hanukkah. Note the YouTube video below of Pacific BoyChoir’s singing a Hanukkah song in this article. Nonetheless, for the record, one noted member of Jewish Reform Temple El-Emanuel’s staff recommends a comedy event whichKung Pao spokeswoman says of the comedy Kung Pao event in describing it, “That’s what my event is all about. Escaping Christmas, enjoying comedy, a sense of belonging at a time that is alienating for many…”   Please find these paragraph’s of text recommending places to go worthwhile and helpful in the season this year, Christmas 2009.

 

 

 

San Francisco Theological Seminary  

In a Press Notice, this writer learned of an excellent place for musical celebration, San Francisco Theological Seminary’s (SFTS) 35th annual Lessons & Carols service Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in Stewart Memorial Chapel on the San Anselmo campus.   The candlelight service observes Advent’s time of preparation and the coming of the Christ Child. It is not only a longstanding tradition among SFTS faculty, staff and students. The Notice continues:   This year’s theme comes from Luke 1:30-31: The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High …”   Admission is free, but there will be a freewill offering. Everyone is welcome, but seating is limited, so SFTS encourages those planning to attend to arrive early. Shuttle van service will be available.  

 Doctor Daniel Hoggatt, Musical Director of the program, speaks to this year’s event: “This Lessons & Carols used to be more a seminary community event, but in the last 13 years it has been more the Seminary’s gift to the community.   “There are 8 lessons and accompanied Carols by the congregation and choir.   “There is also the wonderful Dobbins Memorial Pipe Organ (Balcom Vaughan) that is in Stewart Chapel. Stewart Chapel is usually used for services four times a week. I am very, very fortunate here to be the musician at SFTS because we have two beautiful chapels.”   Doctor Hoggatt explains:   It is a service that people come to whether Christian or not because it is a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season with a warm evening. I have Jewish friends, Buddhist friends, and it is a wonderful, magical evening for all.   It is a choir of 30 voices that come from the seminary community, and the community at large in southern Marin County. We do a variety of Carols from over 2,000 year history.   Doctor. Daniel Hoggatt made the choices.    

 

                Nutcracker at San Francisco Ballet  

 Nutcracker comes alive one hour prior to curtain as costumed characters greet and have their pictures taken with children and families. Plus, the first 500 children to arrive receive a special gift! At intermission, everyone will be treated to juice and cookies.   So says San Francisco Ballet website.   The Ballet touts:   A wonderful Christmas event, Create Magical Memories  This holiday season, you and your loved ones deserve something special – a wondrous experience that evokes joy & elevates your spirit to new heights. Whether continuing a valued tradition or discovering the magic of this beloved holiday classic for the first time – San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker is sure to leave you with a sense of warmth and treasured memories that will last a lifetime.   

 

           Nutcracker Story   ACT 1 In his shop on a foggy Christmas Eve, a toy maker, Drosselmeyer, puts the finishing touches on a magical nutcracker, a gift for his relatives, the Stahlbaum family, whose home he will visit that evening. Customers drop by, searching for last-minute Christmas gifts. Outside the Stahlbaum house, as people hurry home to their Christmas revelries, Drosselmeyer arrives with his beautifully wrapped gift. In the sitting room of the Stahlbaum house, a tree trimming is under way. Clara and Fritz, followed by their friends, arrive downstairs to see the tree lighted, for the very first time in their lives, by electric lights! The children dance with glee. Soon it is time to open gifts. As the children settle down to play with their presents, Dr. Stahlbaum invites his guests to dance. Clara joins the adults. Drosselmeyer—”Uncle Drosselmeyer” to the Stahlbaums—arrives and entertains the families with magic. While Clara remains captivated by the dolls, Fritz makes a pest of himself. Uncle Drosselmeyer opens his specially wrapped gift for the family and presents to them the magical nutcracker doll. Clara, delighted, dances with the nutcracker. Fritz looks on with envy, then grabs the nutcracker, which falls and breaks. Uncle Drosselmeyer bandages the doll and returns it to Clara, who plays with it quietly. As a close to the evening’s festivities, the revered Stahlbaum Grandparents begin their annual holiday dance. All join in. The hour is late, and the guests begin their goodbyes. Fritz and Clara go upstairs to their bedrooms, and the house quiets down. Soon, Clara descends the steps, searching for her nutcracker doll. As the clock strikes 12, she settles on the sofa and falls asleep with the doll in her arms. As Clara dreams, her mind whirls with the memories of the evening. Deep within her dream, Uncle Drosselmeyer appears and mends the nutcracker doll. Clara wakens into her dream, and her house begins to change around her. The Christmas tree grows large and wondrous. Then mice appear, frightening Clara. But magically, her nutcracker doll fends off the mice. The Nutcracker summons the toy soldiers from the cupboard, and a battle ensues. The fierce Mouse King arrives and engages in a duel with the Nutcracker. Clara bravely aids the Nutcracker, who, though victorious, is overcome by exhaustion from the battle. Clara is worried, but Uncle Drosselmeyer consoles her, then transforms the Nutcracker into a dashing Prince. Clara and the Prince embark together on a magical journey through the Land of Snow. The Snow King and Snow Queen arrive and welcome Clara and the Prince. As snow continues to fall, snowflakes begin to dance. The King and Queen invite Clara and the Prince into the sleigh and send them off to their next adventure. ACT 2 The scene opens in the garden of a Crystal Palace where ladybugs, dragonflies, and butterflies dance. The Sugar Plum Fairy welcomes Clara and the Prince and asks them to tell her about their adventure that brought them to her world. The Prince recounts his tale of war with the Mouse King and describes Clara’s bravery. The Sugar Plum Fairy commands a festival, filled with dancing, to honor her guests. The celebration begins with Spanish flair. Exotic Arabians, whirling dancers from China, and lovely French Mirlitons perform for the guests. Sharing in the festivities are Russian entertainers and the famous Madame Du Cirque, who reveals many small surprises, including a dancing bear! In the final celebratory dance, the Sugar Plum Fairy joins in a glorious waltz with her court of flowers, dazzling Clara and the Prince. As the festivities draw to a close, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Uncle Drosselmeyer grant Clara her greatest Christmas wish and transform her into a beautiful woman to dance in the arms of her Prince. It is Christmas morning. Clara awakens, the nutcracker safe in her arms. SF Ballet (Courtesy of San Francisco Ballet).   

 

 

Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco Bach Choir 

   The San Francisco Bach Choir website offers this welcome: Welcome the season with our traditional blend of charming carols and majestic works from early German masters Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz. Multiple choirs will surround you with glorious music—both ancient and familiar—and brighten the winter darkness with candlelight, processions and joyful singing. Invite your friends and order early! with Erica Schuller, soprano Saturday, December 5, 8PM / Sunday, December 6, 4PMCalvery Presbyterian Church,  Fillmore & Jackson, SF

Sharon Gustavson of the San Francisco Bach Choir, calls this an evening of “majestic music.” She states the defining element of the choir’s work this way,and in so doing emphasizes how specific this evening is to the kind of music San Francisco Bach Choir performs:  ”This is our niche work.” She adds, “This is one of our traditional concerts.”

    Grace Cathedral Christmas  

Grace Cathedral announces on their website: “Bring the whole family for a merry sing-along at Grace Cathedral! Join the festive Pacific Boychoir in singing your favorite carols of the holiday season. There will also be a special surprise guest in red velvet!”   Spokeswoman for Grace Cathedral tells, Pacific Boychoir played at last year’s Family sing-along.   So the ensemble is back after 2008, and the Spokeswoman adds, “The event sold out in 2008, so we added a second show in 2009, on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. I did not take an audience poll, so can’t say for sure whether the choir made it a hit or what the favorite song was. I suspect it was the format of the event that made it successful – it is one-hour in length; it features songs that everyone knows at least the first verse to (& printed lyrics are provided for all songs & verses); and it starts at the family-friendly time of 11 a.m. (before kids’ afternoon naps).”This quote on the Boychoir:   Based in Oakland, the Pacific Boychoir participates in a very old tradition, as boychoirs have been around for hundreds of years, dating back at least to the fourth century. The chorus was formed in 1998 with 6 boys, and it now includes more than 100 singers from ages 7 to 17. The Pacific Boychoir’s reputation for excellence has earned performances with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the UC Berkeley and Davis Symphonies, American Bach Soloists, and many others.Dates and TimesSaturday, December 12, 11:00 amSaturday, December 19, 11:00 am  

 

  St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley, California Bach Society 

Be sure to arrive early to get a good seat, so it is recommended by one Church member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley, who has attended the California Bach Society event.   This year’s event will take place at the Church on December 6, 2009 at 4 p.m, located at 2300 Bancroft Way (at Ellsworth), Berkeley. (Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.)   Wieneke Gorter Spokeswoman for the Society reports, “St. Mark’s is a pretty church with absolutely wonderful acoustics. We love performing in there. Our concerts at this church attract music lovers of every age and background, but especially people who are interested in choral music and/or early music.”     . The Bach Society website says of the program:   The California Bach Society welcomes the holidays with a program from 17th century Northern Germany.Performed in the order prescribed for Advent Vespers, the 30-voice chamber choir will present a richly varied program of intricate polyphony, hymns, and splendid double choruses. Artistic Director Paul Flight explains: “The beauty of this program lies in the contrast between the simple and the complex. On the one hand, we will sing a number of well-known Lutheran hymns. By contrast, the majority of the pieces we will perform are elaborately worked out renditions of these hymn tunes. One can only marvel at the skills of the North German composers, Schütz, Schein, Scheidt, and Praetorius, as they develop every musical possibility inherent in the tune.”   A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Also coming up at St. Mark’s, Berkeley is a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Sunday, December 20, 2009, 4:30 p.m.   This service was originally instituted at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England, based on a medieval vigil service.  It was modified in the early twentieth century by the Very Rev. E.M. Millner-White, dean of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, England.    Since then, it has been sung annually in King’s College Chapel on Christmas Eve, and here at St. Mark’s since 1942. The service opens with the traditional carol “Once in royal David’s city,” a bidding prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer.    The story continues with the promise to Abraham, the assurance of the prophet Isaiah, the calling of Mary, the birth of Jesus, and ends with St. John’s unfolding of the great mystery of the Incarnation.  Carols, familiar and unfamiliar, are sung throughout the service. The service is held in candlelight and a festive reception follows in Hodgkin Hall.        Kosher Comedy at Christmas in San Francisco   The official press release says of Kung Pao Christmas event, and here it is in part:   Come celebrate Christmas the Jewish Way—in a Chinese restaurant with Jewish comedy. Now celebrating its 17th year, Kung Pao Kosher Comedy™ continues to provide an answer to the age-old question, “What are Jews supposed to do on Christmas?” What started out as a joke by San Francisco-based Jewish stand-up comic, Lisa Geduldig, has become an institution in San Francisco annually giving 3000 comedy aficionados and those escaping “Christmas-mania” an alternative to Jingle Bells. It’s the Bar Mitzvah you never had—and you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy it.   Kung Pao Kosher Comedy™ was created in 1993 by accident by comedian Lisa Geduldig, who went to perform outside Northampton, Massachusetts at what she thought was going to be a comedy club. She arrived only to discover that The Peking Garden Club was actually a Chinese Restaurant, not a comedy club. Her ironic experience of telling Jewish jokes at a Chinese restaurant led to the idea behind and creation of Kung Pao.   The event began as a community service for Jews who have been stuck on Christmas with nothing to do but hide under the covers or go to a Chinese restaurant. The audience has expanded to include Chinese-Jewish couples, interfaith ones, singles, families, gays, straights, those far from home, and generally those who not only are seeking an alternative to Christmas alienation but who also like comedy mixed with Chinese food. One of Kung Pao’s claims to fame is that Henny Youngman performed his last shows there, in 1997.     Celebrate Christmas with Chinese food and Jewish comedy. So the website of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy offers. The dates for performance are December 24 through the 27, 2009.    

Two of the comedians commented for this writer via email:   Brian Malow was asked:Why are you doing this at Christmas time? Well, I’m not a Christian nor have I ever been so you won’t find me celebrating Christmas in any sort of traditional manner (for example, frantic last-minute guilt-inspired shopping sprees).  I am Jewish.  What’s a Jew to do on Christmas?  If there’s not a new Woody Allen movie playing in theaters, what better or more appropriate way to celebrate the season than with copious amounts of Chinese food and Jewish comedy? Plus, I’ve never worked with Jonathan Katz so I’m really looking forward to it!  

  

Hilary Schwartz was asked:   Why are you doing this at Christmas time?I’m doing this at Christmas time because my Christian friends asked me tomake other plans. Anyhow, who else but a Jew would work on Christmas?      

Images: (1) Outside Calvary Presbyterian Church Photos of Calvary courtesy of Calvary Presbyterian Church; (2) Official poster San Francisco Theological Seminary Lessons & Carols. Picture courtesy San Francisco Theological Seminary. (3) Doctor. Daniel Hoggatt. (4) Group dancers Vanessa Zahorian in Tomasson’s Nutcracker. © Erik Tomasson. (5) Mouse San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson’s Nutcracker. © Erik Tomasson. (6) Sanctuary Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco. (7) Paul Flight, Courtesy California Bach Society. (8) St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Choir. (9) Lisa Geduldig of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, Kent Taylor Photography (10) Comedian Brian Malow. (11) Comedian Hilary Schwartz.

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