Photo: THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER Meets Senator Corey Booker While Performing at New Jersey Performing Arts Center

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The touring production features hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow, the first rapper to be signed by a major label in 1979. Blow is considered one of hip hop's founding fathers and will perform as the MC of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. The tour includes a cast of a dozen all-star dancers, an on-stage DJ, and an electric violinist who turns the beloved Nutcracker score on its head.

Created in 2013 by director/choreographer Jennifer Weber (Oliver nominated and Emmy winner) and writer Mike Fitelson, The Hip Hop Nutcracker pays homage to the original (George) Balanchine ballet, retold through the modern, self-expressive gaze of hip-hop culture. The production has evolved into a masterpiece due to the creators' never-ending commitment to enhancing the production, and dancers who continue to raise the bar each year. To date, The Hip Hop Nutcracker has been performed more than 200 times in 70 cities.

Photo Credit: Norman DeShong