ARTS . Arts Picks

Philly-Nutt-Crak-Up

Fri., Dec. 15, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 16, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 17, 2:30 p.m.


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Published: Dec 13, 2006

dance

Plenty of ballet performers cite an early experience seeing The Nutcracker as a reason they got interested in dance. A whole new generation of youngsters may feel the same after watching ContempraDance Theatre's Philly-Nutt-Crak-Up, a creative spoof that puts a comically timely twist on the holiday fave.

Drawing only loosely on the original tale, here the Sugar Plum Fairy raps, Santa's got hip-hop chops and the lead character dreams of visiting the "Kingdom of Prussia." The music includes Tchaikovsky, James Brown and Fatboy Slim. "It's abstract and a little off-the-wall," says company artistic director Gail Vartanian.

The cast features Contempra's pros and nearly two dozen kids from ages 7 to 16. If these young'uns perform anything like last year's crew, their segments could very well steal the spotlight. Vartanian believes the spoof is a welcome change from the same old. "A lot of dads [who] won't sit through The Nutcracker say they love our show."

Fri., Dec. 15, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 16, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 17, 2:30 p.m., $20-$25 ($45 with post-show reception Fri.), Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914, www.paintedbride.org.