Hip Hop Nutcracker 2016 Program

STRATHMORE and

NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER with

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER EVA PRICE present

Friday, December 16, 2016, 8pm Adapted by

MIKE FITELSON

Based on The Nutcracker by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Produced by NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER John Schreiber, President & CEO David Rodriguez, Executive Producer Julia Kraus, Producer Set Designer ANDREW DIAZ

Lighting Designer BURKE WILMORE

Technical Director JOSEPH SPRATT

Costume Designer WHITNEY ADAMS

Company Manager MICHAEL GREMO

Video Designer MOE SHAHROOZ

Prodution Stage Manager TRACEY WOOLLEY

Original Beats & Remixes DJ BOO

Assistant Choreographer RANDI FLECKENSTINE

General Manager MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT

Exclusive Tour Direction INHOUSE BOOKING

Directed & Choreographed by

JENNIFER WEBER

Featuring freestyles by the company Originally produced by the United Palace of Cultural Arts (Mike Fitelson, Executive Director)

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CAST Maria-Clara.....................................................................Ann-Sylvia Clark The Nutcracker......................................................Josue “Beast” Figueroa Mom................................................................................Yorelis Apolinario Dad..............................................................................................JD Rainey Drosselmeyer..............................................................................SHEstreet Mouse King/Ensemble.................................................Randi Fleckenstine Snow King/Ensemble..............................................................Ricky Flores Toy/Ensemble.........................................................................Liliana Frias Toy/Ensemble...........................................................................Illjaz Jusufi Russian/Ensemble.......................................................................Alex Laya Tea/Ensemble................................................................Maria Malmstrom Flute/Ensemble.......................................................................Evan Moody Violinist...................................................................................David Marks Performance DJ................................................................................DJ Boo

PLACE New Year’s Eve – Uptown, USA The Hip Hop Nutcracker will have a 20-minute intermission.

PRODUCTION STAFF Dance Captain.............................................................Randi Fleckenstine Original Company Associate Director/Choreographer.............Taeko Koji Wardrobe Manager/Assistant Manager.........................Amanda Nomura

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTIONS

Eva Price Carl Flanigan Andrew Hartman Emily Snyder Avram Freedberg Mary Beth Dale

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PLOT SYNOPSIS ACT I

During the annual Uptown holiday street party, MariaClara is upset by her parents’ constant bickering. The mysterious Drosselmeyer appears, bringing magical toys to the party. He introduces Maria-Clara to a street vendor selling roasted nuts, who catches her eye because he is different from the other boys on the block. After the party breaks up, Maria-Clara heads home, but on her way, she runs into the menacing Mouse Crew. The Nutcracker, aided by a magic pair of sneakers, defeats the Mouse King and the couple enjoys the romance of winter’s first snowfall.

ACT II

Drosselmeyer meets Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker and takes them back in time to the Land of Sweets nightclub on New Year’s Eve, 1984. Invisible, the couple watches the party-goers show off the dance styles of the day. Suddenly Maria-Clara realizes she is witnessing the night her parents met and is overcome by how they were once deeply in love.

Back in the present, and with a little more magic, MariaClara and The Nutcracker help Mom and Dad reconcile.

The community joins them in the celebration.

and Tru TV’s Fake Off. She has performed at various shows, festivals, and in music videos for artists like Alicia Keys, Styles P, F.Stokes, Ben L’Oncle Soul, and Fedez. She has also done commercial work for Samsung and Smirnoff.

JOSUE “BEAST” FIGUEROA (THE NUTCRACKER)

was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Florida. Figueroa discovered his passion for breaking and the performing arts at age 15. His pursuit and love for the arts have earned him work in the Step Up film franchise, international breaking championship titles with his world-renowned crews MIND180 and Skill Methodz, and numerous commercials. Figueroa is currently creating his next path as an actor and can be seen in Marriot’s short series, Two Bellmen.

YORELIS APOLINARIO (MOM) is a dancer from Tampa,

Florida. She began taking hip-hop lessons at age 8. At age 12, she began to explore other styles such as ballet, jazz, and contemporary. She attended Orange Grove Middle Magnet School of the Arts and Blake High School of the Performing Arts, where she furthered her training in dance. From 2012 to 2014, she toured with The Pulse On Tour convention under the industry’s most soughtafter choreographers such as Dave Scott, Gil Duldulao, and Brian Freidman. Apolinario competed on season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance, where she was among the top 14 dancers. Following the show, Apolinario joined the So You Think You Can Dance tour of the United States and Canada. Apolinario has worked with artists such as Tinashe, Alyson Stoner, Flo Rida, Jordan Fisher, and Christina Aguilera. She was also given a role in Hulu’s East Los High as an actress and dancer. You can even spot Apolinario in the national “Data Loca” Sprint Commercial. Apolinario resides in Los Angeles and continues to train and further her career.

JD RAINEY (DAD), also known as “Bboy Twixx,” is

BIOGRAPHIES ANN-SYLVIA CLARK (MARIA-CLARA) was born and

raised in Norway. She started out as a gymnast at the age of 5 and continued for 13 years. Clark traveled internationally with her gymnastic team, but later turned to dance and was accepted into Flow Dance Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark. She performed with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams at the 2006 MTV European Music Awards. Since moving to New York, she continued her training at Broadway Dance Center.

In 2009, she became a member of Decadancetheatre, a hip-hop theatrical company. With the company she has toured the United States and the United Kingdom, and she has performed on FOX’s Good Day New York, CBS, 3

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originally from Seattle, Washington where he played sports since childhood, including gymnastics, football, wrestling, martial arts, and track and field. He has been dancing for 21 years, gaining experience in the styles of breaking, popping, locking, and hip-hop, and he is still a student of dance, constantly learning new styles, and concepts. Rainey also dances with his crew, The Massive Monkees, and has won numerous b-boy competitions nationally and internationally. He resides in Los Angeles.

SHESTREET (DROSSELMEYER), an inspirational

movement artist and choreographer, has the ability to move the masses. She moves with fluidity and grace, but also embodies an undeniable sense of raw feeling.

She grew up around talented singers and musicians and, over the years, developed a keen way of listening

to music and establishing an intricate bond with it.

After deciding to dedicate more time to hone her craft, she has performed throughout the United States with various companies. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she relocated to Los Angeles where she continues to pursue her vision full time.

RANDI “RASCAL” FLECKENSTINE (ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER/DANCE CAPTAIN/MOUSE KING/ ENSEMBLE) is a member of the powerful female crew

The Beat Freaks and a professional hip-hop dancer living in Los Angeles. She has toured Japan as a cast member of The Battle 2015, performed at music festivals such as Rock N’ Rio and Coachella, and danced with numerous artists. Fleckenstine also teaches at Movement Lifestyle, a prominent professional dance studio in Los Angeles.

RICKY FLORES (SNOW KING/ENSEMBLE), also known

as “Ricky Tan,” is a 31 year-old dancer from Methuen, Massachusetts. He had a wonderful and supportive family upbringing and, at an early age, was captivated by music and became an advocate for dance. Where passion meets ambition, he found himself drawn, driven, and directed by music. It’s the only time he feels completely honest with himself and where he finds unconditional love. Meeting other people with the same passion has been a true inspiration. He’s always hopes that audiences enjoy the performance and gain a bit of an understanding of who he is.

Billboard Music Awards and worked with Nicki Minaj, David Guetta, and Lauriann Gibson. In 2001, Jusufi founded the crew Ruff’n X with his brother, which also goes by the name Jay Brothers.

ALEX LAYA (RUSSIAN/ENSEMBLE) grew up in the

suburbs of Chicago and began his dance training in b-boying at age 17. He later attended Western Michigan University, where he thoroughly trained in modern, jazz, and ballet. Laya currently lives in Los Angeles, where he has learned from some of the world’s best teachers and choreographers, and has had amazing opportunities.

Laya performed with world famous DJ-producer Diplo, while being featured in his music video for “Set Me Free.” He also performed with Soul Fresh Fam, directed

by Ricky Cole of Mos Wanted Cru, at many venues worldwide, including World of Dance. Because of his eclectic training, Laya’s dance style has become a fusion of urban and contemporary styles, strongly influenced by b-boying. Some of Laya’s other credits include Gala de Danza, Youth American Grand Prix, Establish Your Empire, Dance Stellar Productions, Chicago Dance Crash, and Culture Shock Chicago.

LILIANA FRIAS (TOY/ENSEMBLE) was born and raised

in Mexico and currently works as a professional dancer in Los Angeles. She has been dancing for 13 years. With a journey that started as a technical dancer, she later mastered hip-hop styles and freestyle, putting the hiphop scene of her country on the map, along with her crew. She has been featured on projects such as season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance, season 7 of America’s Best Dance Crew, Cirque Du Soleil, Comedy Central, and she won first place in Dance Delight Sweden. She is also an accomplished choreographer known for teaching and performing in the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

ILLJAZ JUSUFI (TOY/ENSEMBLE) was born in

Macedonia and raised in Switzerland, and he relocated to Los Angeles in 2014. He started breaking with his younger brother and won the Swiss and European Breaking Championships several times. Jusufi has judged numerous breakdance and streetdance competitions, and has taught worldwide. In Basel, Switzerland, he performed in the musicals Hair as Ronnie and Fame as Tyronne Jackson. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has appeared in commercials for Amazon Prime, Reeses Puffs, Axe, and more. He performed at the

MARIA MALMSTROM (TEA/ENSEMBLE) was born and

raised in Sweden and has been dancing and performing since age 6. She started in Denmark’s Contemporary Dance School and pursued her training at Pineapple Dance Studios in London. Since 2012 Malmstrom has been a proud member of The Legendary House of Ninja under the tutelage of Benny and Javier Ninja, and has entered dances and competitions internationally and in New York City. Working closely with choreographer Toniah Pedersen has been one of the most positive influences in her career. Malmstrom has also worked with choreographers such as Luam, Aakomon Jones, Jermaine Browne, Normann Shay, Soraya Lundy, Hok, Phillip Schebeeb, and Binkie Reevey. Her clients include H&M x Balmain, Adidas, Bloomingdales, Moncler, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Nike, Jason Derulo, Gap, and Cirque du Soleil. Every opportunity to perform is a chance to express herself and she is grateful to do what she loves.

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EVAN MOODY (FLUTE/ENSEMBLE) is from Raleigh,

North Carolina. He debuted onstage when he was in fifth grade, performing in the musical My First Bug Jar at North Carolina State University. His has since worked for Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Mountain Dew, Keke Palmer, Alvin and the Chipmunks 4, and Todrick Hall.

He is very thankful for the opportunities. He would like to thank his parents for helping him find a passion at such a young age and helping him focus and grow with it. He would also like to thank Amanda Pope, Kate Oliver-Cummings, Ebonee Arielle, and David Moore for being hard on him and encouraging him to believe in his dreams. He hopes everything he’s become has made y’all proud!

DAVID MARKS (VIOLINIST} is a native of Chicago.

Marks collaborates with many musicians and is an active performer of solo, chamber, and orchestral repertoire. His collaborations have taken him across the globe from Disney Hall in Los Angeles to Salzburg, Austria and Moscow, Russia. He has performed in prestigious venues in New York City such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Bargemusic. Marks received both his bachelor’s and baster’s degrees in music from the Juilliard School.

Marks currently resides in New York City.

has been seen in venues across the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, and France, including at Jacob’s Pillow, The Apollo Theater, The Kennedy Center, London’s Southbank Center, The Everyman in Liverpool, New York City Center, Bumbershoot in Seattle, The Stanislavsky Music Theatre in Moscow, and The Music Center in Los Angeles. She has choreographed for American Express, Uber, Ulta, L’Oreal Matrix, Reebok, Bloomberg, Philosophy, Marc Jacobs, CK2, and the television show Blue Peter. Weber was the creative director for the 2016 tour of Lifetime’s Bring It! Live and choreographed the 16–17 tour of PBS’s Odd Squad Live.

Weber and The Deca Crew were featured on season 2 of TruTV’s theatrical competition series, Fake Off.

MIKE FITELSON (WRITER/CO-CREATOR) is the

executive director of the United Palace of Cultural Arts (UPCA), which originally produced The Hip Hop Nutcracker in 2014, and co-created the show with Jennifer Weber, adapting the story and supplying the images for the scenery. Fitelson has worked to build the arts community in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan for over a decade. He cofounded the community’s annual arts festival, the Uptown Arts Stroll, in 2003; served in every capacity for the Manhattan Times, the bilingual community newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood, from 2002–2011; and serves on the steering committee of the new Washington Heights-Broadway Business Improvement District.

ANDREW DIAZ (SET & PROPS DESIGNER) is a set

DJ BOO (DJ ) is a New York-based Filipino-American DJ and musician. He has shared the stage with the likes of Ghostface Killah, DJ Kool Herc, KRS-1, Snoop Dogg, and Common. He has backed wordsmiths like Eternia, The Juggaknots, and Omar Offendum. In 2014, he served as a cultural ambassador for the United States, performing and conducting hip-hop workshops with The Nomadic Wax Collective in Nepal, Mozambique, and Swaziland as part of the American Music Abroad Tour. As the DJ for Brooklyn-based dance company Decadancetheatre, he has had the honor of performing at Jacob’s Pillow.

JENNIFER WEBER (DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER)

is an Outstanding Emerging Choreographer New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) nominee and the artistic director of the award- winning theatrical hip-hop dance company Decadancetheatre. Her work

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and props designer making magic out of his Brooklyn living room. His recent set designs include: Sox News (Martian Entertainment), Smoke (The Flea), My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer (The Flea), An American Family Takes A Lover (The Cell), and Revenge and Guilt (After Midnight). He has worked with various theater companies, including New York Theatre Workshop, Carnegie Hall, Classic Stage Company, Primary Stages, The Public, Theater For A New Audience, Cherry Lane Theater, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Diaz holds a BFA from the University of Arizona School of Theater Arts.

BURKE WILMORE (LIGHTING DESIGNER) is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and an honors graduate of Wesleyan University. He was the resident designer for Battleworks from 2001 to 2010 and lit Robert Battle’s Juba, In/Side, Takademe, The Hunt, and Strange Humors for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He also designed Stephen Petronio’s ballet Tragic Love for Ballet de Lorraine at the Montpelier Festival. Since 2005, he has been the resident designer for Keigwin + Company, lighting Boys, Girls, Canvas, Trio, Triptych, Elements, Birdwatching, Love Songs, Mattress Suite, Exit, and nine iterations of Bolero. His work is in the repertories

of Sweden’s NorrDans and Holland’s Introdans. He has also lit the work of Camille A. Brown (Mr. Tol. E. Rance, City of Rain, Good & Grown), Brian Brooks (Again Again), and Keely Garfield (Twin Pines). He frequently collaborates with Broadway star André de Shields, for whom he lit the Louis Armstrong musical Ambassador Satch, the play Killa Dilla, and designed scenery and lighting for De Shields’ production of Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Wilmore leads the production team and serves as associate producer for FOCUS Dance and Gotham Dance Festival presentations at The Joyce Theater, Skirball Center, and the Ailey Citigroup Theater.

Hip Hop Nutcracker; 50 Shades! The Musical; Ivy + Bean The Musical; Voca People; and Colin Quinn: Long Story Short.

NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (PRODUCER), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is the artistic, cultural, educational, and civic center of New Jersey—where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive arts education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than nine million visitors, including over 1.5 million children, since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

EVA PRICE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) was recently

WHITNEY ANNE ADAMS (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a

costume designer and stylist based in New York City.

Designs Include: Travesties (Bay Street Theatre); House of Murgatroyd: Ruddygore Revisited (Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, UK); Les Misérables (Zach Theatre); Tonight At 8:30 (Guild Hall); BC Beat spring and fall 2014; Phish New Years Eve Concert at Madison Square Garden in 2012, 2013, and 2014; and LoveSick (Project Y). She was also a costume design assistant to Catherine Martin on Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, Chanel No. 5: The One That I Want, and the stage production of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical. She holds a degree from the University of California San Diego.

MOE SHAHROOZ (VIDEO DESIGNER) is a video artist

based in New York City. He specializes in animation, editing, and interactive video design. He has worked on projects ranging from television shows, award shows, music videos, and theatrical productions. His work has been seen in venues such as Lincoln Center and Grand Central Station. He holds a master’s degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Shahrooz also performs and produces music under the moniker I. Sheik. He is proud to be working on The Hip Hop Nutcracker.

MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT (GENERAL MANAGER)

is a producing, developing, and management company founded by Avram Freedberg, MaryBeth Dale, and Eva Price, and is joined by managing director and general manager Carl Flanigan. Select credits on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and on tour include Small Mouth Sounds; Verso; Carefree: Dancin’ With Fred & Ginger; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on Broadway!; The Lion; The

named one of Crain’s New York Business’ 40 Under 40 Rising Business Stars. Current and notable productions include: On Your Feet! (the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan), Dear Evan Hansen, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons on Broadway!, Peter and The Starcatcher (5 Tony Awards), Colin Quinn: Long Story Short (directed

by Jerry Seinfeld), Annie (Tony-nominated musical revival), The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino (Tony-nominated play revival), Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking, The Addams Family (starring Nathan Lane ad Bebe Neuwirth), as well as several other solo shows and critically acclaimed concerts starring The Temptations & The Four Tops, Kathy Griffin, Lewis Black, and Hershey Felder. Recent Off-Broadway projects include the Drama Desk-nominated Found (Atlantic Theater Company and Philadelphia Theater Company), Benjamin Scheuer’s award-winning The Lion (Drama Desk winner, Off-West End best musical winner), and Bess Wohl’s critically acclaimed Small Mouth Sounds. International and Touring Credits include: Carefree: Dancin’ with Fred and Ginger (directed/choreographed by Tony winner Warren Carlyle), as well as The Magic School Bus, Live!, The Climate Challenge, Ella (a bio musical about the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald), ‘S Wonderful: The New Gershwin Musical, Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona The Musical, Irving Berlin’s I Love A Piano (national tour and Japan), The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Private Jokes, Public Places (London). For five years Price worked as an assignment editor and coordinating producer for special projects at ABC News, spending her last year producing and reporting on stories relating to Broadway for ABC News online.

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