Company XIV's NUTCRACKER ROUGE Set for Minetta Lane Theatre, 11/29-1/5

Company XIV and The Saint At Large will present the New York Premiere of Nutcracker Rouge, conceived, directed and choreographed by Austin McCormick, with a script adapted and written by Jeff Takacs. Nutcracker Rouge runs Off-Broadway from November 29, 2013 to January 5, 2014 in a limited 6-week engagement at the Minetta Lane Theatre, located at 18 Minetta Lane between MacDougal Street and 6th Avenue in New York City. Previews begin November 29 for a December 4 opening.

Performances are Mondays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm. There are no performances on December 8, 15, 24 and January 1. Tickets from $39 to $79 with premium seats starting at $99. Visit http://www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000. Running time: 90 minutes. The theater is accessible from the A, B, C, D, E, F, or V trains to West 4th St. or the 1 train to Christopher St. For info visit http://www.NutcrackerRouge.com, Like them on Facebook at https://www.Facebook.com/CompanyXIV, join the conversation at #NutcrackerRouge, and follow them on Twitter at @Company_XIV and on Instagram at CompanyXIV.

Nutcracker Rouge is a sparkling reimagining of the beloved Nutcracker tale told with erotic, sensual and opulent flair. From the celebrated director/choreographer Austin McCormick comes a Baroque-Burlesque confection of theatre, dance, circus and sumptuous design. Immerse yourself in a hedonistic display of gorgeous and decadent winter entertainment that includes opera performed by Shelly Watson, text inspired by E.T.A. Hoffman's The Nutcracker and 19th century poetry. The show contains partial nudity - no one under 16 years old will be admitted.

The cast includes Laura Careless as Marie-Claire, Jeff Takacs as Monsieur Drosselmeyer, Shelly Watson as Madame Drosselmeyer, circus artists Rose Bonjo, Courtney Giannone, Nicolas Maffey and Benn Mendoza, and dancers Marisol Cabrera, Katrina Cunningham, Molly Griffin, Jakob Karr, Nicholas Katen, Kana Kimura, Tyler Philips, Davon Rainey and Alison Ulrich.

The creative team includes Zane Pihlstrom (Set and Costume Design), Jeanette Yew (Lighting Design), Austin Mccormick (Sound Design), John Starmer and Michael Givey (Technical Directors) and Nataliya Vasilyeva (Production Stage Manager). Company XIV is sponsored by MAC Cosmetics.

Company XIV and Artistic Director Austin McCormick continue to garner critical acclaim. The New York Times calls McCormick's work "inventive and brainy, a high-entertainment mix of music-hall, cabaret, theater and dance" and they praised Le Serpent Rouge as a "sensuous marvel...McCormick and his crew show great humor and a pronounced appreciation for body heat. The combination is deliriously rewarding." Metro NY lauded the company as "a powerful multidisciplinary ensemble" and their 2011 production of Snow White was a New York Magazine Critic's Pick. Paper Magazine called Nutcracker Rouge the "sexiest dance performance" of 2010. The Judgment of Paris was "deliciously excessive" declared Back Stage and Metro NY called Le Cirque Feerique "an appealing fantasia" with a cast "displaying world-class talent." Flavorpill calls the group "magical and sexy." Dance Magazine says "McCormick has a gift for understanding what captivates an audience" and The Herald (UK) states, "McCormick's company are an accomplished, versatile ensemble with serious circus, dance and singing skills."

Company XIV's work is a unique mash up of classical texts, Baroque choreography, eclectic music, pop culture, opera, burlesque, ballet, gender bending, high fashion, theatrical staging and sumptuous design that has wowed both audiences and critics. Company XIV shows are cutting-edge, yet extravagantly classical. Taking his cue from theatre/dance/opera under the reign of Louis XIV, Director/Choreographer Austin McCormick creates a compelling 360-degree experience for audiences. The Players of Company XIV are theatrical libertines, who tempt, delight and fully immerse their audiences in the experience of their performances, inviting them to be seduced and liberated!

Austin McCormick holds a BFA from the Juilliard School and is a graduate of The Conservatory of Baroque Dance. He is an alumnus of the Harid Conservatory and North Carolina School of the Arts. In 2006, he founded Company XIV, a dance/theatre troupe based in Brooklyn, hailed by Black Book Magazine as an 'Icon Of The Future.' The company works in the mediums of live dance/theater and film. The work is contemporary, yet Baroque inspired. In 2009, McCormick won a New York Innovative Theater Award for Best Choreography for The Judgment of Paris. Company XIV was nominated for a 2012 Bessie Award for Outstanding Visual Design for Snow White and was nominated for five 2010 New York Innovative Theater Awards for Le Serpent Rouge and Snow White.

In addition to performing in his own choreographed works, McCormick has worked professionally with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet of New York and has taught and lectured on Baroque dance as a guest of the Korean Government in Seoul. McCormick's work has been performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center's Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Alice Tully Hall, Clark Studio Theater, Symphony Space, The Flea, Alvin Ailey Theater, Walter Reade Theater, Mark Morris Dance Center, and internationally at the Biblioteca Palafoxiana in Mexico, the Roxy Art House in Edinburgh, and Usine C in Montreal. His work has been seen at the TED Conference, on Logo's New Now Next Awards and TLC's The Cake Boss.

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