‘Nutcracker’ with a Twist… and a Swing

Tchaikovsky might not have approved, but a packed audience at the Arlington Theatre watching the New York-based Dorrance Dance company’s Nutcracker Suite, part of UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures series, showed their approval after a 75-minute jazzy new version of the Christmas tradition.

Set to a new arrangement of the Yuletide classic by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, the colorful energized show kicked off with “An Ella’quent Holiday Swing” featuring festive favorites from “Jingle Bells” to “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

Powerhouse vocalist Aaron Marcellus and Michelle Dorrance’s incomparable dancers brought the songs to life, accompanied by a trio of musicians.

With its joyful riffs and hand clapping tempo, the toe-tapping production was the perfect start to the holiday season.