Hip Hop Nutcracker * River City Belle

I’m a huge fan of the Nutcracker ballet. My dad has taken me to the Nutcracker ballet in Richmond every few years since I was a young girl. I have a small collection of Nutcrackers, and I decorate our basement Christmas tree in a Nutcracker theme. So, when a friend asked me if I’d like to attend the Hip Hop Nutcracker with her, I immediately said yes.

Hip Hop Nutcracker

In short, the Hip Hop Nutcracker was fabulous! Other than seeing a few promotional posters and emails, I had little to no knowledge of the production. The HHN utilized the original score by Tchaikovsky and kept elements of the classical ballet in this hip-hop rendition. Drosselmeyer takes on a more significant role in the production than the original ballet, and of course, Clara and the Nutcracker are the centers of the story. Unlike the original ballet, the Hip Hop Nutcracker takes place on New Year’s Eve rather than Christmas Eve.

The theatre was lively, and the dancers phenomenal. Kurtis Blow, the Christmas Rapper, is a great MC and lead the crowd in a trip down musical memory lane at the top of the show. As a fan of the classic Nutcracker, I thoroughly enjoyed discovering my favorite characters in their hip-hop forms! If you observe, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn who the hip-hop Sugar Plum Fairy is and spoilers; you meet her in the first ten minutes of the production.

If the Hip Hop Nutcracker visits your town, you should take in the show. You won’t be disappointed.