She isn’t the first to revamp the original work; the popularity of “The Nutcracker” has led to adaptations that reflect geography and specific traditions. Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker On November 27, Netflix premieres Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.The documentary, from Shondaland—producer of hits like "Grey's Anatomy" and "How to Get Away with Murder"—goes behind the scenes of Debbie Allen's twist on the holiday ballet. She wanted to tell the story. Hoffmann. “It’s wonderful for audiences to see the Fairy Queen as a beautiful Black ballerina that flies onto the stage, which is something that young people will never forget. “I’m tested three times a week. “He said, ‘I’m going to show it to Shonda.’ She’s like, ‘Debbie, I have to have this. 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The American Ballet Theatre performs Tchaikovsky's classic Christmas ballet, "The Nutcracker Suite." It offers a comprehensive dance curriculum to mostly youth of color, regardless of financial status. Forget The Nutcracker – Netflix are releasing a rather different ballet show ahead of the festive season, following a dance student who uncovers an unsettling secret at her new ballet school. Young Clara (Gelsey Kirkland) falls fast asleep on Christmas Eve and dreams of fantastic and whimsical characters, including the Mouse King (Marcos Paredes) and the dashing Prince (Mikhail Baryshnikov). So we still have a ways to go.”, Allen said she wrote the original script for “Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” in about three weeks, and then sought the expertise of some of her favorite “world class” composers, dancers, choreographers, production and costume designers, including Arturo Sandoval, James Ingram, Wally Minko, Timm Burrow, Karen McDonald, Evan Williams, Kevin Harris, Chantel Heath, and her son, Norman Nixon Jr., who she fondly refers to as “Thump.”, But she was very involved in all aspects of the creative process in bringing the show to life. The Houston-born dance icon and her husband Norm Nixon have operated the non-profit DADA for 20 years. And it was Shonda who encouraged Oliver Bokelberg, another DADA parent and a producer and director on the Shondaland drama Scandal, to turn his video recordings of rehearsals at the academy into a polished documentary. “There was ‘The Harlem Nutcracker,’ Duke Ellington’s ‘The Chocolate Nutcracker,’ I had worked on a ‘Nutcracker’ that was totally Afrocentric, and I just felt like it was time I needed put my own spice into it,” she said. Why couldn’t he be Romeo? Nutcracker will appear on Netflix next Christmas (Image: Reuters) "I'm really thrilled about that," Kevin grins. Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker is a must-watch this holiday season. “It’s just been an incredible collaboration with all the people that participate annually. “The Nutcracker brand is just so familiar to people,” Hot Chocolate Nutcracker executive producer Norman Nixon, Debbie’s husband, said in the film, per Shondaland. Netflix’s ‘Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker‘ follows the students at the Debbe Allen Dance Academy as they perform a genre-busting and cutting edge rendition of the famed “Nutcracker” ballot.This series follows Allen as they prepare for the main showstopping event. But when you look at it historically, there were not many Black people in it.”. Her annual youth production is an energized remix of The Nutcracker, featuring hip hop, … From Shondaland, “Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” spotlights the career of award-winning entertainer Debbie Allen and follows her group of ingénues as they prepare for Allen’s annual ballet showcase, which is produced via her Los Angeles-based Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA). With Kylie Jefferson, Debbie Allen, Tichina Arnold, Ryan Phuong. The ballet was inspired by "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," published in 1815 by the German author E.T.A. 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