Hip hop Nutcracker puts modern spin on classic favorite

Ashley Moss/KFOR
·1 min read

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Carve out some time this weekend to watch a unique spin on a holiday favorite.

RACE Dance Collective and OKCPS schools partner up to bring present the classic tale of The Nutcracker, with a hop hop twist, at OCCC Visual & Performing Arts Center 7777 S. May Ave, Oklahoma City.

RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker is a collaboration between RACE Dance Collective and students in the Oklahoma City Public School Dance Programs.

Now in its eleventh season, Sheri Hayden, Executive Director, says RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker also advances the organization’s mission “to bring social awareness and change through dance performances, education, and community engagement”:

“We are the only jazz hip hop contemporary company in Oklahoma City, and so we want to make sure that we’re leaning into the culture and the education component of the dance that is in here in Oklahoma City,” she said.

View the program here.

Performances:

Friday, December 8 at 7:00pm – English Performance

Saturday, December 9 at 2:00pm – English Performance

Saturday, December 9 at 4:30pm – “Beyond Borders” Community Panel (included with admission!)

Saturday, December 9 at 7:00pm – Spanish-language Performance

Sunday, December 10 at. 2:00pm – English Performance

Another unique feature of the program is RACE’s Giving Soles Campaign, which allows the organization to provide every high school participant with a brand-new pair of shoes for the performance that they get to keep.

$15 Student rush tickets will be available 45 minutes before each performance; students need to show a valid student ID.

ABOUT RACE DANCE COLLECTIVE
RACE Dance Collective is a nonprofit organization located at 11 N. Lee Ave whose mission is to ignite social awareness and change through dance performances, education, and community engagement. RACE, an acronym for Radical Application of Creative Energy, was founded in 2009 by Hui Cha Poos, a Korean-American immigrant who wanted to create more performance opportunities for professional dancers in Oklahoma. Each year, RACE presents three full-length performances, hosts adult dance classes through RACE the Space, and engages in dozens of collaborations with local artists and organizations to provide accessible arts and build a community that redefines who engages with dance and how.

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