No average Nutcracker, as Arts Umbrella dancers serve up holiday Mixed Nuts, December 10 to 12

Vancouver Playhouse show combines styles in pieces by top Canadian dance artists

Arts Umbrella presents Mixed Nuts from December 10 to 12 at the Vancouver Playhouse

LOOK AROUND: Mixed Nuts, Arts Umbrella’s fun, genre-mashing twist on The Nutcracker ranks in this pandemic year as Vancouver’s only full-length live production of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic.

And if you’re used to more classical versions of the ballet, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

The top-notch cast throws itself into everything from hip-hop and ballroom numbers to classic pas-de-deux. As Arts Umbrella’s dance program likes to say, it’s “tradition with a twist”.

This year’s dancers are aged 13 to 22, performing an assortment of pieces choreographed by leading Vancouver and Canadian dance artists—including Ballet BC and Kidd Pivot company members.

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