The Arts Umbrella School of Dance presented its annual showcase, Mixed Nuts, at the Vancouver Playhouse this past weekend. Mixed Nuts adds a contemporary twist to Tchaikovsky’s timeless classic, The Nutcracker.
The Mixed Nuts show is updated each year, with a new crop of Arts Umbrella School of Dance students, local choreographers and emerging dancers all combining their talents for one of the most entertaining shows of the holiday season. Featuring a variety of dance styles from hip-hop, to ballroom, jazz and ballet, the show features the familiar works of The Nutcracker as well as incorporating the music of Benny Goodman, Missy Elliot and Ray Charles.
The cast of 85 dancers aged 12-22 includes members of the Arts Umbrella Pre-Elementary, Intermediate and Senior Professional Training Program, Apprentice, Senior and Grad Dance Companies. The company also creates dozens of new costumes to fit into the classic roles of Clara, the mystic Drosselmeyer, Sugarplum Fairy, the Nutcracker, Cavalier. It’s not all mixed nuts either, the performance also hosts comedic Candy-land inspired pieces including gingerbread people, candy canes, Hershey kisses, licorice allsorts, lollipops, chocolates, sugar plums, and cinnamon hearts. The joy coming from the stage is matched by the exuberant audience, filled with the artists’ family-members, making for a most supportive and festive atmosphere.
While it’s over this season, be sure to bookmark the show for next year, and add The Arts Umbrella’s Mixed Nuts to your annual holiday entertainment roster. Find out all about Arts Umbrella’s School of Dance and other programs; Art & Design, Theatre Music & Dance or Early Learning and Spring/Summer Break Programs and keep your eye out for the 2023 Mixed Nuts on artsumbrella.com.