Ballet Afrique presents Duke Ellington's The Nutcracker Suite

Ballet Afrique’s Nutcracker reimagines the holiday classic through jazz music, movement, family, and imagination. When young Clarinette receives a magical Nutcracker from her musician father, Trombone Charles, an unexpected midnight battle sends her and her siblings aboard the A Train on a journey through Harlem. Guided by Duke Ellington’s music, they arrive in the Land of The Sweets—a dazzling world filled with dancing chocolates, irresistible rhythms, Mother Ginger, and her joyful Ginger Snaps. This theatrical dance experience celebrates courage, cultural memory, community, and the belief that we create and share abundance.

Ballet Afrique, Austin’s premiere Black ballet fusion company, returns with an eighth annual production of “The Nutcracker Suite.” Half a decade old and already a cherished holiday tradition, the production invites audiences to reimagine the holiday season through Ellington’s jazz take on Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. This year, the production returns to the Texas Performing Arts - Bass Concert Hall.

Ballet Afrique’s “Nutcracker Suite” transports audiences to 1940s Harlem, immersing them in the rhythm and vibrance of Jazz pioneers Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald and Charles Mingus . Tradition and innovation collide in a spectacle of ballet, contemporary, and African dance set against a backdrop of jazz-filled Harlem streets and a magical Candyland beneath a dreaming teenage girl’s apartment.

A Cast of Austin All-Stars

This year’s cast includes notable figures from Austin’s Black community, each bringing artistry and excellence to the stage:

• Bavu Blakes as Trombone Charles, Artist, educator, and teaching artist recognized for his contributions to Central Texas hip-hop and his work connecting music, education, and community engagement.
• Queen Deelah as the griot, Hip-hop artist, activist, and community advocate known for using music and cultural programming to amplify community voices and advance social change.
• Nook Turner as the Rat King, Creator of Jump On It, an initiative that brings families together through music, festivals, and youth-centered programming.
• Da’Shade Moonbeam as Lead Rat Gang Soldier, Spoken-word poet, hip-hop artist, and multidisciplinary performer known for socially conscious work that brings together poetry, music, storytelling, and cultural commentary.
• Jean-Claude the African King, Master West African dance artist, choreographer, and educator recognized for sharing traditional African dance and cultural practices through performance, instruction, and community programming.
• Da’Mon Stith as lead Nutcracker Soldier, Martial artist, researcher, and artisan recognized for his work documenting and preserving historical African martial arts traditions and for founding the Historical African Martial Arts Association.