The Brooklyn Ballet brings back its beloved holiday production, The Brooklyn Nutcracker, to The Theater at City Tech in Downtown Brooklyn from Dec. 6 to 14.
Following last year’s sold-out run, this year’s engagement includes five public performances and four free community matinees for nearly 4,000 local students and seniors across the borough.
Celebrated for its fusion of ballet, street dance and global traditions, The Brooklyn Nutcracker stands as New York’s only culturally inclusive adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
“The Brooklyn Nutcracker has always been about more than a performance, it’s a reflection of the city we love,” said Artistic Director Lynn Parkerson.
Parkerson said the production reimagines the familiar story through a Brooklyn lens, journeying from Victorian-era Flatbush to modern-day subway platforms and landmarks like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Audiences encounter a pop-and-locking Herr Drosselmeyer (Michael “Big Mike” Fields), a Krumping Rat King (Brian “Hallowdreamz” Henry) and a vogueing Mother Ginger, alongside the grandeur of the Snow Scene, Waltz of the Flowers, plus Grand Pas de Deux. Each scene honors the Petipa-Ivanov original while embracing the borough’s vibrant diversity.
This year’s program unites traditions from around the world, featuring performances including Chinese classical dance, Ukrainian Hopak, Native American Hoop Dance, African Dance, Flamenco and Belly Dance.
Flamenco artist Aliesha Bryan returns as Spanish Hot Chocolate, Sira Melikian brings her signature flair to Arabian Coffee and ShanDien Sonwai LaRance continues her family’s legacy with a breathtaking hoop dance, first introduced by her late brother Nakotah.
Guest artists include Kamala Saara, Derek Brockington and Kouadio Davis of Dance Theatre of Harlem; Crystal Serrano, formerly with both Dance Theatre of Harlem and Pacific Northwest Ballet; plus George Sanders, whose experience spans Broadway, The National Ballet of China and collaborations with Twyla Tharp.
Live music and multidisciplinary artistry remain at the production’s core, with contributions from Baba Israel (beatbox), Zafir Tawil (violin), Mikhail Smirnoff (accordion), Paula Green (African drums) and Yimin Miao (Chinese bamboo flute).
Visual artist Avram Finkelstein and designer Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman integrate wearable technology through LED and fiber-optic costumes that transform under the stage lights.
Blending tradition with innovation, The Brooklyn Nutcracker celebrates the borough’s rhythm, creativity and cultural unity, transforming a 19th-century classic into a reflection of 21st-century Brooklyn.
