Our modern Christmas certainly is not the same as it was depicted in films like It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story.
Sure, they are fun and memorable, but for a new generation raised on a steady diet of reality programming and video games, sometimes you want something a bit more energetic.
For the third year in a row, the Grand Rapids Symphony welcomes back to DeVos Hall the high-wired fun and shenanigans of Cirque de la Symphonie's "Cirque de Noël."
For three nights, this updated version of their 2010 show will hitch the muscular prowess of the Cirque performer with the high-energy talent of our GRSO.
The show will feature a thrilling cast that delights just overhead of the audience with aerial artists, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, balancers, strongmen and jugglers performing to updated holiday music and traditional classics in an exhilarating show that is sure to leave you breathless.
"This is a gift the whole family will celebrate for years to come," Conductor David Lockington said. "Each time we have presented Cirque de la Symphonie, our audiences have asked for more."
And more is what they will get as the GRSO marries music to performance.
Musical highlights of the Cirque de Noël program will include selections from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker," Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," Suite from "Polar Express," the "Skater's Waltz" and Leroy Anderson's perennial favorite, "Sleigh Ride."
Admission: From $36.