Monarch Academy’s ‘The Nutcracker: City Lights’ offers modern twist on holiday classic

A Sugar Plum Fairy will be dancing on stage in a new, jazz-infused rendition of the beloved holiday performance of “The Nutcracker” at Batavia Fine Arts center on Sunday, Dec. 21.

Monarch Academy of Dance will perform “The Nutcracker: City Lights” featuring the classic story with big city flair full of movement, color, and sound.

The reimagined version finds Clara in the big city on her own, waltzing into a bright, modern world energized with both classic jazz and traditional holiday spirit.

This will be the fourth year that the Aurora dance studio will perform “The Nutcracker” at Batavia Fine Arts Centre, located inside of Batavia High School at 1250 W. Wilson St.

“We’re reinventing the wheel this year,” said Amanda Hipperson, who owns Monarch Academy of Dance with her husband, Gary. “We want to push the envelope of what exists.”

Hipperson, of Yorkville, said the motivation to put a big city spin on the classic tale — think Radio City Rockettes meets Aurora and Chicago — was driven by a goal to be accessible and community-minded.

“We’re looking for as much community integration as possible,” she said.

The professional production includes about 70 dancers from ages 4 to 75. Students from Naperville Central and Waubonsee Valley as well as guest artists from The Joffrey Ballet Chicago and dancers from Monarch’s adaptive dance program will be featured on stage. Live professional percussionists from Rhythm Messengers also will join the ensemble.

Hipperson’s dad, Doug Foster, plays Drosselmeyer in the production, and Gary with roots in London’s Royal Ballet often plays the Mouse King.

“We wanted to dance together,” said Hipperson on why she and Gary opened their 7,700-square-foot studio in 2021 at 3682 Prairie Lake Court in Aurora.

Hipperson is now encouraged by their success and wants to include more of the community in popular stage productions like “The Nutcracker: City Lights.”

“Teams from local dance companies can be in professional productions,” she said. This version, she added, is so magical and filled with community spirit that she hopes it becomes a holiday tradition for “years and years to come.”

Tickets are $40 to $61. Save $2 per ticket by purchasing online. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit bataviafineartscentre.org/events/monarch-dance-the-nutcracker/.