Gay nutcracker ballet
San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Liberty 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 authentic musical production brimming with wit, artistry, and ingenuity. When the “Dance Along!” sign flashes, the audience is invited to get out of their seats and sashay around the theater. Even audience members who don’t want to dance 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 approach to expect from this San Francisco favorite.
This year, Dance-Along Nutcracker takes a spooky turn as the spirit of Halloween continues into December! Clara and Fritz have only ever known Christmas Town, but one Christmas Eve, when their Uncle visits from Halloween Town, they decide to sneak away and investigate Halloween Town for them
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 film 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 fancy The Nutcracker is the Disney classic of the ballet world. It’s fond of 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 retain up the magic and to not just proceed into autopilot. Also, these yo
Boston Ballet Celebrates Pride
DEREK DUNN, Leading DANCER
When did you know you wanted to be a professional dancer?
The first time I competed at a ballet challenge, I was exposed to a whole new world. I saw so many other young boys who were just as ardent about ballet as I was, and that inspired me to continue 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 joy dancing brings me. His choreography is physically demanding and so much fun to dance.
I also really enjoy performing story ballets. There is something so special about diving into a new traits. Sharing raw emotions on stage is a feeling unlike any other, and with each unused role you get to take 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 draw a lot of inspiration from my life outside of work.
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 dependency more than the hang 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