RACE PRESENTS
hiphop nutcracker
DECEMBER 8 & 9
AT OCCC
RACE Dance Company mentors over 100 students from dance
programs in eight Oklahoma City Public Schools for the seventh annual
production of the Hip Hop Nutcracker (HHN). Show performances are set for 2:00 & 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December
8th and 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 9th at Oklahoma
City Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center located at 7777 S May
Ave. in Oklahoma City.
Students involved in dance programs at Southeast High School, Douglass High School, John Marshall High
School, Northwest Classen High School, Capitol Hill High School, Oklahoma
Centennial Mid-High School, Classen SAS, and U.S. Grant High School will perform in
the show. RACE Dance members mentor the kids once-to-twice a week leading up to
the show from September.
“We go to teach them the choreography and
fundamentals of hip-hop, but we leave knowing we’ve impacted these kids way
beyond the dance floor,” Hui Cha Poos, Artistic Director for RACE Dance
Company. “For many of these kids, this is life changing – being able to perform
in a professional setting is something they never dreamt would be possible.”
Poos says HHN also advances RACE's mission to bring social awareness and change
through dance performances and education.
“We bring kids together from different schools and different backgrounds in a
non-competitive environment where it’s all about collaboration and inclusion.
The result is truly magical – not just for the kids, the audience can see and
feel it throughout the performance,” said Poos.
Set to high-energy music, and contemporary, hip hop and jazz moves, HHN tells
the story of a young man, who searches for something missing from his life,
only to discover that "it”, exists within himself. The take away for the
audience is a message of perseverance, family and holiday spirit.
Individual tickets can be purchased for $20 online at or $25 at the door.
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ABOUT RACE DANCE COMPANY:
RACE Dance Company is a 501(c)3 organization
that serves as an acronym for Radical Application of Creative Energy. RACE was
founded and is directed by Hui Cha Poos, a faculty member at University of
Central Oklahoma and world- renowned dancer and choreographer. Hui (pronounced
“he”) recognized the lack of opportunity for professional dancers in Oklahoma
City and similar sized cities in the US and sought to change this disparity in
the hopes of cultivating professional dancers in her hometown. Now RACE is
entering its 11th
season and is still committed to bringing about social change and
awareness through dance performances and dance education.
Each year, RACE presents 3-4 full length
performances in Oklahoma. RACEy is a club-inspired show performed each fall
that is meant to celebrate body confidence through hip hop and burlesque
movement. Each December, the crowd favorite The Hip Hop Nutcracker gives
students from more than 8 Oklahoma City Public Schools an opportunity to
perform alongside the company in a fun, magical reimagining of the ballet
classic with a message of self-acceptance and community. In July, RACE will
offer a full-length concert work featuring hip hop, contemporary, and jazz
dance. Last year, the 10th Anniversary Performance showcased over 20 of their
favorite works from the past 10 years. This included pieces from many
world-renowned choreographers including Jeremy Duvall, Eric Harleston, Adam
Parson, Malaya, Christina Woodard, Missy Dray and more as well as a special
appearance by RACE alumni dancers.
For more information visit racedance.com or
follow RACE on Instagram (@RaceDanceCompany) and Facebook (@RaceDanceOKC).
