San Francisco, Calif. -- Making its United States premiere this season, The Little Mermaid, by Hamburg Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer John Neumeier, offers a dramatic and modern interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1836 tale by the same name.

Featuring an original commissioned score by renowned composer Lera Auerbach, Neumeier’s contemporary version of The Little Mermaid is a haunting tale of two divergent worlds: the serenity and simplicity of underwater life and the complex, often flamboyant lives of humans. The mermaid heroine travels through both worlds, enduring torment because of her committed love for a prince—but through her own strength in the end—transcends. Composer: Lera Auerbach Choreographer: John Neumeier

Performance dates: Sat Mar 20, 8pm* | Sun Mar 21, 2pm* | Tue Mar 23, 8pm | Wed Mar 24, 7:30pm• | Thu Mar 25, 8pm | Fri Mar 26, 8pm* | Sat Mar 27, 2pm | Sat Mar 27, 8pm | Sun Mar 28, 2pm

Please Note: This critically acclaimed production focuses on the deeper, mature themes of the original story and is not recommended for younger children.

London, England -- The BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair is the UK’s foremost national art and antiques fair which runs from the 17-23 March 2010 and will exhibit work from 103 members of the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA). The BADA was founded in 1918, setting the standard for trading in the antiques business. The annual Fair takes place in in a purpose-built pavilion in the Duke of York Square, Chelsea, one of London's most exclusive areas and provides a unique forum in which to buy from some of the country's very best art and antiques dealers.

This year visitors will enjoy a broad range of isciplines with excellence and diversity being key, work includes fine English furniture, important paintings contributing the strongest-ever contingent of Modern British painting at the Fair, textiles, clocks, glass and ceramics and
jewellery. Long standing participants include Thomas Coulborn & Sons, Lennox Cato, Sandra Cronan, Raffety & Walwyn, Duncan Miller and Frank Partridge will bring items of the highest calibre.

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Cambridge, England -- The celebrated Sculpture Promenade is returning to the grounds of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum for a second year. This free annual installation of contemporary sculpture showcases work by some of the most talented artists working today, ranging from monumental works in bronze and steel to wind-driven, mobile forms. The 2010 Sculpture Promenade will feature recent sculpture by Angela Conner, Ann Christopher, Mike Lyons, Nick Turvey, Nick Hornby and Rob Ward - all members of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (RBS).
In contrast to last year’s event, the 2010 Promenade presents up to three sculptures by each artist, making this the largest sculpture installation yet seen on the lawns of the Fitzwilliam.
Opens 23 March Follow this link for further information . . . .

Las Vegas, Nevada -- Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (BGFA) is pleased to announce the opening of “Figuratively Speaking: A Survey of the Human Form” May 1. Organized in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), “Figuratively Speaking” will present figurative works by such artists as Pierre-August Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Joseph Cornell, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Judith Shea, Bill Viola, Yoshitomo Nara, Vanessa Beecroft and many others. This engaging survey will feature more than 30 paintings, photographs and sculpture along with video installations by 26 artists whose traditional and contemporary perspectives on figurative art helped to define the genre in the late 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries Use this link to access more information online . . . .

London, England -- Scientific detective work has revealed a mysterious coiled serpent in the hands of Queen Elizabeth I, which was painted out by the artist shortly afterwards, in a portrait at the National Portrait Gallery. It has also been revealed that this portrait of the queen, which has not been on display at the Gallery since 1921, was painted over an unfinished portrait of an unknown sitter. The revelations about this painting and three others of the Tudor queen will form a new display, Concealed and Revealed: The Changing Faces of Elizabeth I, from 13 March at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the Making Art in Tudor Britain project led by Dr Tarnya Cooper.

The portrait of Elizabeth I with the serpent (NPG 200) was painted by an unknown artist in the 1580s or early 1590s. Degradation over time has revealed that Elizabeth I was originally painted holding the serpent, the outline of which is now visible on the surface. Paint analysis has shown that the snake was part of the original design, painted at the same time as the rest of the portrait, and Elizabeth's fingers were originally clasped around the snake (as seen in the artist's impression). At the final stage of painting a decision was made not to include this emblem, and the Queen was shown holding a small bunch of roses instead. A serpent was sometimes used to represent wisdom, prudence and reasoned judgment - all fitting attributes for a Queen - but in the Christian tradition serpents have also been used to represent Satan and original sin. The removal of the snake may therefore have been due to the ambiguity of the emblem. The snake is mainly black, but has greenish blue scales and was almost certainly painted from imagination.

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Basel, Switzerland -- The 11th Blues Festival Basel – 23rd -28th March, 2010 - comes up with a brilliant cast: Magic Slim, Charlie Musselwhite, Zora Young & Co. are coming to the Volkshaus.

Thanks to excellent relations, Louis van der Haegen and his team have been able to book top-class acts from USA, thus raising the Festival to a new high grade. One of them is blues guitarist Magic Slim. The top player, who gave a guest performance with Lefty Dizz on the main stage in Montreux in 1981 - mind you, in the same program as Albert Collins & The Icebreakers and Taj Mahal - will honour the Volkshaus with his presence on Wednesday, 24th March, 2010 by offering his strong sound with its unique signature onstage. Magic Slim, multiple winner of the Blues Award, brings along his fantastic band Magic Slim & The Teardrops - in the vanguard there's Boogie-Lady Vanessa G.

Award winning Blues harp player Charlie Musselwhite also has Montreux experience. He was co-headliner at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1998, together with superstars like B.B. King and Buddy Guy. Charlie Musselwhite & Band will celebrate the Blues in all its facets on Saturday, 27th March, 2010. It will be a first appearance in Basel for both Magic Slim and as Charlie Musselwhite. In addition, the Festival will feature such great acts as well-known blueser R.J. Mischo with his band, Blues queen Rita Chiarelli from Canada (Thursday, 25th March) and US vocalist Zora Young, who will perform jointly with US-Basel citizen Sam Burckhardt on Friday, 26th March.

That very same evening will also show concerts of Chris Harper with singer Peaches Staten, Mike Weeler, Larry Williams, Cleo Cole and Special Guest Jesse James King from USA. Last but not least there's the Andy Egert Blues Band who will be working the crowd for Charlie Musselwhite. The bestowal of this year's treasured Swiss Blues Award to a personality who rendered outstanding services to the blues music in our country will also take place on Saturday evening. This ceremony will be attended by VIP's of economy, politics and showbiz. The 11th Blues Festival will be topped off by a Blues Brunch on Sunday, 28th March, 2010. Let The Good Times Roll! Follow this lnk for more info . . . .

London, England -- The Entrance of The Oxford Arms, Warwick Lane, 1875, by A & J Bool. Society for Photographing Relics of Old London, © Royal Academy of Arts Adjacent to the Royal Academy Restaurant. Prompted by the imminent demolition of an old London inn near St Paul's, the Society for the Photographing of Relics of Old London set about using photography as a means of documenting buildings that represented old London threatened with destruction. This exhibition presents a selection of these photographs from the 1870s and 1880s by A. & J. Bool and, later, Henry Dixon & Son which capture some of the buildings and streets, which were the legacies of earlier centuries. The exhibition offers fascinating insights into photography’s historic, and ongoing, role in documenting the texture of the urban environment. Dates: February 10 — June 22, 2010, In the Architecture Space Free, Opening times, 10am-6pm every day except Friday
10am-10pm Friday Follow this link for further information . . . .

New York, NY - Swiss International Air Lines was honored for its First Class Cabin at the 5th annual Travel + Leisure Design Awards held in San Francisco on February 23. A six-member jury awarded SWISS "Best Transportation" distinction for its SWISS First Class Cabin design.

"We’re delighted to receive this award, which is a tribute to SWISS's effort in constantly improving our customer's experience," said Markus Binkert, responsible for Product & Services at SWISS. "In developing our new First Class cabin product, we aim to set new benchmarks in premium travel, and we’re extremely pleased that our investments in such comfort and innovations have been so well received. We work day in, day out to offer our customers the best possible quality, as it is of the utmost importance to us that all our passengers are made to feel at home in a comfortable, relaxing and personalized environment."


In addition to its award-winning design by Priestmangoode, the new SWISS First Class features numerous new innovations. These include an individually adjustable divider wall and a guest seat. A further key innovation is the pneumatic air cushion developed in collaboration with Swiss manufacturer Lantal, which is provided at every seat and which can be individually adjusted to the firmness or softness desired. The new First Class seat can also be transformed at the touch of a button into a lie-flat bed that is over two metres long. The new SWISS First Class cabin is being gradually installed throughout the SWISS A330-300 long-haul fleet in a program that began in April 2009. For more info follow this link . . .

Amsterdam, Holland - On April 24th and April 25th 2010 Amsterdam will offer flower lovers a unique event. During the first Amsterdam Tulip Festival the historical gardens of the canal houses will be flourishing with tulips in full bloom. Since the 17th century Amsterdam and the tulip have a special relationship. At those times tulips were so rare and popular that during the height of the ‘tulip-mania’ a tulip bulb was worth a true fortune. The large gardens behind the stately canal houses are one of the best kept secrets of Amsterdam. Apart from the magnificent colours of the thousands of tulips it is a true experience in its own right to enter these secret gardens. Visitors can do just that during this weekend. The gardens are open to the public from 10am until 5pm. A festival pass is valid for two days and costs 10 Euros. The participating gardens include Museum Van Loon, Museum Willet-Holthuysen, Bijbels Museum and Huis Marseille. This festival is envisaged to be an annual event. Use this link for further additional information . . . .

• Georges Bizet’s Carmen at the Château de Chambord - Opera steals the limelight at the Château de Chambord Carmen, the famous masterpiece of Georges Bizet created in 1875, will be performed on 11th and 12th June under a star-filled sky in front of the château façade. With such an impressive setting, the performance is sure to be magical... New International Festival of Gardens event

• "Body and soul gardens" - From spring onwards, come and participate in the International Festival of Gardens in the estate of the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire. The most talented landscape gardeners from across the globe will be creating 30 exceptional gardens based on the theme, "Gardens with body and soul"...

• 23 new kilometres for 'La Loire à Vélo' trail - Link up with Chisseaux and the Château de Chenonceau from Onzain From spring 2010, the Château de Chenonceau will be accessible from Onzain station. The route will stretch for 23 kilometres, most of which will be occupied by a shared lane, leading to Chisseaux where the Château de Chenonceau can be accessed by road...

• 200th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Chopin - The 'Festival de Nohant' pays tribute to the talented composer The festivities will commence on 27th February with 'Bon anniversaire Monsieur Chopin', a concert boasting sixty internationally acclaimed pianists performing the phenomenal virtuoso's finest compositions at Le Tarmac in Châteauroux... Chinon: a new fortress for summer 2010

• Discover the new face of the royal fortress of Chinon - In summer 2010, visitors can discover the new face of the royal fortress of Chinon. After six years of construction work aimed at restoring the monument to its former military glory and consistency, a tour of the fortress will reveal the new developments...

For further information on visiting the Loire Valley, please follow this link . . .