The San Francisco Lesbian Gay Freedom Band is preparing its wonderful, whimsical Dance-Along Nutcracker. Shows are 2:30 pm and 7 pm (Gala!) on Saturday, December 8 and 11 am and 3 pm, Sunday, December 9.

Along with the Band's music, Trauma Flintstone sings (or belts is more like it) the lead role of RataVinci, who tells the Nutcracker story from the rats' perspective.

Carolyn Carvajal, veteran of the SF Opera Ballet, choreographs the cast dancers.

Come to the gala and catch Joyce Grant (great-great niece) of Scott Joplin fronting City Swing.

It's all great fun. Here's the official announcement:



The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band presents
2007 Dance-Along Nutcracker®: RAT-ified!
Saturday (2:30 & 7 pm Gala), December 8 & Sunday (11 am & 3 pm), December 9
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum
701 Mission Street (@ 3rd) in San Francisco

Information: www.sflgfb.org/dancealong.html / phone (415) 255-1355
Box Office: www.yerbabuenaarts.org/tickets/ phone (415) 978-ARTS (2787).
Opening Night Gala: Sat., December 8 at 7 p.m.: $50
Daytime shows: 2:30 pm, Sat., December 8 & 11 am & 3 pm, Sun., December 9: $24 adults/ $16 children & seniors

Rats get a bum rap! Chased by cats… blamed for the plague… and that old story of the Rat King attacking a little girl and her nutcracker – what a load of rubbish!
At the 2007 Dance-Along Nutcracker: RAT-ified!, the rats seize center stage to tell their side of the story. So spiff up your ratty tutu, because the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band’s celebrated bash is adding yet another twist to the Nutcracker tale. It’s cheesier than ever!
This year’s Dance-Along highlights include:
· Joe Collins (a.k.a. Trauma Flintstone, “femcee” of Martuni’s renowned Bijou revue) returns to the Bay Area to star as Ratavinci, who takes the audience on a journey in the “Rat Pack’s” shoes.
· Conducting the Band is Artistic Director Dr. Roberto-Juan Gonzalez, music director of the North Bay Philharmonic Orchestra at Napa Valley College and Associate Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra.
· San Francisco Opera Ballet and San Francisco Ballet veteran Carolyn Carvajal choreographs the feature dance numbers and dances as the Rat King!
· The Opening Night Gala features a cocktail party with dancing to the big band sound of City Swing fronted by jazz singer Joyce Grant, great-great niece of Scott Joplin!
· Corinne Levy, dancer with Dance Through Time for 12 years and a veteran of Beach Blanket Babylon, returns to the Dance-Along Nutcracker to dance as Clara!
· All performances feature Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and other music performed by the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, the Official Band of the City of San Francisco.
Tired of letting professional dancers have all the fun? The Dance-Along Nutcracker lets the audience concoct its own choreography beneath the spotlights of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. While the Band performs Nutcracker favorites like Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Waltz of the Flowers and Russian Trepak, sugar plum wannabes leap and pirouette about the dance floor. Tutu rentals and fairy wands are available for those with nothing to wear. Wallflowers have as much fun as dancers.
What the Critics Say About the Dance-Along Nutcracker
“Inspired foolishness, tomfoolery on a grand and witty scale… and the band was superb.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“It’s the best, most hilarious and most participatory Nutcracker around.” –San Francisco Frontiers Magazine
"…one of this city's most delightfully idiosyncratic events." – Wall Street Journal
"Women spin, men cavort and children leap… It is utterly ridiculous." –SF Weekly
"If more people find out about this thing, they'll have to rent the Cow Palace." – San Francisco Chronicle
For more information, check out www.sflgfb.org/dancealong.html.

The SFLGFB is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, proud to be sponsored in part by Grants for the Arts of the San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, the San Francisco Arts Commission, Betty’s List (www.bettyslist.com) and the Jon Sims Endowment Fund for the Performing Arts (www.jsef.org) .