1 Dallas 2000
New Year’s Eve. Why bring in the New Year sitting at home watching Dick Clark-again-when you can party like it’s 1999 for the last time with Mayor Kirk, for free! The best part of it all? Years from now, you can tell the story of how you were there when Dallas relit Pegasus at the turn of the century. Pegasus Plaza, Main St. For information, call 214-747-1999. For tickets, 214-373-8000.
2 Fantasia 2000 January h April 30. Sixty-year-old Fantasia gets a face lift in Fantasia 2000. Mickey Mouse as the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and the pink hippos dancing with debonair crocodiles have never looked better. Since a new generation of Disney artists added seven new sequences to the classic tale, our favorite fantasy isn’t getting older, it’s getting better. IMAX Theater, the Science Place, Fair Park. 214-428-5555.
3 La Traviata January 28-30. The Dallas Opera ends its 1999-2000 season with the world’s most romantic opera. Verdi’s timeless classic about passionate and never-ending love starring Patricia Racette as Violetta. die classic “hooker with a heart of gold.” and Fernando de la Mora as Alfredo. If your operatic knowledge extends only to the Bugs Bunny version, here’s your opportunity to enter a world of breathtaking beauty and heart-throbbing romance, all set to music that entrances with voices that soar. 7:30pm. Music Halt, Fair Park. 214-443-1000.
4 Expo WOO January 8-29. Like you, we paused when we read the title of 500X’s annual artist showcase; we’ve had more than enough of tire millennium hype that has seemingly overcome the world. But rest assured, this expo has nothing to do with millennium and everything to do with art-some of the Guest pieces in Texas, in fact-and is jurored by local artist Benito Huerta. 500 Exposition near Pern Ave. 214-828-1111.
5 Mavis Staples January 15. Gospel is more than spreading glad tidings; it’s about moving people, both in the spiritual and physical sense. Few do that better than Mavis Staples. Her tribute to gospel-great Mahalia Jackson is more than an uplifting experience; it’s testimony. 8 p.m.. McFarlin Auditorium, SMU. 214-528-5576.
6 Street Soccer Festival January 22-23. Any campaign manager worth his salt should ensure his candidate makes a stop at this huge indoor tournament. Forget about the high falutin’ Washington lobbyists, this event, which includes tons of food and entertainment, will be crawling with the real power vote-soccer moms. Auto-mobile and Centennial Buildings, Fair Park. 214-670-0577.
7 Dino Dash 10K Run January 29. You may not travel as fast as Grand Race Marshall Bill Signs did during his 1996 record-breaking flight around me world, but it’s worth the try. Look at it this way: Even if you don’t come in at the head of the pack, you can always try your luck in the dino costume contest. 8:30 a.m. Grand Place, Fair Park. 214-368-0047.
8. Buddy January 18-23. Buddy Holly’s tragic tale of a small town Texas boy-made-good has been immortalized in this popular off-Broadway production, which traces Holly’s brilliant career from the early days in Lubbock to his final performance alongside the Big Bopper and Richie Valens. A generation of rock’n’rollers were shocked when the trio perished in a plane crash, but the music lives on in Buddy. 8 p.m. Bass Hall. Fort Worth. 817-2]2-4280.
9. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater January 24-25. Who would have ever imagined that, almost 50 years after its inception, Alvin Ailey’s small band of black dancers would grow into one of the most revered dance companies in the world, performing before royalty, selling out theaters across the globe-the American dream brought to life through movement? True dance aficionados won’t want to miss the rare opportunity to watch Ailey’s dancers perform and further secure the troupe’s place in American dance history. 8 p.m. Bass Halt, Fort Worth. 817-212-4280.
