By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson College’s Belk Family Performance Hall will groove to the sounds of jazz when Jeremy Davis and the Fabulous Equinox Jazz Orchestra cuts loose with its high-energy stage show on Monday night. The performance by the Equinox Jazz Orchestra highlights a week’s worth of activities and events in Davidson and the surrounding communities.  On stage, the Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius wraps up its run of the comedy “On The Verge” this week with shows Thursday through Saturday, and an ensemble from the Connie Company — the Davidson Community Players’ youth company — puts on a free performance of “A Thousand Cranes” on Friday and Saturday. Read the full story

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

Alexis V-O performs her "melody driven indie pop" at Summit Coffee Friday night.

Area stages are where it’s happening this weekend, with a healthy list of theatrical and musical performances to choose from.   The Connie Company — the youth performance group of the Davidson Community Players — and the Davidson College Theatre Department offer “Sleeping Beauty” in seven shows on Friday-Sunday at the Cunningham Theatre Center’s Barber Theatre. Meanwwhile, Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius will open its run of the comedy “On The Verge” with shows Thursday through Sunday.  On Sunday, award-winning cellist Anna Wittstruck — the granddaughter of Davidson residents Bill and Mary Vinson — performs works by Beethoven, Mozart and Shostakovich in the Sloan Music Center’s Tyler-Tallman Hall at Davidson College. Read the full story

"Sleeping Beauty" will be on stage at Davidson College. That's Desiree Domo, who played Aurora in a 2007 production. (Davidson Community Players photo)

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

Award-winning cellist Anna Wittstruck, will perform at Davidson College on Sunday afternoon as part of the college’s 2012 Concert Series. Two movies with a message will be shown in Davidson this week – “Courageous” on Wednesday at Davidson United Methodist Church, and the documentary “Dreaming Nicaragua” on Sunday night at Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

On the stage, the Connie Company — the youth performance group of the Davidson Community Players — and the Davidson College Theatre Department will perform “Sleeping Beauty” this week, with seven shows spread over Friday-Sunday at the Cunningham Theatre Center’s Barber Theatre at Davidson College.

And for something a little more lighthearted, the Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius will open its run of the comedy “On The Verge” Thursday, with shows daily through Feb. 4. There’s also live music scheduled later this week at Summit Coffee and the Brickhouse Tavern, both in downtown Davidson.

These events — and more below — are in our day-by-day calendar at right. Also, at right on this page, see our movie show times listings for Our Town Cinemas. Read the full story

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

Opens Friday at Our Town Cinemas.

With Christmas just 10 days away — have you finished your shopping yet? — the holiday theme dominates theater and dance performances this weekend. Davidson Community Players wrap up their holiday show “Retrieving the Lamb” with performances Thursday through Sunday at the Armour Street Theatre in Davidson. In Mooresville, students from Masterworks School of the Arts perform the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” on Friday and Saturday.  And two area productions of Tchaikovsky’s holiday ballet “The Nutcracker” are on tap: by Dance Davidson Sunday at Davidson College and by the Piedmont Dance Theatre and Salisbury Symphony Orchestra Saturday and Sunday at Salisbury’s Keppel Auditorium.

The holiday theme carries over into music, with Davidson College Presbyterian Church’s Geneva, Chancel and Youth choirs combining to perform Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria” on Sunday; and Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Cornelius is holding its annual Christmas concert on Sunday, with the church’s Chancel Choir, Bell Choir and Orchestra performing. And in a holiday twist, Tanya and Tim Chartier will depict stories of Christmas through the art of mime in a Sunday performance at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Davidson. Read the full story

Charlotte Children's Choir performs Sunday afternoon at St. Alban's.

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

While Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind what season it is — is it winter or spring? — the coming weekend has plenty of opportunities to get into the holiday spirit. On Friday, Community School of Davidson hosts a “Gifts for the Greater Good” fair. On Sunday, teens at Davidson College Presbyterian Church re-enact the story of Christ’s birth at the annual White Gift Christmas Pageant. That’s followed by a soup and sandwich supper. Meanwhile, the 80-member Charlotte Children’s Choir will perform a concert of holiday carols Sunday afternoon in the Music at St. Alban’s series. In other holiday events, Davidson Day School’s early childhood, kindergarten and first-grade classes will showcase the holiday traditions from around the world during the school’s second-annual Season of Light on Saturday morning; the Cornelius Town Hall will hold a holiday program for special-needs people and their families on Saturday afternoon. And Santa Claus will make a breakfast appearance at Davidson’s Lake Norman Cottage on Sunday. Read the full story

Miracle on 34th Street opens this week at Our Town Cinemas.

Our Town Cinemas in Davidson will be screening the holiday classic “Miracle on 34th Street” this holiday season, beginning with a Lake Norman Chamber Kickoff and Fundraiser for the Ada Jenkins Center this Thursday, Dec. 8. A reception begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a screening at 7 p.m. at the cinema, in the Sadler Square Shopping Center off Griffith Street.

Ada Jenkins Center representatives will be at the theater Thursday to greet guests and collect donation checks. The regional community services center, at 212 Gamble St. on Davidson’s West Side, provides a variety of services – from free health and dental clinics to after school and counseling programs. Read the full story