Local dancer turns Radio City Rockette

Inspired by movement, driven by dreams, Rockettes rehearse six days a week, six hours a day to get ready for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. As professional athletes, the dancers are expected to perfect their challenging routines with 35 other dancers. 

That means being in tip-top shape before hitting the stage. Abigail Gatlin, has been preparing her entire life for the opportunity to blend fitness, fashion and love of dance into an extraordinary dance performance that can only be realized in the stylized choreography of a Rockette. The Cleveland High School honor student began to study dance with Paula Duff Dance Studio during the summers. 

She studied at Ballet Magnificat in Jackson, Miss., at North Carolina School of the Arts and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. As a junior in high school Gatlin spent a week of training at a Rockette Summer Intensive in Houston for aspiring dancers. 

Acceptance into the training program is a crucial step in becoming a Rockette. Since the inception of the Summer Intensive in 2001, less than 60 dancers have gone through the program and gone on to become world-famous Rockettes.

Read more: Cleveland Daily Banner - Local dancer turns Radio City Rockette 

Buy your tickets to see the Radio City Rockettes perform live with the best tickets for the best prices from ClickTicket.com! http://clickticket.com/performer/radio-city-rockettes-tickets

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S.F. Ballet Reigns With Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky, rats, swords, tutus and all manner of fantasy regalia, onstage and off, reigned supreme last weekend as Nutcracker season began at the San Francisco Ballet and San Jose Ballet. San Francisco Ballet had a fine opening night Friday in this eighth season of Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson’s version, set in 1915 San Francisco, of the holiday classic. The cast was uniformly accomplished and generally enthusiastic. Frances Chung was a particular standout, however. Beautifully partnered by Davit Karapetyan in the Grand Pas de Deux, Chung, one of the company’s more recently anointed ballerinas, performed with a new confidence that showed in the warmth of her demeanor. Her speedy fouettes, as well as her willingness to risk everything in the climactic fish dive (it sounds better in French: temps de poisson) delighted the crowd.

But before all that, there’s the scene-setting, where you can almost smell the wintry chill in the streets, dispelled by the glowing houses on the hills, wherein party the well-mannered one per cent in all their holiday finery. At least at the Stahlbaums’ manse, there’s an old clockmaker, Uncle Drosselmeier (played by Damien Smith with pleasing craft and a twinkling eye), to shake things up a bit during the holiday rituals of socializing, flirting, dancing, and gift-giving. Thanks to Drosselmeier, dolls in Christmas boxes come to life (Lonnie Weeks, the clown; Clara Blanco, the soubrette; and Hansuke Yamamoto, the soldier).

Read more: http://www.sfcv.org/reviews/san-francisco-ballet/sf-ballet-reigns-with-nutcracker

Buy your tickets to the San Francisco Ballet today from ClickTicket.com! http://clickticket.com/performer/san-francisco-ballet-tickets

"Like" & "Share" to win the new iPhone 5 from ClickTicket.com! Competition ends December 30th! http://clickticket.com/offers/click-to-win-iphone-5#offer

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NYC Ballet forges the art form's future

The following script is from "The New York City Ballet" which aired on Nov. 25, 2012. Lesley Stahl is the correspondent. Ruth Streeter and Terry Manning, producers.

The New York City Ballet is America's largest and, some would say, finest ballet company in the world. The dancers are like the New York Yankees in tutus and tights.

They are artists and athletes at the same time and it is a marvel to see them up close, as you will tonight. Most of them are home grown in the U.S.A.

Full disclosure: I am a big fan and even served on the board of the New York City Ballet, which was founded in 1948 by the great choreographer George Balanchine. He revolutionized classical dance and ushered in a golden age as ballet master of the company.

Now, at a time when many cultural institutions are under stress, we went behind the scenes to see how this company is keeping this elegant art form alive.

The dancers at the New York City Ballet epitomize the beauty, athleticism, the seeming effortlessness and the grace of classical ballet. Saving it from becoming a dying art form has fallen on the shoulders of this man, Peter Martins, ballet master in chief of the NYC Ballet since 1983.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57552076/nyc-ballet-forges-the-art-forms-future/

Buy your tickets to the New York City Ballet with the best tickets from ClickTicket.com! http://clickticket.com/performer/new-york-city-ballet-tickets

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A Pinch-Hitting Tenor and a Soprano’s Debut on a Trip to Old Egypt ‘Aida’ at Metropolitan Opera

For any opera house, scheduling Verdi’s “Aida” is a safe enough bet. The real danger lies in the casting. At the season premiere of Sonja Frisell’s handsome 1988 production for the Metropolitan Opera on Friday evening the company fielded a trio of soloists of impressive vocal power and stamina. For Liudmyla Monastyrska, who brought her voluptuous soprano to the title role, it was a triumphant house debut. For Carl Tanner, stepping in at the last minute for the ailing tenor Marco Berti, it was a felicitous return after his appearance in Puccini’s “Fanciulla del West” two years ago.

Ms. Frisell’s production, in use for almost a quarter century, is like a large, well-built but rudderless ship. While the absence of dramatic direction made for some static ensemble scenes, the combined fervor of Olga Borodina as Amneris and Fabio Luisi at the helm of a fired-up orchestra nevertheless made for an electrically charged and energetic performance.

From his demanding opening aria, “Celeste Aida,” Mr. Tanner left no doubt about his prowess, singing with a firm, generously sized voice and producing clarion top notes. His phrasing sometimes bordered on the formulaic, but his final duet with Ms. Monastyrska was tenderly delivered.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/arts/music/aida-at-metropolitan-opera.html?ref=metropolitanopera

Buy your tickets to the Metropolitan Opera from ClickTicket.com at: http://clickticket.com/performer/metropolitan-opera-tickets

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BOSTON — The costumes are lighter and leaner to showcase new choreography, Herr Drosselmeyer has been sexied up with a silk corduroy tailcoat and shag ’do and there is a fresco of the Sun King in Act II’s Palace of Sweets.

Thanks to skillful work by designer Robert Perdziola, Boston Ballet’s new $3 million version of “Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker” has brought a fresh delicacy and sophistication to the Christmas classic while preserving every ounce of the tradition.

Perdziola’s new sets and costumes, which will make their debut Friday at the Boston Opera House, demonstrate a masterful use of lush detail and a keen understanding of the drama that can be conveyed by an ascot tied a certain way. In fact Perdziola, whose credits span from The Metropolitan Opera to Hollywood, knows his way around an ascot: “Interview witha Vampire” and “The Age of Innocence” are two of his big screen credits.

“We needed to serve the goddess of dance in a new way,” says artistic director Nissinen, describing his goal of eliminating the sugary fizz of the previous production, which premiered in 1995. He asked Perdziola for a more controlled, urbane color palette and sleeker costumes to better reveal the dancers’ bodies, but insisted the final result remain recognizable to the ballet’s considerable fan base.

“When I look at all the ‘Nutcrackers’ that are taking place today, so many productions are about ‘new on new on new’ —almost at the expense of what ‘The Nutcracker’ is about,” Nissinen reflects. “We’ve tried to get back to the heart and roots of why it has survived all these years. I don’t look at this as a revolutionary version, but more like a very well-detailed and researched version.”

Read more: http://www.bostonballet.org/News/Sugar_with_Spice.html

Buy the best tickets for the Boston Ballet The Nutcracker at ClickTicket.com http://clickticket.com/performer/the-nutcracker-tickets

Be sure to enter to win the new ClickTicket raffle free iPhone 5 Competition at: http://clickticket.com/offers/click-to-win-iphone-5

Elf the Broadway Musical

In recent years it seems that before the rush and frantic Thanksgiving Holiday even ends, grocery stores all over the nation are already putting out some of their greatest Christmas Holiday deals. Typically this would bother me, as I am more of the "take it slow" kind of gal, who enjoys to bask in the every moment of each and every individual holiday. However! This gal isn't complaining this year as the Elf Musical by Broadway is out and about, keeping audiences laughing and enjoying every second of life! Elf, the Broadway Musical is one of my all time favorite Broadway productions as it tells the hilarious story of a quirky elf named Buddy. His story is rather unfortunate yet keeps us laughing from start to finish. Buddy's story begins when he discovers that he's actually a human, hence why his tall stature doesn't fit in to the "elf-size norm", and that he ended up in the North Pole many years ago when he accidentally ended up in Santa's bag of gifts. So, upon this discovery, Buddy decides he'll go back to his roots and find his long lost family- in the fast and forever growing city of New York. There he discovers that his biological father doesn't actually believe in the Christmas Spirit, thus Buddy makes it his life mission to get his family to believe. From there, Buddy's story unraveles into amazing friendships, love, and imagination. Fall in love with this incredible story of Buddy the Elf in Broadway's fantastic musical production Elf. Buy the best tickets from ClickTicket.com at: http://clickticket.com/performer/elf-tickets

Be sure to read more about the Broadway production news and information via the official website at: http://www.elfmusical.com/

American Music Awards

Thought I'd switch up the direction I usually take with my blogs for just a day. The American Music awards are coming up and I'm very excited about them as one of my all time favorite country music stars is performing. Taylor Swift, I think, is one of the greatest country music starlets in the world. I love her catchy songs, her style, her beauty- just about everything about her. Its amazing because there sure is a lot of talent out there these days- talent that either makes it or breaks it, and I believe the young Taylor Swift did both- in the good way. I just love her American Sweetheart ways and her lyrics are touching and speak wonders to the listner. She's a small town, grew up on a Christmas tree farm kind of gal which I totally dig about her.

Here's a little sneak peak of some of Taylor's greatest hits of all time with complementary YouTube music videos:
1. "You Belong With Me" 2009- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw
2. "Love Story" 2008- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xg3vE8Ie_E
3. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" 2012- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64
4. "Teardrops Of My Guitar" 2007- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKCek6_dB0M
5. "Back to December" 2010- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUwxKWT6m7U
6. "Our Song" 2007- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb2stN7kH28
7. "Eyes Open" 2012- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hsVICl7d8k
8. "Tim McGraw" 2006- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkD20ajVxnY

Check out this blond hair, blue eyes starlet via her official website at: http://taylorswift.com/

Be sure to make it to the American Music Awards with the best tickets for the best prices via ClickTicket.com at: http://clickticket.com/performer/american-music-awards-tickets

Make your vote count and vote for your favorite artist via the ABC official website for the American Music Awards at: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/american-music-awards

Annie the musical

What!? I cannot believe they're finally bringing this musical back to life. I grew up loving the you know what out of Annie as a child. That movie made us all want to be orphans- in a way- well, maybe not really, but the part where a rich family adopts her was the sweetest part. She finally had a family, left the orphanage and became a classly little girl. What a wonderful tale. Now! Miraculously, this beautiful story comes to life on the mainstage and you bet your bottom dollar I cannot wait to check it out live!

Here's a dedication to you all who loved Annie just as much as I. Watch the YouTube clip and sing along with the lyrics I posted below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0bOH8ABpco

"It's a hard knock life" Annie 1982 Lyrics:

[ORPHANS]
It's the hard-knock life for us!
It's the hard-knock life for us!

[ANNIE]
'Steada treated, 

[ORPHANS]
We get tricked! 

[ANNIE]
'Steada kisses, 

[ORPHANS]
We get kicked! 

[ALL]
It's the hard-knock life!
Got no folks to speak of, so, 
It's the hard-knock row we how! 

[ANNIE]
Cotton blankets, 

[ORPHANS]
'Steada of wool! 

[ANNIE]
Empty Bellies 

[ORPHANS]
'Steada of full! 

[ALL]
It's the hard-knock life! 

[ANNIE]
Don't if feel like the wind is always howl'n? 

[KATE AND TESSIE]
Don't it seem like there's never any light! 

[DUFFY AND JULY]
Once a day, don't you wanna throw the towel in?

[MOLLY AND PEPPER]
It's easier than puttin' up a fight.

[ANNIE]
No one's there when your dreams at night get creepy! 
No one cares if you grow...of if you shrink!
No one dries when your eyes get wet an' weepy! 

[ALL]
From all the cryin' you would think this place's a sink! 
Ohhhh!!!!!!!
Empty belly life! 
Rotten smelly life! 
Full of sorrow life! 
No tomorrow life! 

[MOLLY]
Santa Claus we never see

[ANNIE]
Santa Claus, what's that? 
Who's he?

[ALL]
No one cares for you a smidge
When you're in an orphanage! 

[MOLLY]
(Making a whistling sound and imitating Miss. Hannigan) 
You'll stay up till this dump shines 
like the top of the Chrysler Building. 

[ORPHANS]
Yank the whiskers from her chin
Jab her with a safety Pin 
Make her drink a mickey finn
I love you, Miss Hannigan

[MOLLY]
(whistle) Get to work! 
(whistle) Strip them beds! 
(whistle) I said get to work! 

[ALL]
It's the hard-knock life for us
It's the hard-knock life for us 
No one cares for you a smidge
When your in an orphanage 
It's the hard-knock life
It's the hard-knock life
It's the hard-knock life!

Here's another dedication to all of your Annie musical fans. 

Of course you can't forget the famous "Tomorrow" song.

Click this YouTube link and sing along with me! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yop62wQH498 

Enjoy the lyrics below: 

[ANNIE]
The sun'll come out 
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar 
That tomorrow 
There'll be sun! 

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow 
Clears away the cobwebs, 
And the sorrow 
'Til there's none! 

When I'm stuck a day 
That's gray, 
And lonely, 
I just stick out my chin 
And Grin, 
And Say, 
Oh! 

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow 
So ya gotta hang on 
'Til tomorrow 
Come what may 
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow! 
You're always
A day
A way! 

Enjoy the rest of Annie Musical songs via this free lyric website at: http://www.stlyrics.com/a/annie.htm

Enjoy the Annie Musical front row and center with the best tickets from ClickTicket.com at: 

http://clickticket.com/performer/annie-tickets

Follow this traveling show wherever they go via their official website at: 

http://www.anniethemusical.com/

Anthony Bourdain live in Memphis

We all know the famous and ever-so popular American television series No Reservations, where we get to travel to interesting and mostly remote destinations with the loveable and witty Anthony Bourdain and watch his glutton himself into near food-comas with delicious international dishes. Now, we all know how well Anthony Bourdain has his heart set out to try nearly anything and everything, learning of its health purposes, his intricate tastes, and the meaning of the food within its own culture. Well, this coming November 2, Anthony Bourdain will be traveling to Memphis, Tenn. to educate his adoring fans about delicious international dishes. He is a well known food critic with an incredibly advanced and color vocabulary- his critiques are honest and something brutal- but we wouldn't have it any other way of course. So, join the food loving Anthony Bourdain at his live show this coming November. 2.

Check out the latest news, tour date information, and quirky information concerning Anthony Bourdain via his official website at: http://www.anthonybourdain.net/

Catch up and learn about the world via his popular American television series No Reservations via the Travel Channel official website: http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/anthony-bourdain

Read the critic's work firsthand via his Travel Channel official blog at: http://blog.travelchannel.com/anthony-bourdain/

Buy the best tickets for the best price via my favorite online ticketing website at: http://clickticket.com/performer/anthony-bourdain-tickets

Taste Anthony Bourdain's food experience in Brazil via this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcFQBZoe5FE

Beauty and the Beast Musical

Beauty and the Beast is one of the oldest and most beautiful of Disney princess stories. The beautiful Bell becomes imprisoned in the mean and ugly beast's castle, to never see her family and friends again. Yet, the story has it's twists of course, otherwise it wouldn't be true to it's creator's sense of style. Nonetheless, with debt owed, the beautiful bell takes it upon herself to pay it with her life. She moves to the grand castle, deep in the dark forest, and she begins her lonesome life with the mean beast. Soon, she becomes dear friends with many of the beast's belongings- long forgotten belongings rather, like a Mrs. Tea pot, the candle stick, the teacup and more. Together they all form a magical friendship, worth many adventures, troublesome situations and soon, the help in finding true love. The most interesting part of the entire story is when Bell and the Beast fall in love, and with this love, the beast's curse is broken. He become a man, a human, and together they live happily ever after. The Beauty and the Beast musical is Disney's National tour and it's absolutely outstanding. The costumes are realistic and the collection of actors as incredibly talented- musically, vocally, and downright just brilliantly. Fall in love with the amazing story of Disney's Beauty and the Beast as they tour the nation and hit a mainstage near you.

Read about the latest information and news concerning the actors, and the performance itself via Disney's official website at: http://www.beautyandthebeastontour.com/

Buy the best seats for the best prices via ClickTicket.com at: http://clickticket.com/performer/beauty-and-the-beast-tickets

Read some audience reviews via Broadway Theater's review site at: http://www.broadwaytheatre.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=beauty-beast-audience-reviews&category=audience-reviews

Wicked the musical

Wicked Broadway Musical is another one of my all time favorite performances in theater arts. The story is absolutely stunning, involving intertwining events of adventure, spontaneity, love, friends, evil sorcerers and more. Of course everyone is familiar with the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz  which is actually based on the same novel that Wicked the play is based on. This story of two unlikely friends just captivates all who see it, embarking on a miraculous adventure and enduring the struggle of finding truth beyond what you see. Its the main character's opposing personality that rivals the evil ways of the corrupt government. Unfortunatly these two friends, the good witch and the bad witch cannot uphold this "friendship" that just seems too perfect to be true. It is the moment when the audience realizes that the evil witch is in fact jealous of the good witch and lets her jealousy get the best of her. And just like every other good story of evil sorcery and fantasy, the bad witch will never prevail. Just like what holds true for the real and mortal world we live in, good will always prevail. Thus the story ends with a miraulous finale, but you will only have to see this Broadway musical to know for yourself.

Broadway has outdone themselves yet again with this beautiful performance of Wicked. The costumes are incredibly elaborate. The lights and action illuminate the stage perfectly, really making one feel like they've been literally sucked into this mystical world of witchcraft and wizardry. You are sure to fall in love with this Wicked Broadway Musical. I'll tell you, they've really mastered the famous melting scene of the evil wicked witch. You can almost smell her green skin sizzle as she dissipates into thin air, never to be seen again. Just jaw dropping.

Check out this great documentary about Wicked the musical. This video explains and visually shows all of the greatest elements of this performance, all that brought Wicked it's claim to fame. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZVp2ZOGAhw

Buy tickets to Wicked at my favorite ticketing site, ClickTicket.com. Their prices are affordable and you get next-day delivery of your tickets directly to your home. I use them every time. http://clickticket.com/performer/wicked-tickets

Also, make sure to read the latest news concerning cast information and tour dates on the official Wicked homepage. http://www.wickedthemusical.com/

The Lion King on Broadway

Hey everyone, what better way to spend your weekend than going and seeing The Lion King musical on Broadway. Now this performance really is something. The animal costumes are amazingly detailed, the actors act out each character of the story with such emotion, it seems as if you're sucked into the African desert, watching the madness and beauty of wild animals survive and live around you. You can almost smell the sun dried savannah grass. It's incredible.

Coupled with its amazing acting and onstage presence, the story is captivating in and of itself. This tale of friendship, innosence, evil, and devotion to one's kind is unlike anything ever created by Disney- they really just figured out the perfect recipe to our hearts. Everytime I personally see this performance I am immediately taken back to the days of my innocense, when I would love whole-heartedly and befriend anyone no matter where they came from or who they were. Now, I'm not saying I'm not like this to this day, but life and its real life situations really ripen you, tech you the ways of the world, the realities of it, both good and bad. But as a wonderful way to escape the confines of a stressful day, why not catch a Broadway showing of The Lion King musical. It's totally worth the trip.

As always, make sure to check out the best ticket prices and seats from ClickTicket- personally my upmost favorite ticketing website. Their motto is "it's always happy clicking with ClickTicket" and I just can't help but agree. Their site is so easy, user friendly, pretty and the deals are awesome. So, check them out! http://clickticket.com/performer/the-lion-king-tickets

The heartbreaking story of War Horse on Broadway

War Horse is one of the newest and most artistically creative musicals on Broadway. The performance has been ranked among the top most tear-jerking, but nonetheless the story is breathtaking and true to its deepest meaning. Because of fan's, producer's, and filmographer's undying love for this tragic story of war and friendship, the story has been taken from the critically accalimed novel and made into a major motion picture and Broadway musical. 

Today, War Horse the Broadway Musical is one of the most loved and treasured stories that covers the vast and complicated areas of war and friendship. The story speaks of a young boy and his horse who are unmistakingly joined at the hips and are ripped from each other's arms at the break of a war. During this time of turmoil and devastation, the War Horse must make his way through a hurricane of artillery and gunfire to one day see his best friend again. 

I highly reccommend seeing this fabulous musical live on Broadway this year as there are extensive tour dates listed everywhere. 

You can find the best ticket deals at: http://clickticket.com/performer/war-horse-tickets

Check out Broadway's official fan page for their new musical War Horse: http://www.warhorseonbroadway.com/

Make sure to read some reviews I discovered on the interwebs. I love this blogger because he makes a point to collect a variety of feedback from reputable resources: http://www.didhelikeit.com/shows/war-horse.html

Awesome YouTube video from Broadway themselves- offering a great description of the story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYNxIgyC7k8

Jersey Boys Broadway Sensation

Just a week ago I was gifted with the chance to see the Broadway musical Jersey Boys with my beloved husband. We spent the evening at dinner, followed with attendance at the show. I was so thrilled to see such a raved-about event, with its jukebox pizazz and handsome men with voices that kill. To me, Jersey Boys is a perfect combination of fact and fiction- being that it is based on the true story of The Four Seasons rock 'n' roll musical group of the 1960's. I was bewildered with Broadway's illustrated portrayal of the group's professional music career- each scene was perfectly though out and realistic to its era, each actor and actress was effortlessly talent, sang everything flawlessly and accompanied their singing with amazing coreographed dancing. I have to say that if anyone loves the 1960's era, The Four Seasons and Broadway, you're in for one hell of a treat. 

http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/broadway/ Here is the link to the Official Website for Broadway's Jersey Boys

http://www.johnlloydyoung.com/JerseyBoysTimesReview.htm Here is a link to a fabulous critic review by Ben Brantly from The New York Times. 

One of my favorite quotes of the author concerns his take on the reaction of the audience as the cast of the Jersey Boys sing and dance to their lyrical creations...

"But once the Four Seasons classics are rolled out, every other pair of shoulders in the house starts a-twitchin'. With their three-part-harmony behind Mr. Valli's hearty falsetto, the group's songs remain exasperatingly infectious. And as choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, Messrs. Young, Hoff, Reichard and Spencer come as close to simulating the originals as any pop impersonators on Broadway since "Beatlemania."

http://clickticket.com/performer/jersey-boys-tickets And as always, here's the link to one of my all-time favorite ticketing websites! Enjoy!