An urban twist on Christmas tradition
Urban Nutcracker
From Europe to downtown Dayton, SMAG Dance Collective is reinventing a Christmas classic for a different generation. The group will be performing an urbanized version of the classic Christmas ballet The Nutcracker. Instead of the familiar Tchaikovsky music, expect to hear selections ranging from hip-hop to rock. Whereas Clara dreams of sugarplum fairies in The Nutcracker, the lead Trina, whose greatest wish is a Blackberry phone, dreams of a hip-hop battle royale scene between the Hoodrat Queen and the Urban Nutracker who is in the form of a Hip-Hop Soulja. Though you may be familiar with the Chinese, Arabian and Russian dances in The Nutcracker, expect sections like “On Tour in Japan,” “Urban Love” and “Something Like a Pimp” in the Urban Nutcracker performance, respectively, along with “Mary Jane Girls,” “Blackberry Fairy Solo,” “Blackberry Prince Solo” and “Mistress Ginger and Her Club Kids.” Performances will be at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 17 at Stivers School for the Arts, 1313 E. Fifth St. in Dayton. Tickets, available at the door, are $25 for adults, $15 for students and seniors and $10 for children under age 6.
—Natasha Habib
