Your Top 8 Things to Do: Dec. 15-21
Image: Frank Atura
Dec. 16-17
Sarasota Ballet presents Balanchine’s Jewels
This holiday season, the Sarasota Ballet has forsworn its usual Nutcracker and instead is bringing us a treat by presenting all three acts of George Balanchine’s masterwork, Jewels—Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds—accompanied by members of the Sarasota Orchestra conducted by American Ballet Theater music director Ormsby Wilkins. Dazzling. Three performances Friday and Saturday at the Van Wezel. sarasotaballet.org
Image: Courtesy Selby Gardens
Dec. 16-30
Selby Gardens Lights in Bloom
Nearly 1 million lights turn Marie Selby Botanical Gardens into a glittering wonderland at its annual holiday event. There’s something for everyone, with miniature garden trains, Santa’s elves, live entertainment and plenty of food for purchase. On select nights, the Gardens is offering a premium “Selby Experience” ticket that includes early admission, reserved parking, a cocktail buffet and more. Closed Dec. 24 and 25. Visit selby.org for details.
Dec. 17
De Soto National Memorial Winter Luminary Walk
More holiday magic as the national park along the Manatee River in northwest Bradenton is lit with thousands of luminaries and the air is filled with music by the Manatee High School orchestra, Native American musician Juan R. Leon and more. nps.gov/deso
Image: Courtesy The Dali Museum
Opening Dec. 17
Frida Kahlo at The Dali
Blockbuster alert: A first-ever Florida solo exhibition of more than 60 paintings, drawings and photographs by acclaimed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo opens at The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg this weekend. It even extends outdoors to the grounds of the museum’s Avant-Garden to a collection of flowers and plants representative of those in Kahlo’s own garden at Casa Azul, her home in Mexico. thedali.org
Frida Kahlo Autorretrato con changuito (Self Portrait with Monkey), 1945. Oil on composite board. Collection Museo Dolores Olmedo, Mexico City © 2016 Banco de México Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Image: Shutterstock
Dec. 17
Free screening of Frozen at Nathan Benderson Park
Gather the whole family and “Let it Go” at the free screening of the beloved Disney film Saturday evening at Nathan Benderson Park’s Regatta Island. Presented with the Sarasota Film Festival.
Image: Lisa Mazzucco
Dec. 18
Emerson String Quartet
Widely considered America’s greatest chamber quartet, the Emerson String Quartet gives a special matinee performance of works by Beethoven, Bartok and Grieg at the Van Wezel Sunday as part of the Sarasota Concert Association’s Great Performers Series. scasarasota.org/
Dec. 17-18
A Christmas Carole and a New Year’s Yves
Favorite holiday tunes from acclaimed young New York cabaret singers Carole J. Bufford and Eric Yves Garcia, thanks to the good folks at the Artist Series Concerts. Three shows at the Historic Asolo Theater. artistseriesconcerts.org
Dec. 19
WBTT star Apphia Campbell in Nina Simone: Soul Sessions
Apphia Campbell, who earned rave reviews in Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s recent production of The Color Purple, returns to WBTT for one night only with her one-woman show, Nina Simone: Soul Sessions. westcoastblacktheatre.org/
