THE OLD GLOBE Presents a FREE Public AXIS Event: A CULTURE SHOCK NUTCRACKER SNEAK PEEK

Join Us on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, On the GLOBE’S COPLEY PLAZA; Pop-Up Performances Will Take Place at 1:30 P.M. and 3:30 P.M.

PHOTO EDITORS:Publicity photos are attached to this email.

SAN DIEGO (December, 13, 2017)—The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, and our work each day is to make theatre matter to more people! We invite friends, families, and dance fans to our free AXIS event, A Culture Shock Nutcracker Sneak Peek,on Saturday, December 23, with pop-up performances at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. This high-energy event will take place on the Globe’s Copley Plaza, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in Balboa Park, preceding the 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. performances of the Globe’s 20th annual production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, which will run through Sunday, December 24.

A Culture Shock Nutcracker Sneak Peekwill include The Snow Scene, choreographed by Shanara Lennox and Igi Echave, featuring  intermediate- and advanced-level Culture Shock dancers trained in all styles of dance, including hip-hop, freestyle, breaking, popping, jazz, ballet, contemporary rhythms, and gymnastics!

The Snow Scene takes place after a huge battle takes place between the Rat Army and the Nutcracker Army. The Nutcracker and Clara make their way through an enchanted magical forest where they run into a jolly snowman, his sweet magical snowflakes, and snow angels. They dance around in delight in the beautiful snow-filled forest.

“We are thrilled to present Culture Shock’s dynamic rendition of The Nutcracker as part our AXIS program, which offers free cultural programs on the Globe’s Copley Plaza, led by local artists and craftspeople.” said Director of Arts Engagement Freedome Bradley-Ballentine. “This free sneak peek will be an exciting way to further activate our plaza and share this mash-up of different dance styles with both our theatre and park communities. We have looked forward to this collaboration all year. It’s a great way to wrap up a really successful season of AXIS, in its first full year of programming, serving more than 20,000 people.”

Angie Bunch, widely considered a hip-hop pioneer, formed Culture Shock San Diego in 1993, gathering a group of hip-hop street dancers to develop and perform intricate choreography combining the best of the raw, urban forms of dance on the scene. Adding break dancing to this mix in the late 1990s, Culture Shock has become a hip-hop powerhouse under Bunch’s direction. The world-renowned company, whose headquarters remain in San Diego, has outposts in Los Angeles; Oakland; Las Vegas; Chicago; Washington, DC; and Ottawa and Toronto, Canada. The Culture Shockconcept—to bring the urban dance form into the professional dance arena and then let that influence go back the other way—has now inspired several generations of hip-hop dancers. Bunch touts the addition of break dancing as a key moment in the history of Culture Shock.

A Culture Shock Nutcracker – a pop culture holiday theatrical – will run January 5-7, 2018, at the Spreckels Theatre in downtown San Diego. For more information and tickets: http://bit.ly/CultureShockNutcracker

AXIS is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.

LOCATION and PARKING INFORMATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may also be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. The Balboa Park valet is also available during performances, located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/detailed-directions.

PLEASE NOTE: To look up online or GPS directions to The Old Globe, please do not use the Delivery Address above. There is only a 10-minute zone at that physical address. For GPS users, please click here for the map coordinates, and here for written directions to The Old Globe and nearby parking in Balboa Park.

About AXIS: One of the ways The Old Globe’s Arts Engagement team exemplifies its mission to make theatre matter to more people is through a program called AXIS, where free cultural programs on the Globe’s Copley Plaza are led by local artists and craftspeople. 9.5 million visitors pass through Balboa Park each year. The Old Globe strives to engage this population as we transform our non-performance space into a participatory art venue, utilizing the Globe’s unique physical location as an opportunity for connectivity and creative placemaking. AXIS is an effort to broaden our concept of audience, extending beyond regular ticket-holders and encompassing diverse, multigenerational constituencies from communities across San Diego County.

CALENDAR: Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (11/4–12/24), AXIS: A Culture Shock Nutcracker Sneak Peek (12/23), The Importance of Being Earnest (1/27/18–3/4), Uncle Vanya (2/10–3/11), AXIS: Give Love San Diego (2/10), American Mariachi (3/23–4/29), AXIS: American Mariachi Event (3/31), The Wanderers (4/6–5/6), AXIS: Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! (4/21), A Thousand Splendid Suns (5/12–6/17), Native Gardens (5/26–6/24), The Tempest (6/17–7/22), Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (7/2–8/12), Barefoot in the Park (7/28–8/26), Much Ado About Nothing (8/12–9/16), 2018 Globe Gala (9/22).

PHOTO EDITORS: Digital images of The Old Globe’s productions are available at www.theoldglobe.org/press-room.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego’s flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Meteor Shower, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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Advance interviews are available with
Director of Arts Engagement Freedome Bradley-Ballentine.
Please contact Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti to arrange at
aenciso@TheOldGlobe.org or (619) 238-0043 x2356.