What's Happening: 'Antarctic Dinosaurs,' Alexa Tarantino Quartet, 'Songs of the Season'

NOV. 10 THROUGH APRIL 21, 2024

“ANTARCTIC DINOSAURS”: Step back in time and discover life beneath the ice in “Antarctic Dinosaurs.” Today, Antarctica is a forbidding land of snow and ice, but 200 million years ago it was a lush, wooded habitat where dinosaurs thrived. Uncover the history of the world’s southernmost continent and the unique species that have called it home in this interactive, family friendly experience at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Rare fossils, touchable casts and interactive models bring the past to life while showcasing Antarctica’s distinctive dinosaur species. Examine a reconstructed forest, and encounter the early plants and animals that flourished in the once-green environment. Experience the extraordinary work that goes into digging for fossils with real equipment and a recreated quarry. Learn about the important research taking place in this frigid landscape and how it informs future changes to the world’s climate. This is a bilingual exhibit available in English and Spanish. Tickets are $10 for adults; $9 for Florida residents, seniors and non-UF college students; $7 for ages 3-17; and free for ages 2 and younger, UF students and museum members. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is located at 3215 Hull Road. For more information, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu or call 846-2000.

NOV. 12

“TO DANCE IS TO LOVE, TO LOVE IS TO DANCE”: Dance Alive National Ballet’s student group, The Next Generation, will take the stage with a wildly varied concert beginning at 4 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Eastside High School Theatre. Co-Directors Rachel Ridley and Tales Ribeiro will take dancers and the audience on an exhilarating ride from classical dance to contemporary dance, classical music to classic rock’s most popular music — while choreography features the work of 10 different and wildly talented choreographers. One of Brazil’s most famous choreographers, Cristina Helena, arrived in September to set four works for the young company. Helena is a delegate to UNESCO and former teacher for many of DANB’s principal dancers. The tone for the concert is “To Dance Is To Love, To Love Is To Dance.” Additional works will feature the work of former guest artists and master teachers Kimmy Keck and Autumn Marie along with the work of DANB’s Kim Tuttle, Judy Skinner, Tales Ribeiro, Roberto Vega and Rachel Ridley. “Let’s Get Loud,” a favorite student work from Spring 2023 by Madeleine Gurka and Gabriel Luna, also will be performed. The finale will feature the entire company filling the stage with “Don’t Stop Me Now.” This performance by Next Generation provides support for DANB’s educational programs. The Next Generation is a group of 32 student dancers who present numerous programs and activities for community service projects in support of Dance Alive National Ballet’s mission and programming. Founded in 1966 in Gainesville, Dance Alive National Ballet features an international roster of award-winning dancers. The company’s repertoire ranges from the quintessential classic “The Nutcracker” to the cutting-edge movement of contemporary ballet. Dance Alive has toured the Continental United States, Brazil, Cuba, Costa Rica and Russia under the auspices of the NEA, SouthArts, Allied Concert Services and Conciertos Internacionales. The Eastside High School Theatre is located at 1201 SE 43rd St. For information about ticket prices, or for more information about the program, contact DANB at info@dancealive.org or 371-2986.

NOV. 12

MARK JOHNSON AND EMORY LESTER: Internationally renowned banjo and mandolin players Mark Johnson and Emory Lester are set to perform beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St. Tickets to the show are $25. Johnson has revolutionized the art of clawhammer banjo by adapting its techniques and rhythms to the demands of playing in a bluegrass ensemble. He calls his banjo style “clawgrass.” He has performed and recorded with many bluegrass and acoustic luminaries on the music scene today and also is a gifted teacher and songwriter. His second recording — “Acoustic Rising” with Lester, released on the Crossroads/Mt. Home Record Label — was nominated by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2007 as Instrumental Album of the Year. Johnson’s music was used in a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan television commercial and, in September of 2012, he was named as the third annual winner of the prestigious Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music Award. He also has performed his clawhammer banjo style on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Johnson has conducted countless clawgrass/clawhammer banjo workshops at bluegrass and acoustic music camps and festivals across the country, and continues to teach banjo from his home in Dunnellon. Johnson has made several appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, with the most recent appearance in the Spring of 2017 with Opry Star Mike Snider. Lester has been a notable fixture in the acoustic mandolin world for the past four decades, is an innovator of mandolin technique and a renowned creative artist, multi-instrumentalist and instructor. His large body of recorded work has placed him among the elite mandolinists of the time. He has inspired and influenced many of the current generation’s mandolin players, and pointed the way with his clean, clear, fast and efficient mandolin technique. Lester has performed across the U.S., Canada, Europe, U.K. and Czech Republic with Johnson, Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa, and his own Emory Lester Set, as well as a roster of famous notables such as Del McCoury, Tony Rice, Steve Martin, Babik Reinhardt (son of Django) and Jim Hurst, to name a few. His recordings include nine solo albums, all of which showcase his skills as a composer, arranger and creative multi-instrumentalist. A sought-after instructor of mandolin, banjo and guitar, Lester has a worldwide roster of online students and has taught at many prestigious music camps and workshops in the U.S., Canada, Europe and the UK for the past 25 years. For more information, visit bit.ly/3tVVrOT, 448-4849.

NOV. 17

ALEXA TARANTINO QUARTET: Alexa Tarantino is an award-winning jazz saxophonist. Named one of the Top 5 Alto Saxophonists by JazzTimes Critics’ Poll, Tarantino has established herself as a high-octane, dynamic performer. While she and her bandmates approach the set with tradition firmly in mind, they bring an invigorating way of looking forward. See her quartet perform at 7 and 9 p.m. Nov. 17 at UpStage at the Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Road. Tickets are $50 for the 7 p.m. performance and $35 for the 9 p.m. performance, or $12 for UF students. UpStage is an intimate, cabaret-style setting on the Phillips Center Mainstage. The 7 p.m. seating includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and cash bar; the 9 p.m. seating includes desserts and cash bar. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit performingarts.ufl.edu.

NOV. 17

“SONGS OF THE SEASON”: The winter holidays get an early start when the Santa Fe Singers, with special guests the Gainesville Youth Chorus, perform “Songs of the Season.” The winter holidays include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and more. Take in the free, musically diverse program that will include classical choral music, Hebrew folksongs and popular music at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall on the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St. For more information, visit sfcollege.edu.

NOV. 17 THROUGH DEC. 10

“THE ADDAMS FAMILY”: In the kooky, upside-down world of the Addams family, to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams. Nonetheless, this quirky family still has to deal with many of the same challenges faced by any other family, and the spookiest nightmare faced by every family creates the focus for this musical: the Addams kids are growing up. Catch a show at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 17 through Dec. 10; no performance Thanksgiving day. The Gainesville Community Playhouse is located at 4039 NW 16th Blvd. Tickets are $23 for general admission, $19 for seniors and $12 for students. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit gcplayhouse.org.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What's Happening: 'The Addams Family,' Johnson and Lester, 'To Dance'