Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ballet Arkansas sets 2 full-length classical ballets for ’24-25
DANCE
Ballet Arkansas season
Ballet Arkansas’ 2024-25 season includes two full-scale ballet productions with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall — the annual performance of Peter Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” in December and Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” in February.
The lineup:
■ Sept. 13-15: “Bold New Moves,” works by “Next-Gen” choreographers, Argenta Plaza, 510 Main St., North Little Rock. World premieres set to music from Arkansas recording artists.
■ Oct. 11-13: “Bizet’s Carmen: A Searing Tale of Passion and Betrayal” (world premiere), Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. Set on Georges Bizet’s opera score, to be performed live (details pending).
■ Dec. 13-15: “The Nutcracker Spectacular”
■ Feb. 14-16: “Romeo & Juliet — The World’s Greatest Love Story”
■ April 25-27: “Nouveau,” Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, performances of traditional ballet works (including Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring”) and “groundbreaking premieres” to be announced, with live musical performance (also TBA), courtesy of the Stella Boyle Smith Trust.
■ April 25-27: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, set on Felix Mendelssohn’s incidental music for William Shakespeare’s play.
The company will hold community cast auditions Aug. 16-18 — for “Bizet’s Carmen,” age 14 and up; for “The Nutcracker,” age 6 and up; for “Romeo and Juliet,” age 9 and up; and for “Midsummer Night’s Dream, age 8 and up.
Tickets for “The Nutcracker” go on sale May 17; for most of the other productions, July 1; for “Romeo and Juliet,” Aug. 1.
Visit balletarkansas.org.
TICKETS
Spa City Spa-Con
Seth Gilliam, who plays Father Gabriel Stokes in the “Walking Dead” TV series, is among the guest
celebrities set to attend SpaCon Infinity, the eighth edition of the comic-pop culture convention, Sept. 20-22 at the Hot Springs Convention Center, 134 Convention Center Blvd., Hot Springs. This year’s convention turns the figure 8 on its side to create the symbol for infinity in its branding.
Internationally known “nerdcore” rapper MC Lars, whose output ranges from ska music and hipsters to “Star Wars” and Edgar Allen Poe, according to a news release, will be the convention’s opening act, 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Convention Center’s Horner Hall. (The news release defines “nerdcore” as music that is made by nerds, for nerds, or about nerdly things.) Admission to the concert is free with the purchase of Spa-Con passes.
A limited number of VIP passes, which include SpaCon socks, an enamel pin, VIP shirt, a Spa-Con bag, and Spa-Con branded badge, plus access to the VIP Lounge, special VIP after-parties, VIP meet and greets, and priority entrance to panels, workshops, and events, are $150; weekend passes are $35. Visit spa-con.org.
Comedy I
Bert “The Machine” Kreischer headlines the third annual “Fully Loaded Comedy Festival,” on a tour of 13 U.S. ballparks, amphitheaters and arenas, including a 7 p.m. June 27 show at the Walmart AMP, 5079 W. Northgate Road, Rogers. The lineup of comedians includes Big Jay Oakerson, Bobby Lee, Cipha Sounds, Dan Soder, Matt McCusker and Whitney Cummings. Gates open at 5:30. Tickets are $49.50-$149.50 plus applicable fees. Call (479) 443-5600 or visit amptickets.com/performance/amptickets.com/performance/bert-kreischer-2024 or FullyLoadedFestival.com.
Comedy II
Comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias plans a North Little Rock stop on his “Don’t Worry Be Fluffy” tour, 8 p.m. Dec. 6 at Simmons Bank Arena. Tickets —$43.50-$129 (plus service charges, with a limit of eight tickets per household) — are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.