Rappin' with Tchaikovsky
A Twin Cities holiday mainstay since 2015, "The Hip Hop Nutcracker" remixes Tchaikovsky's classic score with break dancing and other contemporary dance styles. Set in 1980s Brooklyn, the touring show features a dozen high-energy performers including a DJ, an electric violinist and a dozen hip-hop dancers. Also on the program is MC Kurtis Blow, the hitmaker behind 1979's "Christmas Rappin.' " Read an interview with Blow in Monday's Variety. Sheila Regan
7:30 p.m. Tue.-Wed. Ordway, St. Paul. $25-$90; 651-224-4222, ordway.org.
On his 50 Intimate Nights Live Tour, neo-soul man Maxwell is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his "most weirdest" album, "Embrya," as well as previewing the final installment of his seductive "Black Summers' Night" trilogy. He's also doing songs from other parts of his career as well as a tribute to one of his heroes, Prince. Soul siren Marsha Ambrosius opens with such favorites as "Late Nights & Early Mornings" and a taste of her recordings with Floetry.
Jon Bream
7:30 p.m. Wed. State Theatre, Mpls. $46-$90.50, ticketmaster.com.
Four years since they burst out of the Twin Cities barely out of high school, the jaggedly poppy lads of Hippo Campus show growth and innovation on their sophomore album, "Bambi." The collaboration with producer BJ Burton (Low, Bon Iver) features more writing from various members and experimentation with synths, strings and electronic beats. The themes of anxiety and romantic confusion don't stymie the sense of fun, which is guaranteed to permeate their two-night homestand. Now, Now opens.
Chris Riemenschneider
7 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Palace Theatre, St. Paul. $35, etix.com.
NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater explored her 1960s childhood roots on last year's "Memphis … Yes, I'm Ready." In a thrillingly soulful performance at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival this summer, she showcased those roots with stellar performances of "The Thrill Is Gone," "I Can't Stand the Rain" and "Try a Little Tenderness," during which she out-Otised Otis Redding. Backed by a first-rate band, she brings the show back at the intimate Dakota.
Jon Bream
7 & 9 p.m. Mon.-Tue. Dakota, Mpls. $35-$50, dakotacooks.com.
A parade led by the Christkind Angel and Father Christmas will usher in the beginning of Excelsior's Christkindlsmarkt, the annual German-style open-air market. The weekend continues with activities for children at KinderWorld and rides on the North Pole trolley. Visitors can purchase their Christmas trees and wreaths while listening to carols from the River City Singers. Located in the parking lot behind Excelsior Brewing Co.
Melissa Walker
10 a.m. Fri.-Sat, 11 a.m. next Sun. Excelsior. Free, excelsiorchristkindlsmarkt.com.
The three characters in the Moving Company's poetic world premiere of "The 4 Seasons" work in a hotel and bemoan the state of things/their lives. Inspired by the plays of Chekhov and accompanied by music from Antonio Vivaldi and Astor Piazzolla, the play acknowledges the characters' belief that the world's problems are too big for them to get a handle on. But with winter about to change to spring, they find cause for optimism.
Chris Hewitt
7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. next Sun. The Lab Theater, Mpls. $20-$38, thelabtheater.org.
Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is one of the SPCO's edgiest artistic partners, and his fascinating all-American program is unmissable. The centerpiece is John Adams' "Shaker Loops," a minimalist classic based on the composer's tongue-in-cheek speculation about how the pious sect might have looked when dancing ecstatically during services. Two pieces by Missy Mazzoli also feature, and Kuusisto solos in Steve Reich's Duet for Two Violins and Strings.
Terry Blain
8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. next Sun. Ordway, St. Paul. $12-$50, thespco.org.
Theater is considered a sacred space by some, but the Guthrie's ninth-floor lobby will become a sanctuary Monday. The theater is setting up comfortable rugs and seating for Amber Sanctuary, a space for quiet reflection and meditation after recent mass shootings. Participants will be able to make wishing cranes as part of the Japanese practice of senbazuru. Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman of Temple Israel will lead a mourner's kaddish, or prayer, at 7 p.m.
Rohan Preston
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon. Guthrie, Mpls. Free, guthrietheater.org.
The Minnesota History Center offers cultural enrichment over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Visit the "Somalis + Minnesota" exhibit, with a collection of artifacts and photos from the immigrant community's history in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Coordinated arts activities and performances will be held throughout the weekend, including an opportunity to enter a traditional Aqal Soomaali hut.
Melissa Walker
History Hound Hijinx noon-3 p.m. Fri.-next Sun. Minnesota History Center, St. Paul. Admission $6-$12, mnhs.org.