Maestro Victor Vener and three well-known dancers put a brilliant twist on a classic musical piece
Lenten Campaign 2025
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“The Nutcracker” may be one of the most familiar ballet scores to adults, but last year Maestro Victor Vener from the California Philharmonic had an idea to give it a modern twist that would appeal to a new demographic. He invited three modern hip-hop dancers to help bring the music to life. Using modern hip-hop styles of “tutting” (manipulating your limbs to highlight geometric shapes) and “popping animation” (a halting stop-and-go motion the mimics robotics and can appear computer generated), Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer, JR Tight Eyex, and James Derrick donned some toy soldier costumes and created a dance that delighted young and old.
