December 15 – 22
December 15
Social
Christmas in Haiti
Tonight, the Haiti Empowerment Mission will host their annual Christmas in Haiti toy/clothing drive. Donations of Clothing, Toys, and books will be accepted at the door as well as at the Capponi Group office at 228 5th St; Miami Beach All of the proceeds will benefit the school children of Camp Jacmel, Haiti. The children anxiously wait for this special day that comes once a year. Once the donations have been collected, they will be evenly distributed in Haiti on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. 10pm. W South Beach, Club Wet, 2201 Collins Ave; Miami beach. For info: discoveringhaiti.com
December 15
Social
3rd Thursdays
Head to the Chelsea Hotel for 3rd Thursdays where 305colab hosts Collectively Assembled, an evening of impromptu mixed media and live performance art. Loosely based on the surrealist exquisite corpse technique, each artist collaborates by adding is own element to an initial concept using varied mediums and experimental methods. The evening will produce a unique one-time jazz-like experience. The featured artist is JE Garcia Mathews. $5 Becks Beer special. 7pm. The Chelsea Hotel, 944 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: thehotelchelsea.com
December 15
Music
The December edition of Big Night in Little Haiti closes out a great year for the night of Haitian music, art and culture each Third Friday. The concert in the plaza features roots music artist Jan Sebon and Kazak International, with an opening set by Kazoots. The night also offers a second chance to see the Art Basel-sanctioned exhibition in the gallery: Haiti, Kingdom of This World, which comes to the Center direct from the first Haiti pavilion at the Venice Bienale – a spectacular show of contemporary Haitian art. Plus, a great chance to shop for beautiful Haitian and Caribbean crafts – Food – Drinks – Family Art Corner and much more. Free. 6pm. Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59 Ter; Miami. For info: BigNightLittleHaiti.com
December 15
Dance
The Nutcracker
A Nutcracker doll will come alive, a Sugar Plum Fairy will dance, snowflakes will fall and smiles from children of all ages will rain down as Miami City Ballet, Florida’s Internationally Acclaimed Company under the direction of Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella, presents its enchanting holiday production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Students enrolled in the prestigious Miami City Ballet School, will perform in the production along with the Company’s internationally-acclaimed dancers. Based on the story The Nutcracker and The Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is a captivating tale of a little girl’s Christmas Eve dream about a handsome prince, a mouse king, toy soldiers and dancers from faraway lands set to the beloved music of Tchaikovsky, brought to life by a cast of more than 100 dancers and children. Nothing short of a Broadway spectacular, the production features glorious sets, lavish costumes like the ones worn by the Arabian and Chinese dancers, magical special effects, such as a Christmas tree that soars from twelve to thirty feet tall, and fanciful choreography that takes the spectator on a magical journey to the Land of Sweets. $20 to $68 Ziff Ballet Opera House, 1300 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: 305- 949-6722 or miamicityballet.org
December 15
Festival
Bay Harbor Islands Bliss
Art and entertainment will take to the streets of Bay Harbor with Bay Harbor Islands Bliss, an event that many of the shops and restaurants on Kane Concourse will participate in. Complimentary refreshments will be offered in many of the shops and strollers can enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants in Bay Harbor Islands during the evening. The shops will be collecting donations for the Family Resource Center of South Florida. 6pm. Free. Kane Concourse, Bay Harbor Islands.
December 15
Dance
Ballet Flamenco
Hispanico Ballet Flamenco, a colorful cross-section of traditional Latin American music and dance performed live by talented international artists, takes the stage as part of the Smart Stage Matinees Series. $10. 11:30am. The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 N.E. 188 St; Aventura. For info: aventuracenter.org.
December 16
Books
Great Houses of Havana
Meet author Hermes Mallea when he talks on his book, Great Houses of Havana. The book celebrates one hundred years of creativity, design, and style that made the city “the Paris of the Caribbean.” For four hundred years, Havana was the center of Spanish trade in the western hemisphere. With the expansion of the sugar industry, independence from Spain, and North American investment, Havana became a city of great wealth, great style, and great houses in a vocabulary that was a unique amalgam of European, American, and Caribbean elements. Great Houses of Havana, traces the evolution of the Cuban home from the classic, Spanish colonial courtyard house to the “Tropical Modernist” villas of the 1950s—houses reflecting international architecture trends while remaining true to the Cuban tradition. Cuba’s social history is woven throughout the book. Vintage photographs illustrate Havana’s sophisticated lifestyle—the masked balls, yacht club picnics, and dynastic weddings of fashionable Cubans and their international guests. Popular cafes, hotels, theaters, and weekend resorts are also featured, creating a view of the privileged life inside the gated mansions of the city’s grandest neighborhoods. 8pm. Free. Books and Books, 265 Aragon Ave; Coral Gables. For info: booksandbooks.com
December 16
Film
Sleeping Beauty
The controversial debut film by Australian Julia Leigh, is a fascinating depiction of a young woman’s reckless decent into a shocking world of erotic desires. Lucy is a young university student possessed by a kind of radical passivity. One day she answers an ad in the student newspaper and interviews for a job to be a lingerie waitress. But she is secretly being initiated into a world of strange new work; one where she will have to give into absolute submission to her clients by being sedated; becoming a “Sleeping Beauty”. She finally develops the will to break the spell by discovering what happens to her while she sleeps. With a fearless performance by Browning, Leigh creates a bold cinematic vision; one where Lucy, both in her clandestine sexual adventures and in her mundane daily existence, lives with the same unflinching and brutal honesty. With Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie, Peter Caroll. 9pm. $10. Miami Beach Cinematheque, 1130 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: 305-673-4567 or MBCinema.com
December 16
Music
Tales from Toyland
Christmas time is here, happiness and ….jeers. It’s that time of year again and the Missus is not happy! To heck with the children and toys – she wants her man! How far will she go? Join us for an enjoyable evening of Holiday songs – an eclectic mix of old favorites and new melodies – as the story unravels. 8pm. $25 – $35. Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd; Miami Beach. For info: 305.674.1040 or miamigaychorus.org
December 16
Tour
Miami River to Miami Circle
Enjoy a beautiful walk along the confluence of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay while learning about the history of Miami, from the Tequesta Indians to pioneers and people of modern times. The tour ends at the National Historic Landmark, the Miami Circle. Advance reservations and payment required. 10am – 12pm. $30. To book a City Tour: 305-375-1621 or citytours@historymiami.org.
December 17
Walk
Merrie Christmas Park
Wander through this lush tropical enclave in the South Grove with HistoryMiami’s eco-historian Frank Schena, and admire colossal banyans and grassy vistas. Learn about explorers who combed the world to find the colorful flora that grace our community, and how to create an oasis in your own back yard. Advance reservations and payment required. 10am – 12pm. $30. To book a City Tour: 305-375-1621 or citytours@historymiami.org.
December 17
Music
O Holy Night
Intersecting imagination with tradition, Seraphic Fire performs “O Holy Night,Christmas With Seraphic Fire” tonight. “O, Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining!” Adolphe Adam’s timeless carol has signaled Christmas for countless listeners across the ages. This holiday program will feature arrangements of O Holy Night and Silent Night by Seraphic Fire’s Artistic Director Patrick Dupré Quigley, as well as a combination of classic carols, gorgeous motets and Gregorian chant. “O, Holy Night” is a stunning choreographed musical experience in which the singers envelop the audience with candlelit processions and carols sung from all sides of the venue. 8pm. $25 – $5. South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211 St; Cutler Bay. For info: 786-573-5300 or smdcac.org.
December 17
Music
Melodies & Memories Series
They showed the world that life is a cabaret, Chicago has all that jazz and if you can make it in New York, New York you can make it anywhere. How Lucky Can We Get? The Songs of Kander and Ebb marks the return of the Melodies & Memories Series to the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. directed by Barry Levitt, former Artistic Director of New York’s 92nd Street Y’s smash Lyrics and Lyricists Series. 8pm. $32. For info: 877-311-7469 or AventuraCenter.org.
December 17
Music
Celebrate the Season
The Alhambra Orchestra, Miami’s community orchestra, makes its first appearance in the Banyan Bowl for a concert called Celebrate the Season, featuring music of Mozart, selections from Handel’s Messiah, and plenty of multicultural holiday favorites. $10. 7: 30pm. Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 SW 57th Ave; Pinecrest. or info: alhambramusic.org or 305-669-6990
December 18
Music
Holiday Concert
Don’t miss the St. John’s traditional holiday concert. The church choir, under the direction of William Carney, will be joined by the renowned Brass Miami and by St. John’s organist Paul Schwab, for a festive holiday concert in the church’s sanctuary. Brass Miami features Brian Neal on trumpet, Bobby Keating on trumpet, Dave Brubeck on trombone and John Kricker on tuba and bass trombone. They will perform multi-dimensional works including Flor Peeters’s majestic Entrata Festiva, Domenico Scarlatti’s Baroque masterpiece Hodie Christus Natus Est and traditional and contemporary holiday favorites in English, Hebrew, and Spanish.
Free. 3pm. Arts at St. Johns, 4760 Pine Tree Dr; Miami Beach. For info: ArtsatStJohns.com
December 18
Lecture
Dead Sea Scrolls
Temple Emanu-El will host a Symposium on the Dead Sea Scrolls from the Institute for Judaism and Christian Origins. The history and archeology of Temple Judaism and of early Christianity will be presented by world-renowned scholars James Charlesworth of Princeton Theological Seminary, Rabbi Lawrence Schiffman of Yeshiva University, Dan Bahat of Bar-Ilan University and leading archaeologist of Jerusalem, and Motti Aviam, leading archaeologist of the Galilee, who is also affiliated with the Miller Center at the University of Miami. The symposium is geared to a lay audience, aimed at students in high school or college, and particularly valuable for academics and clergy. The speakers will address a central theological question: “How did the Temple and its spiritual life impact the life of early Jews, including Jesus and the earliest followers of Christianity. 3:30 pm & 5pm.Free. Reserved seats $50. Temple Emanu-El, 1701 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: 305.538.2503
December 18
Food
Farmers Market
Enjoy the fresh air while selecting your fresh produce, spices, home-baked breads, hand-made pastas, organic products and much more at Pinecrest Gardens’ Farmers Market. The Market Company will be sponsoring and hosting cooking demonstrations presented by The Kitchen Counselor. And while you are there, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy some of the fruits (and vegetables) and other delicious treats at one of our many picnic areas in the Gardens, or overlooking the magnificent view of Lakeview Terrace. 9am. Free. Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 SW 57th Ave; Miami. For info: pinecrest-fl.gov
December 18
Outdoors
Bay Cruise
Take a break from holiday shopping and enjoy a relaxing Bay Cruise. Discover South Florida’s nature and history aboard the “Pelican Island Skipper” Pontoon Boat, a 45 foot Corinthian Catamaran. A Deering Estate Education and Interpretive staff member will talk about birds, sea mammals, Native Americans, and early pioneers. The boat will pass Chicken Key, a seven-acre mangrove island and restored bird rookery. The two-hour cruise departs at 2:00 pm from the Deering Estate at Cutler and returns at 4:00 pm. Passengers are required to arrive at the Deering Estate at 1:30 pm. $35. The Deering Estate at Cutler, 16701 SW 72 Ave; Miami. For info: deeringestate.org or 305-235-1668 ext. 233.
December 18
Music
Family Holiday Concert
The 85-member Greater Miami Symphonic Band will be performing a Family Holiday Concert tonight. The program will be aimed at a young audience and will last only 1 hour. Many favorite holiday tunes will be included and a Christmas Sing-A-Long. $10. 3pm. Gusman Concert Hall, 1314 Miller Dr; Coral Gables. For info: 305-273-7687 or gmsb.org.
December 19
Kids
The Grinch
Back by popular demand: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” presented by the MCM players. To get into the Holiday spirit, the cast of characters will reprise their roles in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. Join Cindy Lou, Max & the Grinch as the MCM players act out this holiday classic. 3:30pm. Miami Children’s Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami. For info: miamichildrensmuseum.org.
December 19
Kids
Winter Camp at HistoryMiami
Children ages 5 to 12 are given the opportunity to create, explore new worlds and make friends at HistoryMiami’s Tropical Adventures Camps. Our award-winning camps include quality hands-on activities, a stimulating environment and exciting regional field trips. $190 per week. 9am to 5pm. For info: 305-375-1492 or education@historymiami.org.
December 19
Performance
Open Poetry Mike
Don’t miss this chance to create culture in South Florida. Head to Open Poetry Mike and get a chance to read your work or just listen. Hosted by Anastasia Clark. Free refreshments. 6pm. FreeMiramar Library, 2050 Civic Center Pl; Miramar. For info: 954-437-1806
December 19
Kids
Vive Le Chocolat
This sounds like fun for kids of all ages. Vive Le Chocolat, a week long art and language camp at Alliance française. Ages 5-14. 9am. $299. Alliance française, 618 SW 8th St; Miami. For info: 305 859 8760.
December 19
Books
The Healthy Voyager’s Global Kitchen
Join author Carolyn Scott-Hamilton, aka The Healthy Voyager, for a fun holiday book signing at as she launches her first cookbook, The Healthy Voyager’s Global Kitchen. Full of fresh new flavors and exciting ethnic eats—all “veganized” for your enjoyment—The Healthy Voyager’s Global Kitchen Cookbook features 150 of the best international recipes from more than 20 countries across the globe that also feature options for gluten free, soy free, diabetic, low fat and beyond. Scott-Hamilton, nutritionist, chef and creator of the wildly popular website, with over 700,000 subscribers at healthyvoyager.com, and respected expert in plant-based and special diet travel and living, this cookbook gives you the ability to not only explore new cuisines and dishes you’ve always wanted to try, but to re-create the meals and tastes you’ve dreamt of since that honeymoon trip or European vacation you took years ago, regardless of dietary restriction. If you thought that following a vegan lifestyle meant missing out on the spices and flavors of ethnic cuisine, think again! Rave reviews from Food Network’s Iron Chef Cat Cora, P90x’s Tony Horton and even Rikki Rockett of Poison all share one thing in common…They love The Healthy Voyager’s Global Kitchen. 7pm. Free. Design Within Reach, 927 Lincoln Rd; Miami Beach. For info: booksandbooks.com
December 20
Holidays
Holiday Wonderland
Throughout December, tour the elegant and historic houses at the Deering Estate at Cutler as they come alive with holiday accents and decorations. The Holiday Wonderland is an annual tradition and a special project of local garden clubs and community organizations. The garden club members, students, and teachers have used ribbon, garland, and handmade ornaments of various themes to decorate the Richmond Cottage and Stone House. Through December 31st. 10am. $12. The Deering Estate, 16701 SW 72 Ave; Miami. For info: deeringestate.org or 305-235-1668 ext. 233.
December 20
Music
Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band
Allen is a passionate fan of jazz, which is often featured prominently in the soundtracks to his films. Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band have been playing each Monday evening at Manhattan’s Carlyle Hotel for many years (as of 2011, specializing in classic New Orleans jazz from the early twentieth century). 9pm. $35 – $125. Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: livenation.com
December 21
Film
Some Like it Hot
Enjoy free movies every Wednesday night with the SoundScape Outdoor Cinema Series. This week’s flick is Some Like it Hot. When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all female band disguised as women, but further complications set in. Directed by Billy Wilder. Starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Bring your blanket or beach chair and picnic. No glass please. Free. 8pm. Miami Beach SoundScape ExoStage, 500 17 St; Miami Beach. For info: mbculture.com
Category: HIGHLIGHTS, TO DO
