Ferdinand the Bull charges into Nashville

The immortalized story of Ferdinand the Bull, which is rooted in the 1936 children's tale The Story of Ferdinand, is Nashville Ballet's latest Learning Curves education and outreach effort for area school kids and families.

Read more from the Nashville ballet website.

Premiere of Ferdinand the Bull
Nashville Ballet announces the premiere of a brand-new children’s ballet, Ferdinand the Bull. Sunday, January 25, 2009, the public is invited to attend the premiere of this new ballet. The 2:00 pm matinee at Massey Hall will include live music and narration. Nashville Ballet has collaborated with Belmont University for over a decade to create original children’s ballets.

This event is free to the public, (No tickets required) although attendees are encouraged to bring a new or “gently-read” children’s book to donate to Book Em!.

Meet Ferdinand, the mild mannered star of our newest children's ballet, which is based on The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. As the story unfolds you will be charmed by a lovable bull that would much rather sit and smell the flowers of the field than fight and fuss like all the others. Through Ferdinand's gentle spirit, we humorously learn to appreciate and embrace what truly makes each of us special and realize that, sometimes, "stopping to smell the flowers" can be far more beneficial than "putting up a fight"!

This production was choreographed by Nashville Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling, with original music by Belmont professor Mario DaSilva. This performance will be narrated by Brian Hull. The original costuming and set design is by Nashville Ballet dancer and designer, Eric Harris. His designs were inspired by the Cubist paintings of renowned Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso.

Nashville Ballet’s Children’s Ballets and Ballet Story-times are presented free of charge. Promoting literacy through the art of dance, the Children’s Ballets are based upon cultural folk tales and fairy tales enabling the Ballet to bring books to life, stimulate children’s creativity and curiosity, and encourage them to seek out books of this nature on their own. Each year Nashville Ballet works with Book ‘Em to target public schools and deserving service organizations with customized programs combining both literacy and dance.

Dracula, Valse-Fantaisie and Ballet: Tango presented by the Nashville Ballet

Nashville Ballet presents Dracula, Valse-Fantaisie and Ballet: Tango at TPAC

October 26 - 28

A charming ballet from one of the giants of twentieth-century choreography, George Balanchine. The New York Times praised its "windswept pattern of pure dancing, attuned to the joyfulness of its waltz rhythms." The second piece will be Ballet Tango, which explores the essence of one of the world's most passionate and complex of dances. And to round out the evening, just in time for Halloween, Paul Vasterling's chilling take on the classic Dracula myth.

Visit the TPAC website for more info and tickets.

Downtown Nashville Details

News & Information

New Restaurant & Lounge - Agave Tequila Lounge!
118 12th Avenue S. 254-9997. New Mexican restaurant and lounge has opened in the Gulch. Over 150 tequilas behind the bar. Hours are Tues - Sat, 4 pm - 3 am.

Events this Week

CMT "Gone Country" Concert
Thursday, Oct 25. Wildhorse Saloon. 120 2nd Avenue N.
Doors open at 5:30 pm, concert at 8 pm. Free.
Concert and taping featuring the cast of the new CMT series "Gone Country." Cast includes Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson, Dee Snider, Julio Iglesias Jr, Sisqo and more. John Rich is the host.

Urban Sun "Oktoberfest" Customer Appreciation Party
Thursday, Oct 25. Urban Sun. 209 10th Avenue South #227. 291-6800. 9 am - 8 pm.
Customer appreciation party complete with refreshments, tanning trivia prizes, and specials including 25% off new memberships and all retail purchases.

Bone Bash 2007 at City Hall
Friday, October 26.
City Hall.
405 12th Avenue S. 8 pm - midnight.
General admission tickets $25, VIP tickets $55 (includes food and drinks).
Annual fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation features a costume contest, silent auction, and fortunetellers. Live entertainment by Denny Diamond, Slippery When Wet and Appetite For Destruction. To purchase tickets, visit http://ww2.arthritis.org/communities/Chapters/TEN/BoneBash/index.htm.

Final Frist Friday and New Exhibitions!
Friday, October 26. Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
919 Broadway.
244-3340.
6-9 pm.
No admission charge for members, and non-members pay $8.50.
Guilty Pleasures, an 80's cover band, will perform in the courtyard. Light appetizers are provided and there is a cash bar. Admission includes entrance to the exhibits, including two exhibits that open on Friday - The Société Anonyme: Modernism for America and Rosemary Lang: Flight open Friday and continue through January 27.

Nashville Ballet's Fall Series
Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28.
TPAC's Polk Theatre. 297-2966. Performance times vary.
$19 - $59.
The Nashville Ballet will perform three works. George Balanchine's Valse-Fantaisie, Argentine dance-inspired Ballet: Tango, and Paul Vasterling's Dracula.

Encore Condominiums Open House
Saturday, October 27. Encore Sales Center.
119 3rd Avenue South. 324-3838. 11 am - 3 pm. Free.
A special limited release of homes priced from $200,000. Speak with a sales consultant, tour the model home, and learn about special buyer incentives. Catered lunch by Chili Burrito, door prizes and live broadcast by Lightning 100.

Masquerade Ball Fundraiser
Saturday, October 27.
The Standard Restaurant and Ballroom.
167 Rosa Parks Boulevard (8th Avenue North). 254-1277 x11. 7 pm.
$50.
Fundraiser for the Friends of Church Street Park. Tickets are 100% tax deductible. Black tie or festive attire. Ballroom dancing, seated dinner, and open wine and beer bar.

Nightmare in Music City - Annual Halloween Party in the Gulch
Saturday, October 27.
City Hall, Bar Twenty3 and outside. 9 pm - 2 am. $10 in advance. $15 at the door.
The annual "Nightmare in Music City" block party. Huge dance floor, costume contests, and DJ Lunchbox inside City Hall.

1st Annual Wildhorse Saloon Halloween Bash
Saturday, October 27. Wildhorse Saloon.
120 2nd Avenue North. 902-8200. 6:30 pm. $15, in advance through Ticketmaster.
Costume contest with grand prize trip for two to New Orleans, 2nd place $300, and 3rd place $100. Live music by Guilty Pleasures, Christie's Ex, and The Devonshires.

Jack's R Wild Halloween Party
Saturday, October 27. Hard Rock Cafe. 100 Broadway. 782-4018.
8 pm - 1 am.
Costume contest with prizes up to $500 and live music by Max Headroom, an 80's cover band, from 10 pm - midnight.

Black, White, Red Halloween
Saturday, October 27. Fuel. 114 2nd Avenue South.
8 pm - 3 am.
Costume contest, drink specials, live music and DJs. Free entry before 10 pm if you wear all white, all red, or all black.

Frite Nite
Saturday, October 27. Sky Lounge.
305 Broadway. 364-5678. 9 pm. $10.
Best costume contest, prize give-a-ways, and music by DJ Tinman, DJ Express, and DJ Shawn B.

Phantom of the Opera Silent Movie with Organ Performance
Wednesday, October 31. Schermerhorn Symphony Center. One Symphony Place. 687-6400.
8 pm. $10 - $25.
Renowned theatre organist Tom Trenney will provide improvised accompaniment to the 1925 silent film classic, The Phantom of the Opera. Audience members are encouraged to attend in costume and cheer, boo and hiss as part of "silent movie etiquette."

Americana Music Festival and Conference
Wednesday, October 31 - Saturday, November 3.
Various downtown venues. 386-6936.
Four-day wristband $30.
Four-day festival featuring over 60 bands. Plus, the Americana Honors & Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday, Nov 1 at 7 pm featuring Lyle Lovett, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Old Crow Medicine Show, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale and more. Tickets are $35 for the awards show through Ticketmaster.

Grace Is Thy Name

We went to see the Nashville Ballet perform Swan Lake and this was an amazing night that provided inspiration in the way the dancers moved and the ability to tell such a moving story without words. This was my first ballet in many, many years and I'm so glad I went and experienced the beauty and talent that I witnessed. The way they moved to portray geese were amazing in the way they used their bodies to mimic the movements of geese. The way love shown through the entire production and showed how it can overcome so many things that get in its way.

If you get a chance to see Swan Lake, please do because you won't regret it. Make a whole evening and experience of it. Enjoy some champagne or wine, good food and the person who has your heart and let the music and dance take you to another world.