THE NUTCRACKER SUITE & SPICY Celebrates 15 Years In Hartford

"The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy" created, choreographed, and directed by Carolyn Paine and performed by CONNetic Dance is returning for its landmark 15th year Dec. 13-15, at the Aetna Theater at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, located at 29 Atheneum Square North in Hartford.

Set to a compilation of music inspired by Tchaikovsky's original score, "The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy" fuses ballet, tap, jazz, ballroom and hip-hop techniques to breathe new life and imagination into the timeless tale.

Audiences of all ages this year are in for the usual memorable treats that "Suite & Spicy" has become known for including thedancing dog, the villainous breakdancing Rats, the hilarious and high energy "Ugly Sweater Party Scene," the inventive and iconic "Snowball" scene, and all the diverse and talented cast of 20 professional dancers who crisply execute the show's unique choreography and bring the characters to life. Many of these world-class dancers in the cast have been with the show for at least a decade.

This long-running production has proudly become a holiday tradition for Hartford and all of Connecticut.

The show is celebrating its 15th year by bringing new technology and specially designed projections to the show designed and created by Emmy-award winning filmmaker and artist Ryan Glista whose work will enhance the sense of magic already created by the production's colorful characters, costumes, and design. The projections will immerse the audience in the world and create special effects, allowing characters to perform magic with jaw-dropping moments like an army of giant Nutcrackers, dancers flying in duets, and characters' movement controlling swirling snow storms. Glista and Paine regularly work together to bring digital magic to performing arts on projects for The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, The Museum of Science in Boston, and most recently creating projected dance pieces for Rise Up Magic Mural Art Wall in Hartford.

This exciting new addition of interactive video to the production is a great example of how over the past 15 years this show has made strides to take on and meet the challenges of responding to the ever-changing the world, not just with updating the tale for modern audiences and its inclusivity in casting, but through the use of groundbreaking technology to stay in the vanguard of where digital arts and performing arts are headed.

"The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy" has infused the humor and wit of comedian and creator Carolyn Paine to update the popular holiday ballet and establish this production as one truly worth seeing. The curtain in Act I opens on a raucous Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and the energy continues with the "SnowBall"-a beautiful snow scene with dancers gliding across the stage and performing a ballet of acrobatics on large pearly white balls. Act II takes us to the Sugar Rum's Club of Sweet Temptations, where cocktails from around the world dance their unique flavors, led by the sassy, male hip-hop Sugar Rum, again brilliantly portrayed by dancer PopTart. There is also a brawl between the breakdancing Club Rats and the Tap Dancing Soldiers and the signature Florettes, who perform a Rockettes-inspired Waltz of the Flowers.

"This show and its choreography really celebrates diversity at its core. It merges a diverse group of really talented dancers who execute their individual styles seamlessly to retell the story in a more relatable and fun contemporary voice" says award-winning Creator and Choreographer Carolyn Paine,. "I am honored to have been at the center of this production and to have worked with such an amazing cast over the years who have helped develop this show into a fun holiday tradition to share."

"The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy," and non-profit RiseUp for the Arts, who helped bring digital art to this show, are both committed to ensuring professional artists from CT are given opportunities to share their talents in an impactful way within their own community. This production's unique presentation of diverse dance styles allows for a holiday show that not only delights audiences, but inspires them, as it truly represents the power of the arts as a unifying force that can bring together people of all backgrounds. As Dance Informa Magazine said of the production, ""Every so often, dance lovers can find a gem of a dance company in an unexpected place - [this] in Hartford, CT, is one such company......from racial and stylistic diversity, to mixing up gender conventions, to a quite modernized concept and aesthetic."

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