Back by popular demand, a show perfect for those ages one to 100 returns to The Music Center at Strathmore.
“The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” running Dec. 18-19 with this year’s special guest, MC Kurtis Blow, reimagines Tchaikovsky’s classic score through explosive hip-hop choreography. A dozen all-star dancers, an onstage DJ and an electric violinist bring the traditional “Nutcracker” story to life set in current-day New York City.
Hailed by The New York Times as “a generous dose of contemporary spirit sure to heat up even the most restless and wintry of souls,” the show opens with the narrator, Kurtis Blow, one of the founding fathers of hip-hop who charted the first gold rap record with “The Breaks” in 1980. He’ll kick off the fun with a rapping introduction that will feature a performance of his “Christmas Rap,” which he included on his “Christmas Rappin” album released 40 years ago that became one of the first commercially-successful hip-hop singles and has since became an annual classic.
The photos tell the story — at least for now. But in next week’s edition, we’ll share our interview with Kurtis Blow who has a fascinating story to tell and who hasn’t looked back since, when at the age of 20, he signed rap’s first record deal — lighting the flame for a movement that now dominates pop culture worldwide.