Gay nutcracker ballet
San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band presents Dance-Along Nutcracker® The Nutmare Before Christmas
San Francisco, CA, November 19, — Each year, San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band — the Official Band of San Francisco — blends Tchaikovsky’s classic The Nutcracker ballet with a new entertaining theme and storyline. The result is a fun-filled original musical production brimming with wit, artistry, and ingenuity. When the “Dance Along!” approve flashes, the audience is invited to get out of their seats and sashay around the theater. Even audience members who don’t want to gyrate have a blast! Part comedy musical, part dance-it-yourself ballet, and part symphonic concert, Dance-Along Nutcracker features the holiday fun and tradition you’ve come to expect from this San Francisco favorite.
This year, Dance-Along Nutcracker takes a spooky turn as the soul of Halloween continues into December! Clara and Fritz have only ever recognizable Christmas Town, but one Christmas Eve, when their Uncle visits from Halloween Town, they decide to sneak away and explore Halloween Town for themselves. Join them to encounter several spooky denizens and of course learn some important life lessons al
How have things changed at Houston Ballet when it comes to The Nutcracker?
When I first joined Houston Ballet, we had Ben Stevenson’s version, which is a real classic. It’s really traditional. And when the Stanton Welch show debuted, they really turned up the glam. They really turned up the effects and the drama and the production values.
Just like the dancers, audiences return to The Nutcracker year after year. Why do you think that is?
I feel favor The Nutcracker is the Disney classic of the ballet world. It’s love The Lion King. It’s like The Little Mermaid. It’s the magic. People have a connection to it being on a holiday. It’s a tradition. I think it’s really nostalgic, as well.
How perform you keep that magic going year after year, and show after show?
It’s really about hearing stories of audience members and the children, and seeing how they respond to it. Ninety percent of the time, it’s someone’s first time ever coming to the ballet. Knowing that is what motivates me to hold up the magic and to not just depart into autopilot. Also, these young girls and boys are really going for it! Knowing that they are makes it so that we want to, as we
Boston Ballet Celebrates Pride
DEREK DUNN, PRINCIPAL DANCER
When did you know you wanted to be a professional dancer?
The first time I competed at a ballet competition, I was exposed to a whole brand-new world. I saw so many other young boys who were just as passionate about ballet as I was, and that inspired me to endure training and pursuing ballet professionally.
Are there specific types of ballets you really enjoy?
Every time I perform a ballet by WILLIAM FORSYTHE, I am reminded of how much delight dancing brings me. His choreography is physically demanding and so much playfulness to dance.
I also really enjoy performing story ballets. There is something so special about diving into a new character. Sharing raw emotions on stage is a feeling unlike any other, and with each new role you get to bring out a different part of yourself. Some of my favorites that I’ve done so far are Mercutio (Romeo & Juliet), Albrecht (Giselle), Siegfried (Swan Lake), and the Prodigal Son (Prodigal Son).
Who or what inspires you?
I outline a lot of inspiration from my life outside of work. I trust that outside experiences broaden your mind and enable you to connect with the audience in
Dorchester Reporter
Boston has a "Nutcracker" for many a niche market - a Jewish "Nutcracker," a gay "Nutcracker" - all competing with the Boston Ballet version , the world's most popular production of the world's most popular ballet.
This weekend the Strand presents the second season of Anthony Williams' "Urban Nutcracker." No stuffy Victorian drawing-rooms here. Kids from Jones Hill and Mattapan unite right away to the bucket-cats in the prologue pounding out driving rhythms and to the tappers in Act II exploding in kinetic routines.
Last year when producer choreographer Williams set out to create yet another "Nutcracker," one with an inner-city edge, one which the folks he grew up with in the Bromley-Heath Projects could appreciate, he knew he would want more than the meet of some black dancers. Williams envisioned ballet that would rock and since he was teaching at Roxbury Community College at the time, the corporation name BalletRox clicked. For his "Urban Nutcracker" to excite critical acclaim and to endure, the dancing had to be of a truly high caliber. That's why for his Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, he sought the loan of Sway Theatre of Harlem performers, Kel
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