The Hip Hop Nutcracker feat. MC Kurtis Blow

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker score gets a hip-hop remix here, reworked live by a DJ and violinist for a dozen dancers who relocate the classic ballet to a contemporary New York setting. Director Jennifer Weber built the production around movement and music that bridge classical ballet and hip-hop culture, and rap pioneer Kurtis Blow opens the night with a short set, giving the show its Black-culture anchor. It's the rare holiday production that pulls grandparents and teenagers into the same theater without either side checking out, making it a fit for multigenerational families, dance heads, and hip-hop parents alike. At DPAC in Durham, this is a single-night engagement with no second date this year, doors and lobby opening at 6pm ahead of the 7pm Sunday show.