Teatro Argentino de La Plata will present “The Nutcracker” as directed by Cristina Delmargo and performed by the Orchestra of Teatro Argentino beginning this Friday, the 19th.  The classic Christmas ballet dates back to the late 19th century with music composed by Tchalkovsky and choreography by Lev Ivanov.  The story follows two siblings, Clara and Fritz, through one Christmas Eve in which they receive a nutcracker in the shape of a soldier as a gift.  Their imagination takes over as the soldier comes to life and the adventure begins.

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Mar del Plata is known for its beautiful beaches and beautifully tan Argentines. Now, it is strutting its more “cultural” stuff with the 23rd Mar del Plata Film Festival, from Nov. 6-16.According to Screen Daily, the festival will open with The Hurt Locker, a film by Kathryn Bigelow’s about an Iraq bomb squad; Bigelow and writer Mark Boal will attend the opening. The Mar del Plata festival is Latin America’s only FIAPF classified A-level festival, beating out even BAFICI, the major film festival that takes place every year in Buenos Aires.In fact, their festival’s artistic director this year is Fernando Martin Pena, who worked on BAFICI for many years. In its 23rd year, it will screen 388 features and shorts, and will close with Kim Ki Duk’s film Breath.

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Mar del Plata is not only one of the most beautiful beaches in Argentina, it is also the cheapest beach resort in Mercosur. Despite this, many people in Latin America, including Argentines, are drawn to the much pricier Punta del Este in Uruguay and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, two of the most expensive places to vacation. According to Mercopress, Buenos Aires consultants Management & Fit published a report on Sunday about the prices for lodging, food and leisure at the major resorts in Mercosur.The study found that Mar del Plata, rather surprisingly, is 25 to 35 percent cheaper than other high profile resorts; it is also the most popular resort in Argentina.The report also names Cordoba and Bariloche as places that are excellent value for money.

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A baby abandoned by her panicking 14-year-old mother was saved by a dog who took the baby into her group of puppies.A story that sounds a little like that of Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a she-wolf and went on to found ancient Rome, this real-life event happened last Thursday when a farmer in La Plata, Fabio Anze, found a baby in with the puppies of his dog China.According to Reuters UK, it is not clear whether or not the dog brought the baby over to the puppies or whether her mother left her there.However, it is certain that the dog kept the baby warm during the first few hours of its life and, by doing so, saved her life.She is now in the hospital with bruises and it recovering quickly and her mother has been located.

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Despite reports of fog so thick you could not see the waves from the beach, tourists are still flocking to Mar del Plata, one of Argentina’s most popular beach resorts.The past weekend, there were 40,181 tourists visiting Mar del Plata.According to the Clarín, this number is up by 22 percent from 2007, when there were 32,919 tourists that same weekend.Winter break for Argentine’s school children means that places like Mar del Plata should be expecting an even greater number of tourists over the next several weeks.Mar del Plata is ready to receive these hordes of children with events such as Expo 100% Children and the International Puppet Festival; these events will entertain whether the fog lifts or no.

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According to La Nación, the Museum of Natural Sciences in La Plata will have ten life-sized dinosaurs on display for the winter season.These dinosaurs are made by the same artists as those who create the animals arranged outside the museum.Of course, the artists work closely with leading paleontologists and architects.The animals outside the museum have informational plaques by them, explaining their histories, and at the end of the season, they are lit on fire.Inside the museum are the dinosaurs and documentaries about them.The exhibit is free and is hosted by the Secretary for Modernization and Urban Development.It is a great event to take the kids to and, as it is mostly indoors, is perfect for enjoying in the Argentine winter.

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