On 16 December 2018, over 200 audience members eagerly attended two insightful The Nutcracker Pre-performance Talks at Hong Kong Cultural Centre before heading over to the actual performance. Led by Artistic Director Septime Webre and the Company’s Education & Community Outreach Manager Vency Kwok (in English and Cantonese, respectively), the lively 20-minute discussions featured Company dancers who played the unforgettable main characters in The Nutcracker .

Dancers Venus Villa, Shen Jie, Dong Ruixue and Jonathan Spigner shared some personal stories about their ballet careers as well as about their experiences during the complex Nutcracker production process. Guests were also thrilled to see some of the glittering, intricately detailed costumes up close. The talks were a perfect introduction to The Nutcracker, giving everyone relevant and interesting background information before the actual show.