Tchaikovsky + Krumping Rats = Nutcracker in the Lower

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} The dainty sounds of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy—and the rest of the classic music Tchaikovsky wrote for his Nutcracker ballet—get a distinctly downtown reboot in Nutcracker in the Lower, back for the ninth consecutive year at Henry Street Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center.

We’re in no way knocking the gorgeous, airy original score, but in this iteration, set on the Lower East Side, the familiar melodies seem a whole lot fresher infused with hip-hop basslines and flamenco trills. The 19th-century ball becomes a salsa-off, and the battle scene sees giant rats and toy soldiers fighting in an abandoned subway station. And yes, the rats krump.

The Urban Ballet Theater presents Nutcracker in the Lower at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street; 212-598-0400. November 27, 28 and December 4, 5 at 3PM, November 27 and December 1-4 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $20 at henrystreet.org.


--EB

What I'm listening to: Ghosts – Laura Marling

Contact Us