LEXINGTON, Ky. — A group of Lexington dancers is putting its spin on the classic Christmas story, "The Nutcracker."
Kayla Chambers-Reed, founder of Lexington's African American Ballet Troupe, directs steps, marks moves and choreographs the annual show. The group is preparing for the third year of its rendition of "The Ebony Nutcracker."
It adds cultural themes, sounds and movements to the original story and characters.
“We tie in a lot of different dance styles — jazz, hip hop, a lot of different styles of music, different music genres — so it's a combination just bringing in different cultures and kind of just adding to the performance and making it even bigger and more exciting," Chambers-Reed said.
She said this year's show is adding a new element, as Eddy Perez of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York is flying in as the lead Nutcracker.
“My manager called me and was like, 'I have this opportunity. Would you want to do it?'" Perez said. "And I started looking into it, and I thought the message was so important and something I do a lot."
Perez, who has more than a decade of experience, said artistic opportunities were rare for his community growing up and he hopes to show others the value of what they can share.
“Their artistic message can add a lot to the conversation in the community and that it's not like a far cry or it's not unrealistic,” Perez said.
Each year, the troupe has children of all ages from the William Wells Brown Community Center join them on stage.
“So a lot of the kids that we teach, they're underserved in our community, right? They don't get this opportunity a lot of times or the access isn't just there for them ... that's transportation, that's financial and just lack of access," Chambers-Reed said. “We're bringing that to them, going to them instead of them having to come to us. And a lot of these kids, it's the first time being on stage, the first time being able to show their parents what they can do.”
Lead dancer Hadley Roach, 15, said she's grateful to take on the challenge of a lead as a young Black woman.
“This troupe has helped me realize that it is important to give back to the community and show other little girls and boys that it is possible to do anything that you dream,” she said.
Weeks away from the show, the dancers said they’re excited to light up the stage with inspiration in mind.
The troupe will take the stage Nov. 30 at the Haggin Auditorium at Transylvania University's Mitchell Fine Art Center. Tickets are now available.