If you love old school hip hop, break dancing and the Nutcracker then seeing The Hip Hop Nutcracker should be on your list of things to do this holiday season. The show opened up with hip hop legend, special Guest MC Kurtis Blow taking us through the era of hip hop in the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s. I was up on my feet and singing along to all the classic hip hop beats. Kurtis Blow is a great MC; he rapped the introduction to the musical and set the stage for the first scene. The violinist started the first scene and he was phenomenal! I can’t explain how he perfectly played his violin to hip hop beats and sounded amazing.
The Hip Hop Nutcracker, a contemporary dance spectacle set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless music, is a holiday mash-up for the entire family. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber and produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and co-commissioned by United Palace of Cultural Arts, The Hip Hop Nutcracker is a full-length production performed by a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ and a violinist. A modern twist on a holiday dance classic. – DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center)
This is a great holiday musical for all to enjoy. The one thing that really stood out to me was that it was a love story and the message “Love conquers all†rang throughout the holiday musical. I really enjoyed the digital scenery that took us back to the streets of New York City on New Years Eve in 1984. The mysterious Drosselmeyer casts spells throughout the musical and takes us back in time to show Maria-Clara and her new beau “The Nutcracker†when and where her parents first met in Sweets night club and how deeply in love they were with one another.
Break dancing was one of the biggest highlights of the show along with the classics and hip hop music. This was the perfect fusion of classical and modern music. The cast of just about a dozen members were remarkable with their dancing. The musical was also filled with humor and kept us laughing throughout the scenes. This is a very talented cast. DJ Boo played music throughout the performance and we danced in our seats. Keep in mind throughout the musical there is no dialogue so the body language, dancing and music made it easy to follow the story line. #HipHopNutcracker #Hosted