Kennedy Center

Here's something Howard County can brag about: It hosts the state's only "Nutcracker" holiday extravaganza on ice, perhaps even on the entire East Coast. Presented each year by the Columbia Figure Skating Club , it's a pretty cool show in more ways than one. Dozens of darling little skaters share the ice stage with some real pros, making this a must-see family outing for all "Nutcracker" fans. My family wouldn't ream of missing a production. I actually prefer the Sunday-before final dress rehearsal.

Purchasing the perfect holiday gift can be tricky. And when you have a picky recipient, gift-giving is downright stressful. Enter personal shopper Stephanie Bradshaw. "Gifts are suppose to be something that they wouldn't get for themselves," she says. "Instead of thinking about getting them the utilitarian things, it is nice to think of the indulgence of it. For us the challenge and the thrill of it is to chose something that they wouldn't chose for themselves. It's suppose to be a treat.

Someone once said that ballet and modern dance would merge when a contemporary dancer donned toe shoes and ballerinas went barefoot. Well, that did happen in an Alvin Ailey piece years ago, and it was evident again last week in the dance kickoff of “China:  The Art of a Nation,” at the Kennedy Center now through October. As I watched the National Ballet of China , I was reminded just how much classical ballet has changed since the company's last appearance here in 2005.

On the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, I watched the Ground Zero commemoration ceremony - or all of it that NBC was willing to show us - I read the Baltimore Sun, and I watched President Barack Obama's speech at the Kennedy Center memorial concert. Out of all these, the only really thoughtful reflections I found were in Dan Rodricks ' column that day ("The deaths of others"). No one else made a effort to synthesize the lessons of the terrorist attacks and the decade of war and paranoia that ensued.

Dance companies see winter coming long before the rest of us. Many of their performance dates have been booked since May, and their season brochures have long since gone to the printers for distribution to potential subscribers. The Washington Ballet was among the early birds this year, with internet subscriptions offering a 50 percent savings by simply entering the promotion code "TWBSPECIAL. " Four different subscription packages are available, but fans must not procrastinate because the special deals are only good until Monday, Sept.

Hooray for reader Linda Hark's letter complaining about the uncomfortable seating at the Hippodrome Theatre (" Hippodrome seating is just atrocious," Aug. 11). I'm one of those 5-foot-7-inch men whose knees banged against the seat in front of me. After just two performances the year it opened, I vowed never to return to the Hippodrome again. My business went instead to Washington's Kennedy Center for comfort and convenient parking. There's one thing Linda forgot to mention: The crowded seating at the Hippodrome could be a hazard in the event of an emergency or fire.

For actor Hugo Weaving, the distance between his farm in Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles isn't just 7,500 miles, give or take. It's the distance between his identities as a pop culture icon and as a conservatory-trained actor who revels in the classical canon. Both of Weaving's faces are on prominent display in the Baltimore area this month. As a cartoon villain with inverted facial features in a red rubber mask, Weaver is stomping around the screen in the dozens of movie theaters where "Captain America" is now showing.

"It's definitely a milestone for me," said cellist Amit Peled about his debut at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society. "When I saw who else was on the WPAS season brochure, I freaked out. " WPAS President and CEO Neale Perl had no hesitation about adding the tall, long-haired, 37-year-old Peabody Institute faculty member to the organization's starry roster. "He reminds me of [Gregor] Piatigorsky," Perl said. "Amit has the same imposing physical stature and a tremendous stage presence.

"South Pacific," the 1949 musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein, enjoyed the distinction not only of being one of the most successful shows on Broadway — nearly 2,000 performances, numerous hit songs, several Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize — but also one of the hardest to revive there. The first full-fledged revival didn't come along until 2008, but the wait was worth it. That production by the Lincoln Center Theater proved to be a revelation. Without the slightest trace of superficiality or trendy deconstruction, this "South Pacific" reconfirmed all of the strengths in the original, including the head-on examination of racial prejudice that was so far ahead of its time, and effectively minimized its occasional weaknesses.

In 2010, your initial reaction to the iconic '60s musical "Hair" might be a yawn. A show without a plot to speak of? They've long been a dime a dozen. Nudity? Please. Some seasons, you can't find a show without it. Someone in drag? See previous answer. Anti-establishment preachy-ness? As if we've ever run out of that. Heck, even hip-hugging jeans are back. But, as last year's Tony Award-winning Public Theater revival makes plain, there's a force churning beneath the "American Tribal Love Rock Musical" that can jolt even jaded theatergoers out of condescension and ennui.