Back by Popular Demand and Featuring a Special Appearance by Joslyn Fox
BOSTON, Mass.—Back by popular demand, Tony Williams is delighted to add the LGBT show to the Urban Nutcracker 2015 run. For one night only on Saturday, December 26 at 5 p.m. in Boston’s Back Bay at John Hancock Hall, Sugar Plum will be a man en pointe and be joined on stage by Rat Queen and will feature a special appearance by Joslyn Fox as Aunt Fanny! This year also, the Urban Nutcracker will feature never before seen sets, costumes and enhanced dance sequences. [pullquote]“When we last produced our LGBT show, we had a wonderful response,” said Williams. While a fun show to produce, the LGBT performance is an important ampli cation of accessibility, according to Williams. [/pullquote]
Williams re-imagined the classic holiday tale to give it a twist and become a Boston inner-city story with a neon-buzz blending the rhythms of Duke Ellington with the classical notes of Tchaikovsky. Annually, 150 performers—including professional ballet dancers—take the stage to showcase a broad diversity of dance forms celebrating multicultural Boston. The story follows the magical journey of Clarice and Omar through classical ballet, tap, hip hop, jazz, folklorico, amenco and more.
Turning 15 this year, the Urban Nutcracker continues on its mission to make the arts as accessible as possible. This happens at the dance program level where kids from diverse backgrounds are given the opportunity to pursue an excellent dance education through scholarships. Many Urban Nutcracker dancers have gone on to enjoy prominent careers on the national stage, and they will be celebrated on this anniversary year. One such dancer is Khalid Hill, a nationally known tap dancer, who returns to entertain audiences and mentor a new generation of dancer.
“When we last produced our LGBT show, we had a wonderful response,” said Williams. While a fun show to produce, the LGBT performance is an important ampli cation of accessibility, according to Williams. “The Urban Nutcracker is a Boston story and so is the same-sex equality movement and we are proud to celebrate that,” he said.
The Urban Nutcracker LGBT performance takes place on on December 26 at 5pm at John Hancock Hall, 180 Berkeley Street in Boston’s Back Bay. Tickets are available on http://urbannutcracker.com. Special group discounts are available. [pullquote]“The Urban Nutcracker is a Boston story and so is the same-sex equality movement and we are proud to celebrate that,” Williams said. [/pullquote]
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.
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 rst 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, Mass.
[From a News Release]
