THE Nutcracker will be given a Welsh makeover when it hits Newport this weekend.

The performance will take place at the Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre in Newport between Friday, December 10 and Sunday, December 12.

The show – which features music by Duke Ellington – is being performed by Rubicon Dance Company and choreographed by award-winning Jamiel Laurence. The performance turns the family-favourite production into a Welsh family Christmas.

The Nutcracker performance reimagines the traditional Mari Lwyd Welsh folk character in a coming-of-age dream by lead protagonist Carys Williams. It explores themes of redemption and transformation and celebrates queer culture through the eyes of Carys’ brother Fysal.

The performance will feature Linda and Sheila, two of Rubicon’s over-60s dance group Nu Wave, which is based at The Riverfront alongside some of the company’s talent.

Leah Roberts, The Riverfront's programming officer, said: "We were so delighted when Rubicon Dance Company approached us to create a brand-new Welsh version of festive classic The Nutcracker.

"The company has been hard at work rehearsing in our building since early September, so we have been so fortunate to have been able to see the show develop and take shape.

"It’s a really fantastic, feel-good show featuring eight of Wales’ most exciting professional dancers. We are so honoured to be giving these dancers their first professional role and are sure that they will go very far in their future careers."

Rubicon Dance Company is a new company created by social arts organisation Rubicon Dance. The company was created in response to the pandemic’s effect on Welsh dancers who are now graduating into an arts sector that has been damaged by Covid-19. Seven of the eight professional dancers at the company did pre-vocational training with Rubicon Dance.

Kathryn Williams, director of Rubicon Dance, said: “Wales produces amazing professional dancers, but they seldom have the opportunity to join dance companies based in Wales, and the pandemic has only served to amplify this long-standing inequity.

“We couldn’t stand by and lose a generation of Welsh talent, and so we created Rubicon Dance Company. We are immensely proud of all our new company members – each one demonstrating how ordinary young people from the communities of Wales can achieve their dreams and dance with the athleticism of superheroes.”

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Choreographer Jamiel Laurence, who is also Rubicon Dance Company’s brand new creative director, said: “Rubicon Dance Company is challenging the status quo by providing paid opportunities in Wales for graduates who, after years of training, still lack access to dance jobs.

“With Rubicon acting as a force for positive change in Wales, I was drawn to create a new style of The Nutcracker in a contemporary modern ballet format. Working with the traditional score and introducing Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite I’ve used some of the traditional tale's elements whilst doing something different and distinctly Welsh with the story. Rubicon Dance Company's full-length debut is fun and engaging and invites audiences to spend time with their local theatres over Christmas."

Professional dancer and one of the company’s founding members Rebecca Long adds: “This is where it all began!

"My Rubicon journey started right here at The Riverfront, as part of the Rubicon Dance youth group, before going on to Rubicon’s full-time course.

"This year, I graduated with a first in dance from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London and I was concerned about my future, with COVID-19 having such a huge impact on the sector. So, I’m thrilled to now be home, playing ‘Carys’ in the very first production of the Rubicon Dance Company. It is really very special.”

Five performances of The Nutcracker will take place between December 10 and 12 at The Riverfront Theatre, Newport. Tickets are available now by calling 01633 656757 or online at https://www.newportlive.co.uk/en/events/d841d886-6d2a-ec11-80e3-00505601006a/