I was 10 years old when my grandpa gave me the jewelry box painted with orchids and reeds. Inside, two opal swans slid across the mirrored top as I wound it and the music began to play. Sitting there in my lawn chair that summer afternoon, surrounded by family and friends visiting for my birthday, my eyes began to water, my cheeks flushed, everyone was looking and there wasn’t anything I could do. I cried. Not because I didn’t like it; not as my parents and grandpa worried as they told me they’d take it away. No. I cried and swatted their hands away. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Twenty years later, the jewelry box and the grandpa who gave it to me may be gone, but starting tomorrow, American Ballet Theatre will bring the swans and music of my memory to life on Chicago’s Civic Opera House stage.

(image credit)

American Ballet Theatre, or ABT as the world’s premiere ballet company is fondly known, returns for another rousing opening night repertoire on April 14 with principle dancers Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, and Jose Manuel Carreño scheduled to perform; followed by seven performances of the stoically beautiful Swan Lake from April 15-18.

Different from Chicago’s own Joffrey ballet company, ABT is known for choreography that uses techniques from the classic French, Italian, and Russian schools of ballet. And, whereas the Joffrey typically performs contemporary and/or abstract ballets with unconventional choreography and has its foundation in original ballets by founding member Robert Joffrey, ABT regularly performs classics like Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote and Sleeping Beauty.

So, whether you’re a veteran of the ballet world who knows the difference between a demi- and a grand plié, or a novice who’s watched Center Stage once or twice (you’ll recognize a few faces on stage if you have!), be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to see the ballet world’s best and brightest. Come for the soaring leaps of the men, the glittered tulle tutus of the women, and the lifts of the pas de deux; and stay for the singular elegance of experiencing ABT perform in one of the city’s most lauded venues.

Moms, take your own future ballerinas to a matinee showing that they won’t soon forget. Single gals, get the girls together, coordinate your fancy dresses, and down champagne at intermission in the gilded lobby of our legendary opera house. And everyone else, ditch the significant other at home and treat yourself to a night of music and artistry.

As for me, I’ll be there when the house lights go down and the first notes of Tchaikovsky’s symphony begin to play. Sitting there seemingly subdued, I may look like a grown up, but the part of me that’s still a 10 year old girl with a jewelry box that plays Swan Lake will be tapping her toes and smiling.

Tickets still available on Ticketmaster.

So your significant other suggests exploring Joliet for date night. Don’t worry, there’s more than NASCAR races and the creepy old prison.  If your significant other is anything like the one I married, he’ll start with an idea and you’ll do the planning. Do not fear, I have a list of suggestions to give you the right amount of Joliet without scaring either of you off.

To appreciate your trip, brush up on your Blues Brothers trivia. Channel your inner Joliet Jake before you depart.
Start the night with dinner at The Department.  The restaurant is the old police station with tons of character and gives a hearty nod to the Joliet of yesteryear.  The rotisserie chicken is tender, juicy, and delicious but the Isis salad is an incredible vegetarian option. In fact, the biggest thing I miss about working in Joliet is the Isis salads I would get for lunch occasionally. The Department also has a fairly impressive martini menu.

After dinner, hit up a show at the historical and recently renovated Rialto Square Theatre, a favorite establishment of Al Capone. You can walk there from The Department. On January 23, Cabaret is playing but if you can hold out until March 3, Hairspray will be there.  I saw The Temptations there with some coworkers and adored the entire evening, from the theatre itself to the great entertainment.

Celebrate the end of a fun evening at Chicago Street Pub and chat up some of the locals.  The people of Joliet who were born and raised there know all the interesting, colorful lore of days gone by. It’s a tragically historic town, parts of it having burned down during the civil rights movement, but it’s been restored to a vibrant, special place that truly deserves a visit to appreciate its history.

(photo: daskerst)

Two solid years after their movie, Once, made them America’s favorite Irish sweethearts, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová still have the ability to make an entire room stand still.

Playing live in the Auditorium Theatre to nearly 4,000 people Hansard, Irglová and the band members from Hansard’s old group, The Frames have now all combined to comprise The Swell Season, and what a great collaboration it is. Playing for more than two hours and coming out for three encores for a total of 22 songs, The Swell Season covered nearly the entire new album, the full soundtrack from Once and a few classics from The Frames.

It was apparent that this is what Glen Hansard was made to do. His joy filled the entire theatre and at no point did the show feel produced. Numerous times he required the audience to sing along, even separating the audience to create harmonies to achieve the backup he wanted. And, despite Hansard and Irglová’s relational split earlier this year, their musical chemistry didn’t suffer for a minute. Hansard’s outgoing, chatty personality contrasted with Irglová’s reserved, introverted personality made for a great balance and intriguing push and pull as they rotated between piano and lead guitar all night.

A few highlights of the evening:

• Hansard and Irglová opening with “The Moon” by themselves, sitting on a blanket in the middle of on an empty stage
• Hansard moving to the very front of the stage by himself to belt out “Say It To Me Now” completely unamplified
• Hansard led, Chicago-born guitarist Rob Bochnik guitar assisted, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” with a full audience sing-along

Another unexpected treat (because I failed to do my research beforehand) was Rachael Yamagata, an entertaining and endearing opening act. Playing a short set including this and this while interspersing personal stories, making the songs that much more powerful.

If you’re reading this blog post, you’re probably someone who’s hip to social media. You’re likely on Facebook, you have your favorite blogs and you may even be on LinkedIn. The question is, are you on Twitter?

Since I work in social media, I am proud of the fact that I was an “early adopter” of Twitter. However, many of my friends and family still aren’t convinced the world of 140 characters is worth their time.

Instead of going into the reasons why I love Twitter and why I think you will too, I’m simply going to tell you about how I got an amazing multi-course steak dinner at N9NE Steakhouse for FREE because I use Twitter.

Taste and Tweet is a company that brings the cities hottest restaurants and most-popular local Twitter users together for a night of delicious food and tweeting. I recently was invited to attend their inaugural Chicago event at N9NE Steakhouse, and let me tell you, it was a night to remember!

We were treated to a tasting of their new Winter menu complete with appetizers, two types of steak, side dishes, three (yes three!) desserts as well as cocktail pairings for each course. The only catch? We had to tweet about our experiences using the hashtag #N9NE. How easy is that?

Here are some highlights from our meal:

Are you drooling yet?

So how can you take advantage of the next Taste and Tweet event happening in Chicago?

1. Make sure you’re signed up for Twitter! Come on…all the cool kids are doing it.
2. Start following people (like @Cicagonista and me @elizcron)
3. Build your own following by tweeting interesting articles, questions and blog posts
4. Apply to be a taster at Taste and Tweet Chicago’s website: http://www.tasteandtweet.com/

Not quite ready to tackling Twitter? That’s ok! Just for reading about Taste and Tweet here on Next Gen Chicagonista you print this coupon to get $25 off $50 at N9NE Steakhouse until Feb. 11!  http://bit.ly/N9NEdeal

Happy Tweeting and tasting!

Think of a book club and most of 20 and 30something’s thoughts will immediately gravitate towards their mothers or grandmothers sitting in a semi-circle in the living room reading the latest Oprah book (possibly while knitting and surrounded by lots of cats).

But book clubs don’t just have to cater to an older crowd anymore. Get a group of your friends and co-workers together and try the tips below to create a different kind of book club. These steps are guaranteed to get you some participants who might think a book club isn’t for them.

1. Unfortunately, just reading a good book and discussing it with friends isn’t always going to attract a lot of people to join your club. Consider adding another dimension to your meetings. Coupling it with another past-time is a great way to make your book club attractive to people so they want to join. For example, try the combo of a wine tasting book club or a cupcake book club – and then make it a requirement that everyone bring a bottle of wine or cupcakes to each meeting. Adding another dimension not only attracts more participants but can also add a bit of flavor to your meetings.

2. Instead of holding your book club meetings at the traditional places, consider hosting your rendezvous at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try, a wine bar, or a bowling alley. Neutral locations make it more comfortable for new people who have just joined the group and don’t know anyone. They also make the outing a lot of fun!

3. Invite the author of the book to come to your meeting. While this might not work if you pick an author who is deceased or very mainstream, a lot of local authors would most definitely be willing to attend or even Skype in for the occasion. Plus, you might learn something about the book you never knew before.

4. If you have a lot of movie buffs in your group, consider picking your latest book selection with a new movie that is coming out in theaters. Have everyone read the book, go to the movies together, and then discuss the differences after. This is a sure fire way to spark debates and lively conversations.

5. Make your book club meeting into a theme party by urging all of the members to dress the part of the your latest book pick if it was set in a different time period. Or just simply make food and drinks mentioned in the novel you all read.

Do you like to laugh? Me too! We have sooo much in common. Since we’ve just established that you and I are two peas in a pod, you’ll probably want to know what I thought about Banana Shpeel, Cirque Du Soleil’s first venture into traditional “theater.”

You might be thinking, but aren’t all of their performances considered…theatrical? Of course! But I’m talking about small stage, intimate audience theater—theater that’s more about the connections made between viewers and performers than it is about the big production value.

Banana Shpeel, which officially opened at the Chicago Theater on November 19, 2009, combines sketch comedy, with slapstick, tap dancing, musical numbers, magic, and traditional Cirque performances. One could say it tries to be everything to everyone. However, in my opinion, it does so successfully.

I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down in my chair, filled with anticipation. Would I see contortionists who would cause me to wince in pain with their pretzel-like bodies? Would the humor be crude like traditional Vaudeville? Would they pick on audience members? Would I be one of them?! The answer to all of these questions was, “YES!” Except for the last one. Sadly, I didn’t get to go onstage, but one lucky girl did as she was fought over by no less than four of the zany characters. Beware of sitting in the front ladies!

Excluding one birthing scene, that I can only describe as uncomfortable, Banana Shpeel kept me smiling, oohing and aahing, tapping my toes, clapping, grooving in my seat and wishing I hadn’t quit dance after high school, so I could be part of a production this fun.

The footwork was fancy (and fast!), the costumes were flashy, and the comedy was just the right amount of bizarre yet silly. If you’re not afraid of clowns, then this is a show you don’t want to miss. And frankly, you could if you don’t get tickets soon. Banana Shpeel only runs until January 3, 2009. After that, you’ll have to travel all the way to New York to see Cirque Du Soleil’s probably least expensive production, but maybe their most inventive.

Photo courtesy of the SFlovestory