Seasonal & Holidays
Local Dancer Performs in the Urban Nutcracker
Boston's Most Diverse, Inclusive, and Fun Holiday Production Returns for its 17th Year December 15-28 in Boston
Dancer and Roslindale resident, Maxine Cavallaro will perform in the Boston holiday classic, Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker, December 15-28 at John Hancock Hall. Maxine is 8 years old and goes to school at the Beethoven in West Roxbury. She has been dancing with Tony Williams Dance Company for 3 years and this season will dance the roles of a Chinese Dragon and a Duckling, her first time in the performance.
Maxine says,”I’m really excited to dance in the Urban Nutcracker with so many talented dancers.”
This modern holiday classic has been praised as “a Nutcracker with real soul” by Boston Metro.
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In 2001, local dance legend Tony Williams reimagined the classic holiday Nutcracker tale to become a Boston inner-city story with a neon-buzz, blending the rhythms of Duke Ellington with the classical music of Tchaikovsky. Annually, 150 performers – including professional ballet dancers – take the stage to showcase a broad diversity of dance forms starring the multicultural icons of Boston. Audiences will join heroine Clarice as she explores iconic Boston scenes such as Make Way for Ducklings, Top of the Hub, Chinatown, and the Boston Public Garden. The delightful story continues by following the magical journey of Clarice and her Nutcracker guide through classical ballet, tap, hip hop, jazz, flamenco, and more.
Tony Williams says of this year’s production, “I am so pleased to be presenting the Urban Nutcracker for the 17th year. It is very rewarding to have the Urban Nutcracker be accepted by the Greater Boston community and be known as an enduring holiday classic. It became clear that this production embraced multi-culturalism and represented a more inclusive holiday tradition. Our production draws in so many Boston influences and backdrops, it is really a show I created to honor Boston and our history.”
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This season’s production includes the new sets and costumes originally designed for the 2015 “15th Anniversary” season of Urban Nutcracker. The stage comes alive with over 85 colorful costumes reimagined by local artist Dustin Todd Rennells (originally designed by Rebecca Cross) and made by hand in Boston, India, Russia, and China. The dazzling costumes of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen were hand-beaded with over 450 Swarovski crystals on each costume.
The eye-catching sets by Janie Howland feature popular Boston landmarks like the Fenway Park scoreboard, the Citgo sign, and Downtown Boston. Of the sets, Howland says, “The redesigned sets for the Urban Nutcracker reflect the diversity of Boston’s neighborhoods and our place in the global community. Projections are used in Act II to add a fantastical element to the dream sequence and support the different nationalities represented in the dances. We are constantly upgrading the design to add some new surprises for the audiences.”
All performances of the Urban Nutcracker will take place at John Hancock Hall 180 Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02116
12/15 | 7:30pm, Opening Night
12/24 | 1:00pm
12/16 | 11:00am and 3:00pm
12/26 | 7:30pm
12/17 | 1:00pm and 5:00pm
12/27 | 7:30pm (Autism Sensory Friendly)
12/22 | 7:30pm
12/28 | 7:30pm
12/23 | 11:00am and 3:00pm
All performances are approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.
Ticket Prices: $25-$85; Discounts for groups of 15 or more
MBTA: Green Line to Arlington, Orange Line to Back Bay
More info: urbannutcracker.com, 888-596-1027
About Urban Nutcracker
The Urban Nutcracker celebrates multicultural Boston through a broad range of diverse dance styles. Produced by the Tony Williams Dance Center, the Urban Nutcracker harnesses the power the arts to unite diverse communities to be a catalyst for positive social change.
Presenting sponsor of Urban Nutcracker is Adage Capital. Additional support is provided by Chobee Hoy Real Estate.
About Tony Williams
Tony Williams is a dance pioneer and retired international ballet star. Williams’ dance philosophy uses the arts to unite diverse communities in Boston, having had direct experience on how transformative the arts can be on young lives. As a young man, he gained access to Boston Ballet’s dance program and progressed to become their first African-American principal dancer. From there he danced with the Joffery Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and performed all over the world. When Williams retired, he returned to Jamaica Plain, where it all began, and opened a dance school. Not long after, he produced the beloved Urban Nutcracker which annually enjoys a successful run downtown. Widely respected as a progressive dance educator, Williams has won the Dance Teacher Magazine Award and Wheelock Family Theater’s Wheel Award. In 2014, he founded the Tony Williams Ballet and expanded his dance school to Concord, MA.
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