BWW Preview: The HIP-HOP NUTCRACKER is Coming to Fox PAC Riverside

THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER (www.hiphopnutcracker.com), a contemporary dance spectacle set to Tchaikovsky's timeless music, will perform in Riverside, Calif., at the Fox Performing Arts Center for one show only on Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.). Produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) with Executive Producer, Eva Price, and co-commissioned by the United Palace of Cultural Arts, THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER will feature Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop's founding fathers, opening the show with a short set before rapping the introduction.

A hip-hop legend, Kurtis Blow was 20 in 1979, when he became the first rapper to be signed by a major label. Mercury released "Christmas Rappin'," and it sold more than 400,000 copies, becoming an annual classic. Its gold follow-up, The Breaks, helped ignite an international "Rap Attack." He released 10 albums in over 11 years.

Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber, THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER is a full-length production featuring a dozen all-star dancers, an on-stage DJ and an electric violinist. The traditional classic Tchaikovsky score beautifully complements the power moves of these 12 dancers, with transitional and incidental music re-mixed and re-imagined, helping to bring a beautifully surprising contemporary vibe to the production.

Tickets are on sale now at the Fox Performing Arts Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at riversidelive.com / Ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit riversidelive.com and hiphopnutcracker.com/#tours.