We had the pleasure of taking our daughter to the Nutcracker ballet again this year, this time to the performance by the Moscow Ballet of the Great Russian Nutcracker.  Although its been a successful touring show for 19 years, this is the first time its appearing at George Mason's Performing Arts Center in Fairfax.  We were happy with this development because we had never seen the Moscow Ballet before and GMU is a convenient venue with plenty of easy parking (particularly important when its a cold night and the clock is ticking on your kindergartener's sleep cycle).  

The Great Nutcracker is a beautiful ballet with bright colorful costumes, whimsical puppets, hand-painted backdrops, and truly superb dancing by the professional Russian dancers.  Alexandra Elagina as Masha (aka Clara) was a highlight with her delicate beauty and graceful en pointe.  The audience was also knocked-out by the Arabian Variation by Sergey Chumakov and Elena Petrachenko.  With thrilling lifts and incredible acrobatics, you have to see it to believe it!

When you think of Shakespeare, you probably don't think of sultry music or dirty dancing, but that's only if you haven't yet seen Shakespeare Theatre Company's version of "Much Ado About Nothing."  Set in a 1930s  Cuban hacienda, this classic comedy takes on a seductive new life with slinky costumes, a romantic lantern-lit courtyard, and the latin beats of the rumba and cha-cha-cha.  If you rarely get a date night, forget the movies and the popcorn and set the stage for a truly memorable evening by surprising your romantic partner with the flirty fun of this show.