The best Theatre Calgary show I've seen this year has been Mary and Max the Musical. Went into it…read morenot knowing what to think but came out overwhelmingly pleased about how amazing the show was. From start to finish... the characters, music, and characters were simply awesome. I actually wanted to see the show a second time because I was so impressed and enjoyed it so much. Usually I can predict the ending... but not this one. Theatre Calgary is known for better shows and better acting then other theatres around town. I've never been disappointed with any show I've seen yet. Don't forget when Christmas time comes around... its an absolute must see if you haven't already... but the Christmas Carol is pretty awesome too. I've made this a Christmas tradition to take all the kids and family to see this once a year because it will really get you into the Christmas mood. Parking is across the street but plenty of space if you're familiar with the area. I would recommend you to experience a show. If you're not sold on any particular show... then just go see the Christmas Carol and it'll give you a good taste of the quality and experience you'll have with any of their shows down the road.

Theatre Calgary is a great evening out and the productions are always done very well. I've seen…read moremany shows including my favourite last year Kim's Convenience. The production list is always great and you never know what to expect until you're there. If you need a gift idea, Theatre Calgary tickets is a sure bet for a good experience for family or friends. Parking can be a bit challenging but if you arrive early there is usually spots across the street, but you have to pay. It's too bad they don't have free parking like at jubilee.

I feel lucky to have the CPO around and they are a brilliant group of musicians that attract a lot…read moreof talented guests and special programs. If you are under 29 you're super lucky and have the opportunity to see many of the amazing shows for $15 for you AND a another $15 gets you a guest of any age and often you're getting some pretty nice seats out of the deal (unlike many other youth or student programs). You just have to register for cpossibilities on their website and you'll get a monthly e-mail about the shows you can get cheap tickets for. It takes a bit more planning ahead but it's worth it as probably 80% of the concerts open up for cposs. This is a program I liked (when I was young enough *sniff*) because I needed to get out of school before I could justify even that $15 for a night out but it allowed me to get involved and fall in love with music without the largish investment. Since music was not a large part of my childhood, that connection was something CPO did for me from scratch in my mid to late 20s. There are plenty of youth targeted shows .... superheros, star wars, star trek, bugs bunny, Nightmare Before Christmas, fantasia, ET, circus acts... these type of shows were gateway concerts for me into some more of the classics but it was nice to start with music I knew well from the movies. I think the only caution would be you may realize you are like me and have 11 CPO concerts in a season (after you're no longer getting cheap tickets but have development a taste for the good seats) and you only have 2 saddledome concerts in that same time frame. It makes me feel like I'm suppose to be a grown up or something now.

I really wish I could get out to hear these guys more often. I suppose that means that the times I…read moredo attend a concert are just extra special these days. This review is based on my CPO concert-going experience spanning 16 years, with some specifics on the last two concerts I attended. The CPO is truly one of the top orchestras in the country. The group has come a long way since its inception in 1955. Like all world-class orchestras, they offer the staples of concert series: Baroque (the Serenade Series), Classical and Pops. In more recent history, they have added a new music festival, a Tchaikovsky Festival and crowd-pleasing specials like Jeans & Classics, Video Games Live, Bugs Bunny on Broadway and Star Trek. Their Saturday Morning at the Symphony Series is also quite popular. I attended the Video Games Live 2.0 concert and one of the New Works performances in May. Their website provides a lot of information to help you make your purchase. The Box Office is extremely friendly, efficient and helpful when you need to contact them with a question or group ticket purchase. The VGL 2.0 concert experience was a blast! They had gaming stations in the lobby, a costume contest, CD's, t-shirts, giveaways, and the Nintendo people were there. Even the Blindfolded Pianist of Youtube fame made an appearance. It was a huge celebration of gaming. Members of the audience came up to play Space Invaders and Guitar Hero. The orchestra played the music to match the players' progress (or lack thereof). In contrast, the New Works concert was a celebration of our Canadian composers. This was held at the Rozsa Centre. The group looked crowded on stage, but it somehow worked. I loved how the newest cellist waded his way to the front of the stage to make some opening remarks. There are a lot of new, fresh faces in the orchestra and they are giving the CPO a cool, hip vibe. That's a good thing. Yes, the orchestra needs to sound good, but to attract younger audiences, they also need to exude a bit of that "coolness factor", whether they're playing Bach, Brahms, Alan Gordon Bell or Bugs Bunny. The artists came out to talk after each performance as well. Those Hagen-Daaz bars are a great treat too. Venues are top notch. The Jack Singer Concert Hall has wonderful acoustics. If you're going for sound, there isn't a bad seat in the house. If you want a good view, some seats are better than others. There is a good range of tickets, from dirt cheap to top of the line to meet any budget. Seating is really good at the Rozsa Centre. It's a smaller facility but everything sounds and looks good in there. It's got a more intimate feel to it as well. As for the "front of house" environment, they've recently made some updates in the lobby that make traffic flow smoother, but that's the EPCOR Centre's domain so I won't go more into that. It's really cool that they have orchestra members interacting more with the public with things like SMATS, opening addresses and the Ask a Musician section on their website. Berthold Auerbach once said that "Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." Does the CPO deliver on this? Yes they do. They are a dedicated bunch and they play "con molto espressione". [EDIT: To be absolutely honest, I worked @ CPO a very long time ago. It's been over 12 years ago and I don't know anyone there anymore so I trust that it's safe to review without any conflicts.]

The Arrata Opera centre is a 29,000 square foot facility set in the newly redesigned Wesley United…read moreChurch on 7th Street SW. Its prime function is to support the education and the development of new opera works in Canada. It also provides a very central and funky space for events, rehearsal, gatherings and productions. The rehearsal hall can occupy 175 people and the Nexen Gallery can accommodate 228. They also have a Studio and a greenroom for smaller groups. The Arrata also provides seating, lighting, and sound facilities and even has a costume and laundry shop for costume rentals. There are non profit rates that are very reasonable as well as corporate rates. Because of their relation and the beautiful architecture of the previous historic church incarnation, Arrata can provide a unique venue for your special events.

I've been working on rounding out some of my exposure to the arts. Opera is not something I "get"…read more Theatre? sure. Musicals? yes please! Classical music? yup. Subtitles on Foreign films? AOK. But Opera had been a scary frontier for some reason. Last year we saw a reasonable price for seasons tickets come out and we decided to give er a go. We were told it was a well rounded season to get an idea of the art. OK... if nothing it's an excuse to dress up and go to the Jube for a evening. I'm kind of glad I had a season to experience Opera without making a judgement. Opera Calgary is a very classy company that seems to attract some excellent talent. Definitely worth checking out if your interest draws you to Opera. I also discovered Opera Calgary has a program for professional under 35s that allows for cheaper tickets and special events - Club Allegro. I didn't do the cheaper tickets because I had my season tickets but I did get to check out one of the events and they did give a little talk to help us understand Opera for beginners (as opposed to just the pre talk which can be a little over my head) which was nice. Ohh.. and free Jube water I could take to my seat... amazeballs.. that's like a $3 value! I still find Opera challenging... maybe that's not all that uncommon. I still think I'd check out a play or symphony over an Opera but I'm not really scared of them and I'm growing to appreciate a very nice aria. I do still have a couple more years of Club Allegro to see if I can build on my understanding a bit more.

Hello, my name is Chris and I am a danceaholic. More specifically, am addicted to classes at…read moreDecidedly Jazz Danceworks. I signed up for an introduction to Bollywood class in the spring on a whim, and found myself looking forward to each session as the highlight of my week. I enjoyed it so much that this term I signed up for more classes and am dancing there four days a week. I feel terrific and energized, and I am having SO MUCH FUN. The teachers that I've had have been great- patient, good at explaning things, enthusiastic, and great dancers and choreographers. The classes I've taken have been low pressure and unintimidating, geared towards adult hobby dancers, rather than professionals. And even so, I've been learning a ton and the teachers are really experts. The school offers lots of different classes with an emphasis on jazz and jazz-inspired classes, including funk, hip hop, breaking, and house. But they also offer other classes like ballet, tap, and capoeira. The intro classes are truly intro classes for people with no experience in that style of dance, or with no dance experience at all. And the non-intro classes come in a range of skill levels for people who already know what they're doing. I find the classes to be very reasonably priced, the studios are large and in good condition, and all of the staff is great. I'll take off .00001 of a star because I think "Decidedly Jazz" has got to be one of the worst names for a dance school I've ever heard :) But it still rounds up to five stars because this place is tops!

A great atmosphere for all ages and backgrounds! We are very happy to be part of this studio.read more

This is a terrific venue in the Cultural District downtown, across from city hall…read more It is huge and takes up a full city block, has 6 levels and is over 400,000 square feet. Inside there's a number of theatres and theatre companies -Alberta Theatre Projects, Theatre Calgary, One Yellow Rabbit, and the Engineered Air Theatre. Plus the Calgary Philharmonic plays in the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Many awesome concerts play at the Jack Singer, too - the acoustics are are amazing! There's also a ticketmaster in the centre court for all your entertainment needs!

The EC is one of the largest entertainment halls in Calgary, in fact it occupies a full block…read moreoccupying 400,000 square feet, and that is about 10 acres. It is a 6 level complex downtown so it is near the train terminals and after 6 pm there is very cheap parking underground and free parking on the streets. There are 4 theatres at the EPCOR Center and one hall. EC provides theatre entertainment as well as music entertainment from all around the world. I watched an Argentinean guitar quartet there a half a year ago and although we were a little late we managed to be accompanied directly to our seats by a very pleasant usher. The concert hall is enormous, but there are various entrances that can take you very close to where you need to sit. The concert that night was glorious, this is fine classical guitar picking, that is very erratic and elaborate and I swear I could feel and hear every guitar string being plucked. The acoustics there at EC are fantastic and the seating is super comfortable. The roster of entertainment is so diversified at the EPCOR, in fact in January Chef Anthony Bourdain has been sold out since October. You may recall this guy, he travels all around the world eating anything that is exotic, and I believe the last time I saw him on television was seeing him eating cow testicles in Thailand. So expect incredible variety and high quality entertainment at the EC.

Had a meeting the other day to view this space as an events space and man did it blow me away. Set…read morein the heart of downtown, this 100 year old historic building still conveys its original pride in its golden leaf mouldings, the original theatre ceiling and original walls. Most of the architecture has been updated and the lobby area houses the sexy and sultry Velvet Restaurant. The main theatre is a jaw dropping thing to experience, from the catwalk you see an expansive area with rolling seats that can be set up as a classic theatre formation or can be set up against all four walls with the stage in the center. The hardwood floor is rich and dark and the brick wall is an interesting urban feel which could house really unique staging. The theatre was renovated by theatre diehard loyalists and you can tell the dedication that has been put into this venue as everything is so well taken care of. There is a killer mezzanine area, with a bar that presently has been popular for wine and scotch tasting events. The only criticism I would have is because of all the historic restoration they are not so open to hosting youth events there but it is understandable considering the fine details of the architecture. All in all the place is a superb location and akin to theatre spaces I have seen in New York City and Toronto, but it's not its grandness is all right here in Calgary.

A friend gave me tickets to a Charlie Chaplin event called Modern Times. People were decked out in…read more1920s outfits, drinking cocktails, and the amazing beauty of this old gem. They had Juno winning musicians masterfully creating the sound for this old film. I was blown away by the beauty and history of this theatre! I have since attended several events and loved them all. This theatre has heart and soul and artists to run it. It's an incredible space with more history and nooks and crannies that any other joint in our FINE City! Heading to their showing of The Princess Bride tonight, pass the popcorn. ;)

What a beautiful theatre. The seats were comfortable for our entire performance and they had plenty…read moreof event staff and bars set up to serve customers. The fact that they had a mobile system to preorder drinks for pick up at intermission made things move smoothly. The staff was friendly and efficient. We loved the decor and really enjoyed walking around looking at all the art school students art. The themed drinks and decorations were great too. Thank you to all the amazing stage and show crews who put on a fantastic show. I have 2 complaints but I think they're universal to theatres and event centre's in general; there need to be more ladies bathroom stalls or make all the bathrooms gender neutral. Second is that seats should be staggered so that you're looking over someone's shoulders and not into the back of someone tall's head.

Saw Shen Yun. A beautiful production. Great lighting, effects and stage…read more The seats in the auditorium, however, were torturous. Painful to sit for more than an hour. Even that hour was unpleasant. The seats feature very thin cushion over a narrow hard wood frame, with short, hard wood arm rests. Everyone in my section stood up immediately at intermission. People behind me were rubbing their legs and hips complaining about how uncomfortable the seats were. Made a beautiful production less enjoyable

Eight Wonder is the best BellyDance studio in Calgary... After short steps upstairs you will enter…read morein a exotic and exciting BellyDance environment: you breath BellyDance in every corner of the studio. And the teachers are fantastic! Christy(Maya) is an outstanding teacher. Not only does she work out the body during her belly dance classes & workshops, she gives the brain a thorough twist! Delivering maneuvers which leave you feeling educated & expanded. I highly recommend spending an hour or two with her whenever the opportunity is presented. Your body, mind & soul will thank you! Jane Rezende

if you are looking for a fantastic belly dance instructor on the south side of town, look no…read morefurther. Maya, the owner/instructor of 8th Wonder, has a fantastic attitude and a great grasp of the basics. Her teaching style is based on that of world-renowned dancer Suhaila Salimpour of California, and is excellent for teaching dancers how to isolate and develop solid technique. And you'll get one heck of a workout!