Two sisters from Maple Ridge are taking centre stage at the Vancouver Playhouse with an upcoming performance of a dance show called Mixed Nuts.
Amelia, 15, and Hannah-Jane Clutchey, 20, are dancing with the Arts Umbrella Dance Company to entertain audiences with a variety of dance styles, including ballet, hip-hop, ballroom, and pas-de-deux.
The show is a modern retelling of Tchaikovsky’s famous show The Nutcracker.
Hannah-Jane said the show is “unlike any other Nutcracker out there.”
“The dancers have the opportunity to be a part of so many pieces that have such a unique twist, and dancing them gets your brain, body, and soul racing.”
Mixed Nuts features old favourites and new pieces choreographed by Vancouver and Canadian dancers from Ballet B.C. and Kidd Pivot.
Last season, the entertainers performed for more than 2,000 audience members.
Arts Umbrella artistic director Artemis Gordon has been directing the company for 26 years.
“Ballet is continually evolving, constantly shifting and being reinvented,” said Gordon.
“We are still using the traditional values of what ballet is, but we are also counterpoising The Nutcracker, a ballet that was made in the 19th Century and making it something that is a little bit more accessible. It’s incredible that the dancers can do as much as they do. And they do it so well, from classical ballet on point, to hip-hop on the floor.”
The Arts Umbrella Dance Company consists of more than 80 dancers who are selected for the company’s professional training programs and post-secondary programs.
Mixed Nuts is on Friday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.
Two matinee shows are on Saturday, Dec. 15 and Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m.
The performance is at the Vancouver Playhouse on 600 Cambie St., Vancouver.
• Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for students or seniors. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.artsumbrella.com/events