Choreographer Shira Greenberg does "The Nutcracker" nuttier than the traditional ballet.
"Nutcracker on the Rocks" is a modern dance performance set to the music of Van Morrison, the Velvet Underground, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday and Medeski Martin & Wood.
"In the classical version, Drosselmeyer is a godfather/uncle-type person, but ours is a woman and she's a rock star," Greenberg said. "She enters the stage on a Harley Davidson. And then the storyline is very similar. There's a holiday party and Drosselmeyer brings presents for everyone. It always has a "Wizard of Oz" kind of feel, where people from real life turn into the people in her dreams."
Greenberg, the founder and artistic director of Keshet Dance Company, began twisting "The Nutcracker" 12 years ago.
"They travel to the Land of the Snow, just like they do in the traditional version," she said. "In our version, the Land of the Snow, it's a land of unlimited possibilities, which is Keshet's mission - to provide unlimited possibilities through dance."
The snowflakes are played by dancers with physical disabilities. Some are in wheelchairs.
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"That's very different from the traditional version with ballerinas in point shoes," Greenberg said. "We choreographed based on who's in the show for that scene. Some dancers have much more mobility, and some can get in and out of their chairs. Some operate their wheelchairs using their hands or heads. Some use walkers."
The main girl in the story is named Marie instead of Clara, and her nutcracker-turned-real boy is played by Vladimir Conde-Reche, UNM's newest dance teacher, who is from Brazil.
"In the original "Nutcracker" story, written by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the girl - her name is actually Marie. It's her doll that's named Clara. We went back to the original version, which is a little darker than the 'Yay! Happiness!'"
She said the play could be set somewhere between the '80s and right now. She changed the Russian, Chinese and other cultural dances in the original performance to dances from the '20s, '50s and '60s.
Maggie Bergeron, a professional dancer from Minneapolis, plays the Rat Queen and the mean lady at the holiday party. She was in town for only two of the rehearsals.
"(Greenberg) sent me a DVD, and I spent a lot of time in St. Paul/Minneapolis learning the choreography," Bergeron said. "I got here and away we went. I had it all learned..
"I didn't audition for it, but Shira knows how I dance and thought it was appropriate for me. Maybe she thought I was mean. It's pretty technical, and I have a lot of ballet training, so I think that helps."
"Nutcracker on the Rocks"
Friday at 7:30
Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
National Hispanic Cultural Center
1701 Fourth Street S.W.
$16-$28
Children five and under half price
For tickets, call (505) 724-4771
