It’s becoming a San Diego tradition to top off the holiday season with an altogether different kind of "Nutcracker," courtesy of the local hip-hop dance center Culture Shock.
Showtimes
• 7 p.m. Friday
• 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday
• 2 p.m. Sunday
This version of the holiday classic is like a giant dance party, with 120 dancers, some as young as 5. But there's still a Clara and a Drosselmeyer.
"It's the 'Nutcracker' story. It’s just told in a very modern, with a twist, hip-hop way," said Richie Prospal, associate artistic director for the dance troupe.
Tchaikovsky’s score shares time with music by Taylor Swift, Drake and a handful of other popular artists.
"You will hear the score a lot," Prospal said. "But we do a year in review for 2015 and put everything that you’ve come across in pop culture and we put it in the show."
Some of the best hip-hop and modern dancers in Southern California perform in the show. The audiences are always diverse and enthusiastic.
If a giant dance party seems like a good way to launch 2016, this show is for you.
Performances of "A Culture Shock Nutcracker: A Holiday Hip Hop Dance Theatrical 2016" are this weekend at Spreckels Theatre in downtown San Diego.
