Fans To See Reimagined, Diverse ‘Brooklyn Nutcracker’ When Ballet Production Returns On Dec. 11 At Kings Theatre

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Dancers with the Brooklyn Ballet will soon take the main stage for the first time since before the pandemic, this time with a new spin on the “Brooklyn Nutcracker.”

And as CBS2’s Jenna DeAngelis reported Wednesday, the new version celebrates not only the holidays but the borough where they perform.

Step by step, the dancers were setting the stage for a Christmas classic.

“There’s so many Nutcrackers out there and the traditional story is really wonderful, but we have a twist on our story,” director Audrey Borst said.

The Brooklyn Nutcracker celebrates more than just the holidays.

“It’s almost like a celebration of all the styles because dance is that one language that connects you to everything,” dancer Michael Fields said.

This production incorporates many dance genres, from ballet to African dance, belly dance, Native American hoop dance, flamenco and hip-hop.

“You gotta represent Brooklyn, which is why we have flexes … why we have popping,” Fields said.

And it represents the diversity of the borough.

“Growing up, when I saw the nutcracker, often times ballet is represented, it’s very white. So this nutcracker has so many different people, and so that diversity really calls my name and says this is something you can do, every little girl and boy can do no matter who you are and how you grew up,” Borst said.

The dancers said they are excited to inspire a full audience again in the theater after the pandemic forced them to pivot last year, and, instead, perform in the studio for an audience watching from the sidewalk.

“People could just come and pass by the window and see a 20-minute version of the ‘Brooklyn Nutcracker,'” Brooklyn Ballet founding artistic director Lynn Parkerson said. “It has been my life’s work.”

The cast is crew are excited to enhance the performance this year with a hip-hop battle scene, among other surprises in the show that celebrates all that makes Brooklyn a special place.

“If you’re looking to have fun during the holidays, celebrate uniqueness, celebrate diversity, then this is the show for you,” Borst said.

The Brooklyn Nutcracker returns to the big stage at Kings Theatre on Flatbush Avenue with two shows on Dec. 11. Show times are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

For more information, including how to get tickets, please click here.

from CBS New York https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/12/01/brooklyn-ballet-brooklyn-nutcracker-kings-theatre/
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