Ballet Des Moines was blessed with a snowy opening night for The Nutcracker last Thursday at Hoyt Sherman Place. For ballet companies across the world, the production of The Nutcracker […]
Central Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Iowa Stage Theatre Company, no stranger to ‘A Christmas Carol,’ incorporates songs, humor and a message from the Present
A Christmas Carol is a familiar tale. Familiar not just to the average English speaker, it is a tale that should be especially familiar to audiences of the Iowa Stage […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: From the lobby to stage, New York Voices (with an assist from a local youth choir) brought Christmas spirit to the Staplin Center
Civic Music Association’s centennial season invites a wide array of musicians to Des Moines, and this past weekend they ushered in the holiday season at Staplin Performing Arts Center with a festive performance of The Sounds of the Season by New York Voices.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Dubbed the ‘gadget guy’ of jazz, Herbie Hancock used tech to change music forever. He honed his skills in Grinnell
In his last performance in Iowa City, jazz great Herbie Hancock mentioned how he felt “at home in Iowa” because of his years at Grinnell College. For most artists, a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Fully Booked at DMPL: Books to read when you need to feel something
Reading is a daily ritual for me. I’m a mood reader, gravitating towards genre fiction when I need an escape from reality, but my favorite books tend to be emotionally […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Lefty’s Live Music is closing after 10 years in Des Moines
After a decade as a pillar of the music scene in Des Moines, Lefty’s Live Music is closing. “As our tenth year draws to a close and after much consideration, […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: DIEZELEATER — ‘Couthless Aggression’
With a band name styled in ALL CAPS and “kvlt and tru” spelling, you know you’re going to have some sort of preconceived notion of the Des Moines-based metallers DIEZELEATER (Should it technically be DIEZELDRINKER?) and I won’t tell you mine.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Dance company BODYTRAFFIC pays homage to Buddy Holly, Peggy Lee and James Brown in Des Moines
Des Moines Performing Arts launched their 2025-2026 Dance Series with a powerful performance by BODYTRAFFIC. Based in Los Angeles, the renowned dance company celebrates diversity and innovation through performance and education initiatives, sharing their passion for dance with audiences across the world.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Des Moines Symphony performs its first work by an Indigenous composer, paired with Dvořák and Chopin
Des Moines Symphony offered another crowd-pleasing performance last month with the second installment of their Masterworks series, Wisdom – Dvořák 6 & Chopin. Their program once again featured a modern […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Iowa Stage Theatre Company makes deft use of long monologues and long silences with Sam Shepard’s ‘Buried Child’
Most of the characters in Buried Child do not exist. Not just because the players in Sam Shepard’s 1960s-set American drama are fictional, but because nearly every character, at some […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Fully Booked at DMPL: Haunted houses, haunting reads
Halloween is just around the corner, when larger-than-life skeletons adorn front yards and glowing pumpkins sit on every doorstep. These spooky season staples aren’t always indicative of thrills and chills […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: An environmental art exhibition at Grand View University combines the cosmic and down-to-earth
The exhibition “GAIA II: The Pale Blue Dot” begins a month-long run at Des Moines’ Grand View University on Monday, Oct. 20. A beguiling blend of expressive imagery and compelling […]
