new york city center
the nutcracker suite

From the fleet-footed imaginations of tap dance stars Michelle Dorrance and Josette Wiggan, and their collaborator and downtown theater darling Hannah Heller, comes this jazzy new vision of the holiday tradition. Part seasonal concert, part tap ballet, The Nutcracker Suite is a toe-tapping, hand-clapping revelation set to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s extraordinary arrangement of the Tchaikovsky classic.

The festivities begin with a host of holiday favorites, from “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to “Jingle Bells,” interpreted by “powerhouse” (The Washington Post) vocalist Aaron Marcellus and Dorrance's incomparable dancers, accompanied by live music. Then it’s through the glittering curtain to an uptown Christmas party, where this Nutcracker story begins.

Whether it’s a tap battle with the Rat King or a big band Waltz of the Flowers—and don’t forget the Soft-Shoe of the Snowflakes—Dorrance and her collaborators offer a joyful riff on beloved material that’s the perfect start to your family’s holiday season.

zellerbach hall
the nutcracker suite

Explosive tap dance meets hot jazz rhythms in acclaimed company Dorrance Dance’s intoxicating production of the holiday classic. Danced to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s marvelously inventive 1960 reinterpretation of the classic Tchaikovsky score, The Nutcracker Suite boogies, slides, struts, and dives through the magical story of a young girl and her fantastical Christmas adventure. Along with collaborators Hannah Heller and Josette Wiggan, Artistic Director Michelle Dorrance transforms the Sugar Plum Fairy into a slinky Sugar Rum Cherry, the “March of the Toy Soldiers” becomes a swinging brass “Peanut Brittle Brigade” romp, and the original ballet’s pageant of national dances gets a fresh new 21st-century twist.

memorial hall
the center will not hold
a dorrance dance production

The Center Will Not Hold was born from “a little room,” a short duet created and performed by Ephrat Asherie and Michelle Dorrance in December 2022. The expanded and reimagined work now includes a collective of performers deeply rooted in one or many of the following street, club, and vernacular dances: House, Breaking, Hip Hop, Tap Dance, Chicago Footwork, Detroit Jit, Litefeet, Memphis Jookin, and Body Percussion.  

The work features original music composed by Donovan Dorrance with live percussion by world class drummer/percussionist, John Angeles.

emerson cutler majestic theatre
the center will not hold
a dorrance dance production

The Center Will Not Hold is an expanded and reimagined work born from a little room, a short duet created and performed by Michelle Dorrance and Ephrat Asherie in December 2022. The piece now features a collective of singular performers (including Michelle Dorrance and Ephrat Asherie) deeply rooted in one or many street, club, and vernacular dances including house, breaking, hip-hop, tap dance, Chicago Footwork, Detroit Jit, Litefeet, Memphis Jookin, and body percussion. The work features original music composed by Donovan Dorrance and live percussion by world-class musicians.  

bluma appel theater
the center will not hold
a dorrance dance production

Born from a little room, a short duet created and performed by Ephrat Asherie and Michelle Dorrance in December 2022, The Center Will Not Hold is now an expanded and reimagined work that includes a collective of singular performers deeply rooted in one or many of the following street, club, and vernacular dances: house, breaking, hip hop, tap dance, Chicago footwork, Detroit jit, litefeet, Memphis jookin, and body percussion. The work features original music composed by Donovan Dorrance with live percussion by world-class drummer/percussionist, John Angeles.