Many of us are aware of the Southwest Virginia Ballet (SVB) through their yearly production of the…read moreNutcracker, presented in the Berglund Center for the Performing Arts. But few are aware that it is a premier non-profit, pre-professional youth dance company, based in Roanoke, Virginia, and currently celebrating 35 years in the Roanoke Valley. Established in 1990 by Tess (Terri) Post, SVB is a significant part of the Roanoke Valley's artistic landscape and has achieved recognition locally and beyond. Its mission focuses on making pre-professional dance training accessible, enriching the community through dance, and providing performing arts experiences for all ages. They provide free training to young dancers in the region and offer outreach programs for underserved individuals across Southwest Virginia.  For the Southwest Virginia Ballet's 2025 Nutcracker, they are featuring a live orchestra, the Viena Light Orchestra, composed of professional and pre-professional musicians, from different countries, and conducted by Dr.Wayne Gallops. The Ballet also has a new Artistic Director, Laurence Blake, making it a performance one can't miss. What better way of understanding what the Southwest Virginia Ballet is all about, than going in person to watch this performance of the Nutcracker. And that is precisely what I did. Having obtained a front row center seat, I was able to watch an amazing performance, from the main roles to the most insignificant ones. And as I watched the performance, I thought to myself how learning ballet and performing significantly boosts youth self-esteem by fostering confidence through skill mastery, providing an outlet for self-expression, building resilience against challenges, promoting a positive body image, and creating a supportive community, leading to increased self-worth and a stronger sense of self-assurance both on and off the stage.

Southwest Virginia Ballet is an award-winning organization whose mission is to provide the highest…read morequality dance experience to as diverse a group of young people as possible -- all for free! Every year dancers at Southwest Virginia Ballet perform "The Nutcracker," filling the Performing Arts Theatre at the Berglund Center for four performances over three days in December. These same dancers step on stage for free demonstrations at Elmwood Park and the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, as well as ticketed performances in Roanoke and across Southwest Virginia. SVB is the only organization in our area to create performances of such high caliber with student dancers alone. It's a group that draws ballet dancers from Blacksburg, Henry County, Botetourt County, Galax and beyond. They come together to a newly renovated studio in the Roanoke Industrial Center every Saturday from August through May.

There is nothing like live theatre for entertainment, and although professional theatre is…read moreconsidered the ultimate in theatre experience, throughout my life I have enjoyed community theatres just as much or even greater. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Showtimers Community Theatre of Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. This week, I happened to discover this non-profit, volunteer driven venue established in 1951, dedicated to fostering life-long appreciation of the performing arts through non-professional theatre productions. And today, I had the pleasure of visiting the theatre for the very first time and watch the production of "The Shark is Broken." Roanoke's oldest continuously running community theatre, originally performed at Roanoke College, and in 1961 they purchased a former church on McVitty Road, which now houses the intimate 138-seat venue, that produces five mainstage shows annually. I arrived early to be able to explore the theatre's lobby, and ask some questions at their ticket office. The beautiful building is located on top of a small hill with plenty of parking spaces. After parking my Lexus in a space near their entrance, I climbed up some stairs with eight steps and reached the building's nice size porch with a lovely light blue door entrance. I'm not sure if it has another easily accessible entrance but I think it might have because I saw some older guests inside that I'm sure couldn't have climbed all those stairs. I found the entrance front door unlocked and left a little bit opened, like if inviting guests to come in on this dark and cold showtime evening. Inside, the staff there were very friendly and welcoming. When I told them this was my first time there they allowed me to hang out in the lobby, looking at all the pictures and theatrical posters from previous shows. I also shared with them how when I lived in Boston I visited over 45 community theaters from cities and towns all around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. One was even in a farm and the seats were squared pieces of hay. How the first professional Musical I saw had been a Broadway Show in New York City at the age of 14 and was called Pippin, staring John Rubinstein as Pippin and Ben Vereen as the leading player and directed by Bob Fosse. And how during my college years, I had the opportunity of watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Wang Center in Boston with the main character played by Donny Osmond. And how during my time living in Miami I was an active Board Member of two community theaters. At seven o'clock sharp they opened the doors to the theatre and a volunteer guided me to my seat in Row J, Seat 8. Which happened to be in the center of the front row. It's amazing how in a very short time the theatre got completely full of people coming to watch this show. The three main actors did an excellent job performing and I was able to meet them in person at the end of the show at the porch of the building to congratulate and thank them for a wonderful show. I feel the Performing Arts enrich our lives and for this reason I highly recommend you visit this gem of a community theatre. Go watch a show there. Make a donation of time or money by volunteering and giving them your support. Believe me, you will be getting back a lot more than what you put in.

This is a quaint local theater that you probably never really knew existed. It's right off of…read moreElectric Road across Keagey Village. To me, it looks like an old church. Established in 1959, they have featured several local plays and musicals per year. Many local singers and actors have performed here. I have enjoyed many performances here. I estimate that the seating is just about 150 people. For refreshments, they have candy, chips, cookies and soda/pop/Coke (whatever you call a carbonated drink from where you live) and they're reasonably priced, as are the shows. Considering it is only a half skip and a jump from where I live, I frequently come for an entertaining afternoon. It's a great small local theater with excellent performances. Because of the small venue, there really ain't a bad seat in the house. Parking ain't too bad none either. Check them out, sometime. You won't be disappointed.

My wife and I went here for a UNC/VT basketball game...she is a UNC alum so we were a little out…read morenumbered. The parking was not to bad.. we parked in Duck Pond Parking and it was free and just a 10 min walk to the Coliseum, which isnt to bad as long as it isnt to cold and windy. The Coliseum seems to be a fairly old building. The seats are somewhat narrow but not as bad as some places. The concession areas are what make me think the building is old. The concession areas are very small with angled ceilings that make it look like you are in an attic area. But there are a lot of the small concessions so the lines werent bad at all. The place was close to sold out the night we were there and this is a loud place! A definite home court advantage for the Hokies. The student section and band does a great job keeping it loud and being engaged in the game. Unfortunately UNC lost but due to where we live, it is easier to see UNC here than go to Chapel Hill. Hope to go again. It is a fun place to see a game.

Could be one of the best and loudest home court advantages in college basketball but the success of…read morethe football team has not transferred to basketball. Time Will tell if new coach Buzz Williams can turn the hardwood Hokies into a Winner and fill the Cassell. The Coliseum has steep single level seating and the sight lines are great. All of the seats are wooden and quiet narrow and are somewhat uncomfortable for a larger person. Concessions are comparable with other venues, $4 hotdogs and drinks. One thing you have to try is the homemade milkshake by the Dairy Club. They are the best. The Cassell is a very good place to watch ACC Basketball.

My wife and I went for date night on a Friday evening. The class was really fun, and we wound up…read morewith several nice items, which we'll be taking home after they're fired. Hannah, the owner and instructor, is a really remarkable young woman who built the school from scratch after graduating college. She has a has a real easy instruction style that just makes the whole evening a lot of fun. We highly recommend Common Clay Pottery for a fun evening or longer term classes (which we'll probably come back and attend).

Amazing! Keisha was phenomenal at making my daughter and myself comfortable and relaxed for our…read moresession. We will definitely be making Yamama's Yoga a part of our weekly routine ‍

Fiyahhhh! Love this, definitely bringing my lil yogis back. Kids were in the zone and super…read morefriendly and amazing creative space

I've been riding and racing bikes for a loooong time, and am now am in my mid-50s and hoping not to…read moreslow down. I've used many different approaches and plans, but recently have been doing what I call "racing on hope" -- just hoping that I get faster for some reason, but not having any confidence that I'd do so. This year, though, I worked with Hunter, and am riding faster than I have in years, maybe decades. He put together a focused plan to get me ready for a specific event -- Tour de Tucson -- including tightened-up base, build, prep and race phases. The workouts were clear, always with context and explanations; the interval sessions were TOUGH -- but always just tough enough that I could just complete them; and by the time race day rolled around I felt primed and ready. I had my best day on the bike in years, outriding guys much younger than me, and even hit my best 10-minute power in the middle of the 100-mile event. But the best part was Hunter's personal approach. Yes, I received clearly laid-out workouts that popped up on my bike computer, like I had a coach whispering in my ear throughout the workout. But I also received texts and calls from Hunter checking in, and then the day before my event he called and walked me through prep and execution, calming my nerves and making me feel even more confident. I just emailed Hunter letting him know I'm re-upping for a full-year plan!

I have an educational event here every October, and the space is wonderful for our needs. All…read moreclassrooms are equipped with the latest technology, furnishings are contemporary and new, bathrooms are clean and stocked, catering does a fantastic job, there's Wi-Fi, and parking is only $5-6/day. We love coming to this venue and will continue to come back as long as we're in Roanoke.

Elda Stanco Downey is the founder of Roanoke Spanish LLC and is a former college professor with…read moreover 15 years teaching Spanish language, culture, and literature. She has helped me tremendously improve my Spanish skills (I was one of her students over a four-year span) - not to mention she's an absolute joy to work with. She's upbeat and fun... and, well, a total pro. She (or one of her team members) will hook you up with tutoring, translation, interpretation, any Spanish-English service you might need help with - for adults, for kids, or for the office. :)