Experience Swan Lake, celebrate Christmas at Mensinge or visit WinterWelVaart. There are plenty of fun outings in Groningen and Drenthe in the coming days.
Unhappy love in ‘Swan Lake’
Sigh… An unhappy love, a prince in love with a princess and obstacles that stand in their way. It Swan Lake is a classic for a reason; it is one of the most romantic ballet performances ever written. When Prince Siegfried falls hopelessly in love with Princess Odette, he cannot be with her because she has been turned into a white swan by magic. Through a trick, Prince Siegfried then falls in love with a wizard’s daughter, who looks exactly like Princess Odette. Prince Siegfried discovers the betrayal, but can he save his true love in time?
The swanlake is carried out by the ballet of the Bulgarian State Opera Stara Zagora; renowned for his beautiful renditions of classical ballets. The magical performance with fairytale costumes and sets enchants audiences of all ages. The choreographers of this piece were clearly in top form as they created the ballet to the music of Tchaikovsky.
Emmen – ATLAS Theater, Wed 8 p.m., 43 euros
Rachel Croft and band to the stage
Rachel Croft is an alternative artist who started performing on the streets of York. The singer-songwriter has a voice that ranges from powerful to soft and has already made waves at the Troubadour in London, the Bitter End in New York, the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville and beyond. Her sound falls within the folk and indie genres. She has been visiting the Netherlands regularly since 2018 and gives concerts where the halls are often sold out. She also previously performed solo in the Aa Theater.
This time she is accompanied by her Dutch band with Hanno de Vries on guitar, Haico Postma on bass guitar and Klaas-Jaap van der Heide on drums. In addition to her concert in Groningen next Thursday she stands also on stage in the Rensentheater in Emmen on Saturday.
Groningen – Der Aa-Theater, Thu 8:30 PM, 11 euros
Cozy Christmas in Museum Havezate Mensinge | Advertisement
Museum Havezate Mensinge in Roden will be transformed into an attractive whole from 16 to 26 December. All historic rooms are given a cozy Christmas atmosphere. Christmas was traditionally celebrated at Mensinge. The manor was originally a country residence for the Kymmell family. The very first Kymmell was Jan Wilmsonn and the last resident was Reina Kymmell, who left in 1985 after selling the manor to the municipality. She came to Roden in 1949 as a young girl of ten and went to live with her parents in Mensinge.
Reina remembers the Christmas celebrations at Mensinge very well in those years. “It was always a lot of fun at Christmas,” she says. ‘My grandmother and my sister were there too. The house was decorated and there was a Christmas tree and presents underneath. We weren’t allowed to unpack them until we had eaten Christmas dinner.’ The manor is open daily from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM until Boxing Day. See mensinge.nl.
South African Road Trip with ‘Roots!’
After a successful series of performances on London’s West End, South African Road Trip returns to Hoogeveen. In the new show Roots! the musicians, singers and dancers immerse the viewer in the rich traditions of the Xhosa culture. With the Khavelitsha United Choir you feel like you are in South Africa for a moment. Traditionals and well-known songs are played on authentic instruments. Miriam Makeba’s Pata Pata Tracey Chapmans Fast Car and Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles are included.
Full of passion and energy, the musicians and dancers from Cape Town talk about life in South Africa. Candid, heart-warming stories about history and culture. What role do religion and traditions play? What does the freedom struggle mean to them? What does the future bring? And how does music connect? An introduction can be followed before the performance.
Hoogeveen – De Tamboer, Fri 8 p.m., 34.50 euros
WinterWelVaart full of ships and culture
It’s time for WinterWelVaart again this weekend. From Friday to Sunday, historic ships moor at the Hoge, Lage and Kleine der A. Well-known clippers and cutters, such as the Nicolaas Mulerius, the Jade, the Mars, the Pelikaan, the Willem Jacob and the Jantje, will be present. . These are all sailing ships with special acts on board. There is also music, theater and art on motor ships such as the Verwondering, the Cinclus and tugboat no. 4.
There is an attractive winter market on the quays of the A and there are various performances and children’s activities in the Museum aan de A and the Akerk. WinterWelVaart is a collaboration between Museum aan de A, the Groningen Historical Sailing Association and the A-Kwartier Neighborhood Association. This year the program is co-provided by the Akerk, Usva, Pittig Gekruid, Clash Events and the historic Werf Wolthuis. More information can be found at winterwelvaart.nl.
Groningen – Museum aan de A, Fri 5 p.m., Sat 12 p.m. and Sun 12 noon-6 p.m., free
Christmas with Florian and Grootkoor Drenthe
It has now become a tradition. Every year in December many people can enjoy the Grootkoor Christmas concerts. For everyone who wants to get in the mood, there will be a concert next Friday with singer Florian. This tenor, whose voice made a deep impression in the TV program ARIA sings the greatest Christmas classics together with the Grootkoor Drenthe.
In addition to his performance in ARIA Florian was also often seen in the TV program Una Voce Particolare by Ernst Daniël Smid. Here he fulfilled the role of Tamino. In 2014 he participated in Holland’s Got Talent and he has appeared several times on the program Netherlands Sings . Friday’s concert is led by Etty van der Mei and Nan van Groeningen.
Assen – Theater DNK, Fri 8 p.m., 22.50 euros