Competitive ballroom dancing demanding work for body and mind

Suki Kramer's first ballroom dance competition was a nightmare. Before it was her turn to perform at the 2008 A La Carte Dance Competition at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Kramer, founder of the skin care line Suki Inc., broke down in tears. "It was freaky," says Kramer, 45. "The whole idea of performance just kind of petrified me." Afterward, Kramer swore she'd never dance in another ballroom competition. But she kept at it, encouraged by her coaches, a growing affinity for ballgowns and the intense training regimen required to compete. "It's just so beautiful," she says of ballroom dancing.

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Weekend Planner - Dance

The West African folk tale of "The Huntsman and the Crocodile" tells of an encounter between Donso the hunter and Bamba the crocodile who, with his family, has traveled far from his river on a pilgrimage to Mecca. As questions arise as to who might end up eating whom, the story develops into a parable of man's disregard for the beasts of the Earth and lack of respect for the land.

East Street Ballet in Hadley stages holiday favorite 'The Bluebird'

In the United States, holiday-season ballet often means "The Nutcracker." But at East Street Ballet in Hadley, associate director Irina Vakhromeeva has long had a special love for a Christmas ballet that's a favorite in her native Russia: "The Bluebird."