THE BUTTCRACKER Returns to Erickson Theater

Just when Seattleites thought they'd experienced all the magic of the holiday season, The Buttcracker returns in a haze of sweat, glitter, and hairspray for the fourth year in a row. This city's beloved modern-dance variety show salutes the glory of '80s hair metal with a festive "mix of professional dance and raunchy satire," (The Seattle Times).

Titled in 2018 as Buttcracker IV...the final countdown!, this nostalgic extravaganza includes new choreography by Amy J Lambert, whose recent work, Young Manic: I wanted to be on Broadway was described by City Arts as the "Saturday Night Live of dancing." Additionally, choreographers include Diana Cardiff, Sara Jinks, Matt Mulkerin, and Jana Hill, the show's four producers, who inspire people to get rowdy, hold their lighters high, and sing along to beloved jams in the audience each year.

Local fans of The Buttcracker include Florangela Davila, Managing Editor of Crosscut. "What do Guns N' Roses and Baby Jesus have in common? Buttcracker, of course!," Davila said.

Inspired by several holiday institutions, including the traditional Christmas pageant and The Nutcracker Ballet, The Buttcracker wows with humor and energy à la This is Spinal Tap. New acts this year include a film, plus live pieces featuring aerial acrobatics and roller skating, as well as the next chapter in Santa and Mrs. Claus's love story. Returning pieces include "Frosty Flakes," a "snow" filled ballet and "one of the only times you'll see performers spinning giant razor blades." (The Seattle Weekly).

With additional choreographers including Richard Ayres and Sarah Paul Ocampo, Buttcracker IV...the final countdown! will rock one's pants off, capture the Christmas spirit, and regurgitate it back at audiences with reckless abandon.

The show is a descendant of the best of Buttrock Suites, the producers' original dance series whose popularity grew a cult following in the early 2000s. With well-known Seattle choreographers/performers such as Wade Madsen, Crispin Spaeth, and Juliet Waller Pruzan, these shows consistently sold out Velocity, Bumbershoot, Neumos, and Triple Door, to name a few.

Diana Cardiff is a critically-acclaimed performer and choreographer from Seattle. She created, produced, and performed in an original production called the Buttrock Suites since its inception in 2003. With Buttrock Suites, she was able to successfully express her flair for the dramatic. Diana was a founding member of d9 Dance Collective (1992-2004), has also been a member and collaborator with the Pat Graney Dance Company, and Wade Madsen and Dancers. She toured nationally with the Pat Graney Dance Company and has set work for Ian Bell's Brown Derby Series at Rebar, Teatro Zinzanni, Seattle Repertory Theater, LiveGirls! Theater, Relay Dance Company, etc.. She has a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts.

Sara Jinks (Buttcracker co-producer, choreographer, and dancer) is the Production Manager to choreographers Heather Kravas and Jody Kuehner (aka Cherdonna Shinatra). She has produced and co-produced work at the Merc Playhouse Theatre and with Methow Arts Alliance in the Methow Valley as well as Ten Tiny Dances in Seattle. As a performing artist, Sara has been a member of Pat Graney Company since 2000 and danced extensively with Crispin Spaeth Dance Group and d9 Dance Collective.

Jana Hill earned her professional dancing chops as a member of Mid America Dance Company (MAD-CO) in St. Louis, Mo.. She was assistant choreographer and rehearsal director for their annual holiday spoof "The MadCracker".This irreverent take on the Nutcracker; brilliantly conceived by Ross Winter, gave her a taste of how to have fun with holiday traditions and expectations. Upon moving to Seattle, Jana became a founding member of Rockhopper Dance and Buttrock Suites.

Matt Mulkerin started his dance career at the ripe old age of 21, after deciding degrees in Japanese and International Business were less financially lucrative in the real world. Matt has had the opportunity to dance in a whole bunch of places with a whole bunch of great people in his career, during which he performed with the Mid America Dance Company, and was a co-founder of both Rockhopper Dance and the Buttrock Suites. His largest audience to date (5,000 + people) was at the Walla Walla hot air "Balloon Stampede" in 1991, during which his performance was interrupted by an emergency evacuation due to a major gas leak that threatened to blow the venue up. He is very grateful for this, as it taught him to never take choreography too seriously, as you may just end up getting blown up.

Richard Ayres has spent over 20 years dancing and choreographing around the US and Internationally. Locally, he has worked with Pat Graney, The Chamber Dance Company, and Rockhopper Dance in addition to producing his own work. Having spent 13 years in NYC, he worked with Paul D. Mosley and Alethea Adsitt among others, and had his own work performed at Dance Space, WAX, and The Yard in Martha's Vineyard. He has happily returned to Seattle to create new work!

Sarah Paul Ocampo is a writer, musician and dancer. Her multidisciplinary work has been presented at numerous venues including On the Boards, REDCAT, Pete's Candy Store and Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara. She has performed with the bands Love Hotel, Advanced Beginner and The Qualitarians. She was a founding member of the literary performance group, The Typing Explosion, which toured nationally and internationally.

Amy J Lambert (Johnson) is a Seattle-based dance artist who playfully choreographs and directs in the realms of musical theater and concert dance. She obtained her BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts in 2011, and is currently the artistic director and choreographer for AJnC Dance-Theater which presents whimsical and engaging works often based on literature and historical research. Lambert is a dance educator and teaches at Seattle Academy along with weekly technique classes in Modern and Ballet at eXit Space School of Dance. www.AmyJLambert.com

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