Written in 1892, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker has been a holiday essential ever since. The instantly recognizable theme and whimsical ballet have delighted families year after year, but this take on the Christmas classic from the California Philharmonic gives it a modern update.
The impressive orchestra would be plenty of entertainment on their own, but they take things up a notch with three talented men who you might have previously spotted on America’s Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance? showing off their killer moves. Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer, James “BDash” Derrick, and Kevin “Konkrete” Davis make their way to the stage one by one as the medley begins and perform an amazing choreographed routine for the audience. Dressed in the iconic soldier jackets, they charm the crowd by popping and locking and gliding around as if they were on ice skates instead of in the middle of an auditorium. The combination of steps becomes almost hypnotizing before they branch off to feature each dancer’s personal skills with a series of solos.
It might not be the traditional tippy toe twirling and whirling that Tchaikovsky envisioned while composing the beautiful suite way back in the day, but I think he’d still be pretty happy with this wonderful interpretation.
Be sure to SHARE this update on the spectacular seasonal favorite with your friends!
[video_player]
