SUGAR HILL | The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker

About

An exhilarating story told in dance, SUGAR HILL is set to the music of the genre-defying collaboration between jazz icons bandleader/composer Duke Ellington and gay composer, Billy Strayhorn, in a captivating way that has never been done before.

SUGAR HILL reveals the glamour of the 1930s as seen through the lens of the nonconformist daughter of a high-society Black family in Manhattan and her fantastic dreamworld in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem. A jazz-steeped reimagining of the classic tale, this Nutcracker dance-story sends a stirring message that champions individuality and the journey to find the power of your unique self: “Go find what makes you different to find your magic.”

With a libretto and concept by Jessica Swan, this original production is directed with choreography by Emmy Award winner and Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics nominee Joshua Bergasse, and co-choreographed by Jade Hale-Christofi, with featured choreography by Jon Boogz and Caleb Teicher and choreographic consultation from Graciela Danielle.

Programming subject to change.

Art by Ben Wiseman