Festive December dance performances don’t have to involve sequined Rockettes and dainty Sugar Plum Fairies. Ballet Hispanico is the Kennedy Center’s non-Nutcracker offering this December, and it’s a good one. The program opens with “Jardí Tancat,” a folk tale suite by the Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato. The 1984 classic will be followed by two works commissioned in 2013: “Sombrerísimo,” choreographed by the always lively Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and “Sortijas,” a new work by the Spanish wunderkind Cayetano Soto. Read more >>> Ballet Hispanico performs Dec. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $22–$60. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org. (Rebecca J. Ritzel)

EAT THIS

Looking for dinner and a show? Look no further than these six restaurants with the city’s best kitchenside seats. (Jessica Sidman)

OH AND ALSO

The European Union Film Festival begins tonight at AFI Silver, with a screening of Walesa: Man of Hope. The festival runs through Dec. 22. 7:15 p.m. at 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $10–$12.

Psychedelic rock band Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel play an intimate show at Arlington’s CD Cellar with Jake Starr & the Delicious Fullness. Find more details on Facebook. 8 p.m. at 2607 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Free, donations suggested.

Rosanne Cash, a native of Southern California, has lived in New York for the last 22 years. But the South has always held special meaning for her. For her three-night residency at the Library of Congress, she will preview her upcoming album The River and the Thread, hosting a round robin and talking with U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey. Read more in our Fall Arts Guide. 8 p.m. at 101 Independence Ave. SE. Free. (Steve Kiviat)

Hugh Cornwell, former frontman of British punk band The Stranglers, performs at the Black Cat Backstage with local post-punk group Dot Dash. 8 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $15.

Enjoy a night of hip-hop at the Howard Theatre when Joey Fatts & Aston Matthews, 100s, and OverDoz join A$AP Ferg for a performance. 9 p.m. at 620 T St. NW. $20.

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