Sam Reichman

Little needed to be said as Army Spc. Alfredo Hernandez held his wife, Aide, and two little children. “There is nothing that I want or need more than just to play with my 2-year-old,” he said, looking at his daughter. Eric and Samantha Arguelles, a husband and wife who were deployed together, had returned looking forward to something else.

The Richmond Ballet presents Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” this weekend for the first time in eight years. The Richmond Symphony Orchestra will accompany the ballet at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage Friday through Sunday. Audiences will see Richmond Ballet leads Shira Lanyi (Odette/Odile) and Thomas Garrett (the Prince) at the 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday performances. Lanyi, born and raised in Richmond, has performed with the company for six years.

When she was growing up, homosexuality was “classified as a mental disorder,” said Dorothy Fillmore, Associate Director of Academic Operations at VCU and a major advocate for LGBTQ rights. “So, realizing that you were a homosexual had some risky implications,” she said. This month, the Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth is recognizing Fillmore for her work, which has impacted organizations across central Virginia.