The Hip Hop Nutcracker (Touring)

This was so exciting and enjoyable! It was well done and amazing. We are so glad we went.

The show was energetic, story telling and just flat out exciting. It is such a diverse show with a talented group of people everyone from All backgrounds. My daughter and I enjoyed ourselves. The violinist was Absolutely Marvelous!

My cousin and I had a blast! It was fun, engaging, comical, and creative!

I typically do not write reviews, good or bad, but I feel compelled to write this review if it can save some one else the time and money. This show was such a dissappointed. So dissapointing, in fact, that we left at intermission, along with several other guests in our area. The entire storyline was changed....It was about a teenage girl on New Years Eve, discovering the love her parent's had when they first got married, and trying to get them back together. It is one thing to change. Im sorry, but that is not a nutcracker. It is one thing to change up the costumes or even portions of the traditional dances, but to change the entire story?? I mean come on. Nutcracker shouldn't even be in the title....that is very misleading. now lets get to the dancing. The lead guy was great, very entertaining to watch. However, he was the only one that was entertaining to watch. My husband and I were so excited to see this, and bought our tickets nearly a month in advance. However, overall this was the biggest waste of time and money, and I HIGHLY recommend not seeing this "performance".

Loved seeing Kurtis blow perform, violinist was amazing. Great take on a classic!

The Hip Hop Nutcracker was an amazing show! And the DPAC is always a great venue!

I highly recommend this show and venue for a great afternoon or evening of performances. The scenes very captivating and entertaining.

I didn't know what to expect going into the show but it definitely ended up being less then what I hoped for. Hip hop dance and ballet music just don't go together so it was a very odd combo. I assumed the music would hip hop to some degree but there was only hip hop at the very beginning before the play started and at the end. The MC went on for a very long time but he was the best part of the show. The dancing was good just didn't make sense with the music, they should have incorporated some hip hop music with the ballet music. Definitely was pretty boring

Was hoping the music would be mixed with hip hop, but they only did a couple songs that way.

Dancing was great! I feel they should have done more to infuse Tchaikovsky s music with a hip hop beat(would ve kept me awake). I also think they should do more to have the story told to the viewer verbally so you know what the dance interpretation means. ❤️ Again, Loved the dancing though the music made me sleepy..

The show was great! Dancing and story were incredible! I would highly recommend this show to a friend as I enjoyed the different spin on the classic Nutcracker. I did not enjoy his performance. It was too long and quite a bit unnecessary. Plus, he had religious statements that are more tailored for church than a Durham venue. I'm so glad that he wasn't on the stage again until the end of the show, although I still could have left happy not seeing him again.

The entire show was amazing, the story line simple and cute and of course having Curtis Blow as the MC is just the icing on the cake...Great show! I highly recommend, especially for those who were a part of the rise of hip-hop in the 80 s and 90 s...

I ve had a lot of people hating on me for going to this show. Nutcracker traditions are old enough to be sacred to many - of many ethnic backgrounds - and they re uncomfortable when you mess with it. So first, Hip Hop Nutcracker isn t trying to replace the original; it s not even the same story. What it is is good, wholesome fun. Curtis Blow opens and closes thevahow with messages of love conquering all, remembering those you live and those you ve lost, and being thankful for all God has given you \u2014 as well as leading the audience in participation. The sets are simple but cleverly done, the casting was amazing so that even out in the audience I could see the emotions of the characters portrayed. The story has a girl who wants her parents to rediscover their live for each other, and who s discovering love for herself... this show made me smile often \u2014 and it was probably more wholesome than a lot of traditional Nutcrackers (such as Baryshnikov s view of it). My teenage son (who is actually not a hip hop fan) loved the show and loved Curtis Blow and after thinking he didn t want to go has kept telling me how fantastic it was. Final word: If you get the chance \u2014 GO!

I loved it as well as my 8 year old daughter. I highly recommend it!

This is our family's second year experiencing the Hip Hop Nutcracker...what a fantastic show! Looking forward to next year already!

The play was so much fun. It s amazing to listen to the beautiful music to a modern dance. The dancers were AMAZING!

No politics or agenda, just great music and dancing performed by incredibly talented people. Your advertisements did not do this show justice. I hope they come to MN next year.

Dancers were awesome. Young talent at its best. My granddaughter and I enjoyed the show from the audience involved dancing and singing at the beginning until the last dance. A must see again!

I took my 10 y/o daughter who dances hip hop. She was up and dancing and enjoyed the whole performance. She mentioned that she would like for the whole family to attend next year. It was fun, entertaining, and a a creative twist on the classic.

Not what I expected. Very boring. It was not hip hop...

Could of used different type of music & choregraphy

This event was totally amazing and I look forward to next year.

Thanks for Curtis Blow who was fabulous!!! If it wasn t for him there be no show. It needs more hip hop beat to the classic Nutcracker!!! I rather sleep in a lion den!!

We left during intermission. That should tell you something about the show. There was no scenery or costumes, and I don't know where the Nutcracker came into the storyline at all. It was like watching a breakdancing competition from the 90s.

Fun show! Interesting take on an old standard. Dancers were well rehearsed.

This was an awesome show! If you re thinking about going, I highly recommend it!

My family enjoyed The Hip Hop Nutcracker! We enjoyed the marriage of Hip Hop/Nutcracker classics! It was great to see Kurtis Blow and get a quick song or two from him!

Let me start by saying that I am 53 years old, raised in Bronx, love the Nutcracker, and grew up in the era of break dancing. With that said, I was really disappointed with this performance. If you've never seen any version of The Nutcracker, you would not have been able to identify the characters, and the plot of this production. Having been to multiple renditions of the Nutcracker, my husband and I could not tell who was who. We had to read the playbook to understand the characters, and the plot line. The dancing was basically the same moves over and over again. On the other hand, we enjoyed Kurtis Blow, DJ Boo, and the Female Violinist. I am sorry to say that we do not recommend this show. The Smart Financial Centre was breathtaking!

This is the worst show that I have ever paid to see. The choreography was horrible and the dancing was not at a professional level. I left at intermission and was not surprised to see many other people leaving also. I wish I could get a refund.

The dancing was amazing - I wish there was more props used in the show

This was a great show. I loved the dancers and their interpretation of the story.

It was entertaining. Enjoyed the opening part, the violin parts, and the closing credits dancing best.

The DJ was terrible, the bass of his music over powered everything to the point that you either couldn t hear the violinist or it was just distracting from the proformace. It made it very difficult to want to stay after the first couple of acts. Before the show started, the DJ was pounding rap music, that should have been our first hint to leave. Someone didn t get the memo that this was suppose to be a hip hop performance .

Interesting concept, the plot was a little hard to follow. Show started late. We were expecting way more dancers, props, and better choreography. The trailer had us fooled. The violinist held our attention more than the dancers in the play. The hip hop nutcracker left us wanting more.

The show started with a bang. Kurtis Blow hyped the crowd, and I was excited for the show. The violinist was excellent at keeping the show hyped by making the show more updated with the classical score. She used elements of hip-hop and combined it with original Tchaikovsky pieces. Unfortunately, the show went downhill from there. 30 minutes in, and I was bored to death and fighting sleep. They didn't do anything to give the music more of a "hip-hop" flair. The violinist was the only one to stylize the piece and bring the music more current. Sadly, she only played about 4 times each in small segments. The dances and dancers were phenomenal but didn't match the music. It was like watching old movies where the mouths are constantly moving but only 3 words are said. Basically, you had a bunch of hip hop moves and great hip hop dancers, all performing to classical music played from what sounded like a record. The second act was the best because of the guy imitating the flute. Not only was he an amazing dancer, but he was funny and played to the crowd. Lastly, the storyline was lost. I had to read the program just to understand it. It was pretty confusing otherwise. In all, the show had a lot of potential, but the total performance missed the mark.

I was over attending the traditional nut cracker annually and I wanted to give this a try. I wasn t impressed at all.

This was supposed to be a Christmas-themed show but after starting15 min late, it had a 15 min "warm up act" of a 70's HipHop artist singing loud old, hip hop songs. By the time the show started we were hardly in the holiday spirit. The dancing was at times nice and we enjoyed some of it, but by intermission we felt we had seen it all and left. We weren't the only people leaving either. Also people were still being seated 15 min into the show, which was 30 min after the official start time. And because the Smart Financial Center leaves concessions open during the performance, people were walking in and out, which was very distracting. Felt more like a baseball game than a theater performance. I think we'll stick to the downtown Houston venues for events from now on.

This was a awesome show!!! The music, the theatrical performance through drama and dance!!! My entire family enjoyed it, we hope it comes annually for us to attend! Curtis Blow was the MC and was outstanding!!!

The show was amazing! So cleverly performed! Just as magical as the classic ballet version.

Hip hop nutcracker was entertaining. I went expecting something else, but the show was entertaining enough.

I was disappointed because the costumes were dull and a little more jazz should have been incorporated into the music! Disappointed

Slightly dissapointed. Was expecting more of the original theme of the season. Story line was less Hip Hop and more lower inner city low budget.

This was a great production at a great venue. Yes!

Curtis Blow was awesome!! I really enjoyed watching him sing and dance. His words were very touching. It was cool to see that break dancing has not died off. I got to enjoy my favorite holiday classic with cool moves and sounds.

This show was so much fun! The dancers were fantastic, engaging and entertaining! We had an amazing time-- even better than expected! Hopefully yall will return to San Antonio next year as we have been telling all our friends how terrific it was :)

What a show! As an older couple we were wondering if we d enjoy this show. It exceeded our expectations!

Great dancers but no libretto and difficult to follow the storyline. Rapper at the beginning was totally unnecessary.

Outstanding! Amazing! Entertaining! Kurtis Blow's intro was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!

For anyone who loves either "The Nutcracker" or dance or BOTH, you must see this energetic production.

love kurtis blow. he was a nice touch with his segments. it was a very nice show. something different.

I loved this show! The choreography of hip hop dance to classic nutcracker music was brilliant. Fun and refreshing. Kurtis Blow was the perfect host. Highly recommend!

The show was fantastic! A fresh, modern take on a classic that mesmerized our family. Can't wait to see it again next year!

It was an awesome incorporation of culturally relevant music and movement. I was engaged from start to finish and while I had not seen the original Nutcracker it seemed this one would have been the only one produced. Great work, great show!

The show was amazing. I would definitely see it again.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. My 14 year old niece had a great time.

A very clever adaptation of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet. Kurtis Blow's opening brought the house down! A great music venue for all ages....

Great performance, very entertaining and funny at times.

It was very entertaining even the audience was dancing in the aisles and their seats.

My Brother and Sister had a fabulous time. They really enjoyed the show.

The show was great especially the MC, brought us old schooler back to what Hip Hop was. Would recommend for anyone looking to have a good time. Never been to this venue before, practically every seat is a good seat.

I love the classic Nutcracker ballet and only got tickets for this because they were on sale. I had no idea what to expect (I'm not a hip hop music fan), but I was so impressed with the creativity, the freshness, the energy and athleticism of the dancers. The best part was that the left Tchaikovsky's score alone! So beautiful music with a modern interpretation--the best of both worlds. I'm going again next year, but buying better seats so I can see more!

All together amazing. I must see to those who have not seen it yet. I was impressed how they incorporated hip hop with the nutcracker l.

I enjoyed the show, but I was expecting more hip hop music. The performers were great.

What a terrific show. Even if you don t know the story of The Nutcracker you would be truly entertained. Loved Curtis Blow!!! He still has I️t!

What a fantastic idea to combine hip hip and Tchaikovsky!

Great experience!! I wasn t sure what to expect but wasn t disappointed. The dancers were out of this world and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!! Only issue is with the venue. Wish they had placed refreshments (even just some drinks) on more than ground level. People were still in line when intermission was over. That and having the vendors there made it a bit harder to maneuver, making people late getting back in.

Enjoyed the show with my 8 year old daughter. She laughed at me and the other "ole skool" adults and we took it back with Kurtis Blow. He got the crowd hyped. With regards to the play itself, the dancers were wonderful and gifted. I would love to see this play come back for many years to come. Two Thumbs Up!!

Fabulous show- A classic twist into a modern urban scene!!

The only thing that I would change is to put Kurtis Blow at the end of the play. Kurtis Blow got us all riled up and wanting to party in the beginning and then we all sat down and nutcracker music is totally different from the Kurtis Blow music so it was kind of like a let down after getting riled up and partying in our seat and then we had to sit down and listen to classical music. Kurtis Blow would be best served if he's only at the end of the play where we can go out after the play and be ready to party. The Nutcracker itself was absolutely wonderful the dancers, and the story were amazing. The Pac Center is a wonderful venue to have anything there. The food at NICO'S was great, and the waiters/waitresess, were a lot of fun and courteous, especially Pamela.

The #1 Show to see during the holidays! A must see!

An excellent revision of a classic! If you appreciate old school hip hop don't miss this!!!

Spectacular choreography, dancers, music, video, and lighting. A truly memorable event, best Nutcracker ever. The United Palace Theater is a unique and magnificent venue, but the staff are totally untrained. Long lines to get seated because the ushers were unfamiliar with seat locations. I observed people being moved 2-3 times before they were correctly seated, very annoying.

Had a fun time seeing this variation on the Nutcracker. Venue was a challenge and long lines to get in due to security meant we missed a good half hour at reg beginning. Lack of ushers also meant we had a hard time finding our seats. Performance was still fun and amazing in spite of this!

This event was different from any event that myself and kids ever attended. Loved it!

The venue is amazing. The Show was hugely entertaining. The pre-show, however, was way too loud for me and my grandkids. I ll take earplugs next time, but perhaps they could streamline the audio.

What a wonderful family evening out. The music, the dance, the simple set & backdrop. It all comes together to create a wonderful night out. Loved that we all got to dance out of seat at the beginning & end, the beat of the music the MC, it was all just so much fun!!

This show was a very exciting activity to witness!

Alabama Theatre has a Black Friday sale for this show. I went with a friend and got two floor seats just off-center. The Theatre wanded everyone and checked bags before admitting people; because of that, the line to enter was very long and took longer than expected. The show started late. The Theatre has a beer, wine, and liquor bar, which is great. We had a great view of the stage. We were in seats U2-4, which are next to each other. My friend and I were worried we wouldn t be sitting together because the numbers were not consecutive. I guess the seats in that row were all even. Anyways, violinist was fantastic! My favorite part of the show. The lighting guy was pretty ameture. His computer screen with menu and all showed up every time he switched the digital background.