Diablo Ballet Will Kick Off The Holiday With THE NUTCRACKER SUITE And A SWINGIN' HOLIDAY

Mark the start of the holiday season with Diablo Ballet's perennial favorite, A Swingin' Holiday, and a freshly reimagined tale of another beloved celebrated Christmas classic, The Nutcracker Suite, from November 8 - 10 at the Del Valle Theatre in Walnut Creek. Now in its 26 th season, Diablo Ballet presents the much- anticipated return of A Swingin' Holiday, created in 2012 by Sean Kelly (currently the Associate Choreographer/Resident Director of the first national tour of "An American in Paris").

Featuring new dances added specifically for this season, the ballet is set to the exhilarating tunes of the '30s and '40s by legends Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Nat "King" Cole, Wynton Marsalis, and performed live by the 16-piece Diablo Ballet Swing Orchestra under the Musical Direction of Greg Sudmeier.The holiday program also includes an imaginative twist to a timeless tale of The Nutcracker Suite by Julia Adam, former principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet and world-renowned choreographer. Audiences will be swept away by Clara's adventure as the story unfolds when the Diablo family and their daughter Clara reserve the Nutcracker Suite at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill for Christmas Eve -- combining a fresh, new local twist to the timeless holiday classic storyline. Capturing the magic and anticipation of the night before Christmas, see what happens in their wondrous journey that will delight every member of the family.

"I was very excited when I was asked by Diablo Ballet's Artistic Director, Lauren Jonas, to create a holiday ballet because I wanted to create an experience of a warm, intimate holiday evening and a ballet that will complement A Swingin' Holiday," said Julia Adam.

Following each performance, ticket holders are invited to stay for a dessert and coffee post-performance reception where they can meet and mingle with the dancers. Tickets are $15-50. For tickets, call 925-943-SHOW (7469) or visit lesherartscenter.org or diabloballet.org.

This one-of-a-kind event starts with a family-friendly lunch complete with tea and sweets, arts and crafts, and an opportunity to dance with the Sugar Plum Fairy. Tickets are packaged with the 2 pm matinee performance and are limited to 50 guests. Visit diabloballet.org for more information. Season Subscriptions are available. Please visit www.diabloballet.org for information or to subscribe.

Since 1994, Diablo Ballet has been the award-winning, professional dance company for Contra Costa County. Presenting acclaimed classical and contemporary ballets, the company is committed to exposing youth to the arts through its renowned PEEK Outreach Programs which have reached over 68,000 underserved school children in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties since 1995. Also, Diablo Ballet has served hundreds of at-risk teenage girls incarcerated within the Juvenile Justice system since 2015, and in 2019 the company began working with teenagers housed at the Behavioral Health Unit at John Muir Hospital, Concord. This summer, Diablo Ballet opened the first Ballet School in Contra Costa County run by a professional ballet company, located in Pleasant Hill.

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