Thursday, November 30, 2017

Win 4 Tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL at the DCU Center

CONTEST CLOSED: CONGRATULATIONS JULIE O!
I have another awesome opportunity for my readers!  This time I am offering a chance to win 4 tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s First Ever On Ice Production CRYSTAL which will be at the DCU Center from December 7th to 10th.  Since I saw that this show was coming to Massachusetts I have wanted to go.  It looks amazing!
Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt / 2017 Cirque du Soleil
More about the show:
Feel the thrill of poetry in motion as Crystal’s journey towards empowerment is brought to life on ice. Enter a dreamlike world powered by her imagination where creativity transforms the everyday into something extraordinary. 
Crystal invites you to suspend reality and glide into a world that spring to a colorful life with astounding visual projections and an original score that seamlessly blends popular music with the signature sound of Cirque du Soleil.
This show explores the artistic limits of ice for the first time in the company’s 33-year history. This unique production pushes boundaries of performance by combining stunning skating and acrobatic feats that defy the imagination. 
CRYSTAL will perform at the DCU Center for six performances only, Thursday, December 7 to Sunday, December 10, 2017. In CRYSTAL, gymnasts and skaters perform acrobatics on the ice and in the air, seamlessly combining multiple disciplines for a world-class audience experience.
 Synchronized skating, freestyle figures, and extreme skating are featured alongside circus disciplines such as swinging trapeze, aerial traps and hand to hand. The result is an adrenaline-packed show for the whole family that pushes the boundaries and surpasses all expectations! 
Tickets are available for all performances at www.cirquedusoleil.com/crystal 
Show Schedule - December 7 - 10, 2017:
Thursday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 9 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 10 at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.
Enter below to win tickets to the show on December 7th at 7:30 pm
Disclosure:  I was provided with four tickets for my family to attend CRYSTAL and four tickets to giveaway for promotional purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
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Friday, November 24, 2017

Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker A Family Tradition

We love to kick off the holiday season every year by heading to dress rehearsal for the Boston Ballet's presentation of Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker at the Boston Opera House. Lauren is dancing in a different Nutcracker performance this year and was very excited to see the show. The show runs until December 31st so make sure to get your tickets now.
Lauren brought a good friend of hers that also dances.
They were both very excited.
The show is amazing with gorgeous sets and music.  I could not take pictures during the show however The Boston Ballet did share some press images with me.
Show Photos Taken by Liza Voll and Provided by the Boston Ballet
We even got to meet some of the lovely dancers at intermission.  The grace and beauty that these dancers show on stage is breathtaking.  
This is the 6th year of Mikko Nissinen’s re-envisioned The Nutcracker.  It is based on the libretto by Alexandre Dumas père titled The Tale of the Nutcracker, which is adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.”  Some of our favorites are the Snow Scene.
This is such a fun scene with the mice and Nutcracker.
 The costumes some of the characters need to dance in must be such a challenge.  The bear leaps so high which is so impressive!
These guys are unbelievable!  The jumps they did and turns were so awesome.  The whole audience was awe struck and erupted in applause after they danced. 
 The show has a full company of 56 dancers, 10 Boston Ballet II dancers along with more than 250 Boston Ballet School students.  This is always one of my favorites as I danced many times to "Waltz of the Flowers" and my daughter danced to it last year in her recital.
The show is about 2 hours long and does have an intermission.  The time flies though as you are so engrossed in the show.
There are 44 performances of The Nutcracker at the Boston Opera House (539 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111)!
Tickets start at $35.
Visit http://www.bostonballet.org/nutcracker/
I highly suggest taking the family to see it and starting a family tradition or continuing one if you already have been.
Follow Boston Ballet on Twitter:  @BostonBallet  #BBNutcracker
Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/bostonballet
Disclosure:  I was provided with tickets for dress rehearsal for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Friday, November 17, 2017

Win 4 Tickets to Elf the Musical

CONTEST CLOSED: CONGRATULATIONS SUE H!
I love holiday shows for the whole family! One of my favorites is coming back to the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston and I can't wait to go! Elf the Broadway Musical is coming November 28th to December 10th.  As one of my readers I am giving you an awesome chance to win 4 tickets to the show on November 28th!  Read on to enter!
Photo Credit for all show photos:  Jeremy Daniel
Here is the link to buy tickets:  http://www.bochcenter.org/buy/show-listing/elf-2017
We have seen the show before and it is wonderful!
Some more information about the show:
ELF The Musical is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember their inner ELF.
George Wendt will play the role of Santa. You may remember him as Norm in Cheers!
The musical will feature Erik Gratton (Buddy), Bernard Dotson (Store Manager), Cynthia Ferrer (Emily), Veronica J. Kuehn (Jovie), Trey Middleton (Michael), Ruth Pferdehirt (Deb), Christopher M. Russo (Walter), Danny Rutigliano (Mr. Greenway) and Ken Clement (Santa Standby). The cast also includes Darren Biggart, Allyson Carr, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Paul Ianniello, Eric Anthony Johnson, Chandon Jones, Drew King, Andrew Kruep, Emily Larger, Eric Jon Mahlum, Frankie Paparone, Emily Jeanne Phillips, Shaun Repetto, Wyatt Rogers, Morgan Rose and Emily Grace Tucker. Performances of ELF THE MUSICAL are Tuesday, November 28 through Sunday, December 10: Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm, Sunday evenings at 6:00 pm, with matinees on Saturdays at 2:00 pm and Sundays at 1:00 pm. 
Enter below to win 4 tickets to the 7:00 pm performance on Wednesday, November 29th!
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Disclosure:  I was provided with four tickets to giveaway and four tickets for my family and I to attend the show for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Jr. Celtics Clinic Great Skills for Kids

My son loves all sports! He loves to play them and loves to watch our Boston teams play. When we were given the opportunity to take Evan to check out the new Jr. Celtics program at the TD Garden in Boston I knew he would be excited. As the kids get older it is harder to come up with birthday and Christmas gifts for them, giving them experiences is the way to go.  I think this would be a great holiday surprise for any kid.
The Boston Celtics recently launched an official youth basketball platform where kids will have the chance to learn the values of Celtics basketball by participating in on-court training via exclusive events. Evan participated in the one this past Sunday at the TD Garden with a friend and they loved it.
There will be more than 20 clinics throughout inaugural season. The clinics will promote the values of Celtics basketball through on-court training and exclusive events in a safe and fun environment directed towards youth development. The clinics provide feature coaches, special guest VIP appearances and exclusive Jr. Celtics apparel. Clinics held at the Celtics’ Practice Facility in Waltham, or at TD Garden, will also feature exclusive access to team facilities. 
Kids were put in to groups and then split up with their coaches to go to four stations.  Shooting, finishing (lay ups), conditioning and dribbling skills drills.  Then at the end they had to compliment their teammates.
They also got to meet Lucky who got them all psyched up.
Fun shooting!
We watched the Celtics game that night and Evan kept saying I was shooting right there!
There are additional sessions coming up you can register for here:  http://www.nba.com/celtics/jrceltics/
Dates/Locations:
Saturday, November 25 Celtics practice facility Waltham Ages 5-9 from 10:00-11:30 a.m., and then ages 10-14 from 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 2nd TD Garden 7:30 am
December 27th Celtics practice facility Waltham Ages 5-9 from 10:00-11:30 a.m., and then ages 10-14 from 12:30-2:00 p.m.
They are also launching the Jr. Celtics Kids Club this season, a membership program offering multiple opportunities for young fans to stay connected to the team. Members will receive benefits such as gift items, monthly prize drawings and discounts to Jr. Celtics events. For more information on the program visit www.Celtics.com/jrceltics
Plus they have Family Packs to go to see the Celtics play! 
You can learn more here in my blog post where we experienced the Celtics Family Pack:  http://evan-and-lauren-a.blogspot.com/2017/03/32317-boston-celtics-family-packs.html
What an awesome experience!  Make sure to register your child and of course cheer for the Boston Celtics!
Disclosure:  I was provided with complimentary admission to the Jr. Celtics Clinic for my son and a friend for promotional purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.