Looking to sprinkle a little extra magic into your weekend plans? Two Queens stages are set to usher in the season with their own takes on a holiday classic \u2014 each offering a family-friendly twist on \u201cThe Nutcracker.\u201d<\/p>\n
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College, located at 31-10 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City, will present a festive double feature: Tchaikovsky\u2019s \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d paired with a visit to Santa\u2019s Toyland, on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m. on LPAC\u2019s Mainstage.<\/p>\n
The production, presented with the Joffrey Ballet School\u2019s Children\u2019s and Youth Ballet in collaboration with its Ballet Trainee Program, trims the beloved ballet into a one-hour adaptation designed for audiences of all ages.<\/p>\n
In the show, Clara\u2019s journey through swirling snow and shimmering sweets unfolds to Tchaikovsky\u2019s iconic score as she sets out to break the spell over the Nutcracker Prince.<\/p>\n
After the final bow, families are invited to step directly into Santa\u2019s Toyland \u2014 an LPAC tradition for more than two decades \u2014 where the theater transforms into a glittering holiday escape created by longtime technical director Carmen Griffin and the LPAC team. There, children can meet Santa, portrayed by Robert Lowmark, explore the whimsical setting and leave with a special gift. Guests will also have a chance to greet the principal dancers from the Joffrey Ballet School.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt its heart, this event is about bringing families together,\u201d said Andrew Ronan, LPAC\u2019s executive director. \u201c\u2018The Nutcracker\u2019 and Santa\u2019s Toyland have become beloved traditions at LPAC, and we\u2019re thrilled to welcome our community back to experience the joy, imagination, and wonder of the season with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, LPAC donated 100 tickets to the city\u2019s Department of Homeless Services for children and families living in Queens shelters, Ronan told the Chronicle.<\/p>\n
Tickets for the performance are $30 for general admission and $15 for students with the code \u201cSTUDENT.\u201d They are available for purchase online at lpac.nyc.<\/p>\n
Those looking for another spin on the holiday staple can head to Queens College, where New York Theatre Ballet will bring Keith Michael\u2019s \u201dThe Nutcracker\u201d to Colden Auditorium at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts, at 65-30 Kissena Blvd. in Flushing, on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
The performance is presented by New York Theatre Ballet. Tickets are $32, and the Kupferberg Center offers a range of discounts, including half-price admission for Queens College students and savings for groups, seniors, first responders, healthcare workers and alumni. Tickets are available online at kupferbergcenter.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n The one-hour staging, suited for children as young as 3, per the Kupferberg website, reimagines the ballet through the Art Nouveau aesthetic of 1907. Michael\u2019s choreography adds playful flourishes \u2014 from mischievous imps to bold, stylized characters \u2014 while keeping Tchaikovsky\u2019s score at the heart of the storytelling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Looking to sprinkle a little extra magic into your weekend plans? Two Queens stages are set to usher…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[1149,35414,35413,10121,9,24,63,122,124,123,35412],"class_list":["post-68244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-art","tag-colden-auditorium","tag-kupferberg-center-for-the-arts","tag-laguardia-performing-arts-center","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-the-nutcracker-suite"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}