into the
Season
“ this whole new element of jazz and step … will add a new and , I think , unexplored dimension to this holiday classic .” — Nicholas Hersh
no one more so than Jakari Sherman , who choreographed and directed the work with producer and Step Afrika ! founder C . Brian Williams . “ Stepping ” is a percussive dance form punctuated by chants that originated in African- American sororities and fraternities as a means of showing unity . Because stepping creates its own rhythm , with the dancers making their own form of music with their bodies , it must come together with the jazz orchestration into a cohesive whole . All this while telling the world ’ s most well known holiday tale .
“ One of the things I love about choreography is that it is like a puzzle ,” says Sherman . “ Here we have jazz music , The Nutcracker story , the orchestra on stage with us — how do we put these elements together so we ’ re true to each ?”
While it may seem like too many worlds colliding , Sherman points out that the Ellington jazz score , which came out at the same time that stepping was spreading across the country , has roots in African- American culture , just as step does . There is a synergy there , he says , and the rest is a
matter of shifting the rhythmic patterns of the dancers .
“ Stepping takes a lot of its cues from the military and certain musical forms from the 1950s and ‘ 60s , so the rhythmic patterns are very straight , while the Ellington Nutcracker , the jazzy rhythms , have a lot of swing in them ,” he says . “ It ’ s one of the challenges and one of the delights of working with Ellington ’ s work and the music created in tribute to Ellington . It ’ s an opportunity to play with the stepping form .”
This performance of The Nutcracker promises to be groundbreaking , with high energy from the dancers , an incredible and demanding score performed by the orchestra , and the youthful energy of Hersh bringing it all together under his baton . For certain , this reimagining of the old classic is anything but predictable .
Step Afrika !
Ellington and Strayhorn ’ s swinging score reimagined these iconic movements from The Nutcracker
Overture
Toot Toot Tootie Toot ( Dance of the Reed-Pipes )
Peanut Brittle Brigade ( March )
Sugar Rum Cherry ( Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy )
Entr ’ acte The Volga Vouty ( Russian Dance ) Chinoiserie ( The Chinese Dance )
Dance Of The Floreadores ( Waltz Of The Flowers )
Arabesque Cookie ( Arabian Dance )
Duke Ellington
Holiday 2016 | Overture 5