To continue its 25th anniversary season, Hyde Park School of Dance (HPSD) offers fans of ballet, modern and hip hop its annual presentation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, featuring more than 175 dancers—from seven-year-olds to grandparents, including members of the pre-professional Studio Company and senior dancers who have grown up at the school— supported by more than 100 volunteers.
Staged by HPSD Founding Artistic Director August Tye, ballet mistress and choreographer at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the 90-minute narrated production includes a hip hop dance battle to showcase the range of dance genres the school offers, as well as send a message of peace—instead of battling with swords, the mouse-soldiers use hip hop as their “weapons.”
