Canada’s Ballet Jörgen will perform The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition to a record sold out performance on Saturday, December 9th from 2-4pm at First Ontario Concert Hall.
“Of all ‘The Nutcracker’ ballets produced in Canada today there’s only one that speaks to the Canadian spirit.”
– Gary Smith, The Hamilton Spectator
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen has performed The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition in Hamilton, ON since 2012. With each December performance over the years, their audience has grown and become a significant annual holiday tradition in and around Hamilton.
Selling out to a venue of over 2,000 seats is a major achievement for Canada’s Ballet Jörgen and supports the company’s philosophy of making ballet accessible for everyone. Canada’s Ballet Jörgen focuses on public outreach to schools and libraries while also making compelling contributions to organizations who assist children and families in need by donating tickets to organizations that support these causes. This approach has contributed to the outstanding reception and growth in Hamilton.
The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition is set in and around Algonquin Park in 1912 and features Trillium flowers, loons and other distinct Canadian representations replacing the traditional Nutcracker dances.
Designed by award-winning designer Sue Lepage, the sets and costumes take audiences on a grand journey through northern landscapes filled with snowflakes, Mounties, raccoons, chipmunks, bears and other woodland creatures.
Originally titled the Group of Seven Nutcracker, this delightful re-working of the timeless classic is born from a collaboration with Kleinberg Ontario’s world-renowned McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition features backdrops and other elements from Canada’s 20th Century landscape artists –Franklin Carmichael’s Church and Houses at Bisset (1931), Tom Thomson’s Snow in the Woods (1916) and L.L. FitzGerald’s Trees and Wildflowers (1922).
The Hamilton performance of The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition is made possible by the Ontario Arts Council’s Touring Program.
Currently Celebrating its 30th season, Canada’s Ballet Jörgen enriches our lives by bringing professional ballet to communities – large and small, urban and rural – across Canada. Known for the warmth and beauty of its productions, CBJ reaches every province, delivering more than 1,500 performances, ballet classes and community engagement events involving over 60,000 participants annually.
Learn more about Canada’s Ballet Jörgen and George Brown Dance.