WED · All day
'Twas The Night Before...
Aronoff Center for the Arts · Downtown · $59.25-$148
FRI · All day
David Choate's Hot Chocolate
Friday, December 4 at Aronoff Center for the Arts, Cincinnati
About this event
The holiday tradition Cincinnati has embraced is back! Now in its sixth spectacular year, "David Choate's Hot Chocolate: An African American Nutcracker" returns to the Aronoff Center, and rumor has it, this year is "hotter" than ever. Hot Chocolate is a fresh production filled with breathtaking dance, unforgettable music, dazzling visuals, and the warmth of family, culture and community. Inspired by the timeless magic of "The Nutcracker," "Hot Chocolate" reimagines the classic through the richness of the African American experience, blending ballet with contemporary, jazz, modern, hip-hop, African diasporic movement and powerful storytelling. Whether you're discovering Hot Chocolate for the first time or returning to make it part of your family's holiday tradition, 2026 promises to be the biggest, boldest and most magical production yet. Experience the magic. Feel the warmth. Start a new holiday tradition!
Who's playing
Revolution Dance Theatre presents the show, and its founder and producing artistic director, David A. Choate Jr., wrote, choreographed and produced it. Choate is a dancer, choreographer, lighting designer and writer who grew up in Cincinnati and studied at the School of Creative and Performing Arts. The company describes the production as a celebration of Black excellence, rhythm and imagination.
What to expect
The show is built on dance first, with storytelling that carries the holiday theme from start to finish. Movement moves between ballet and hip-hop, jazz and African diasporic styles, so the pace and music change often. Performed at the Aronoff, it has the polished feel of a full theater production in a large downtown hall.
Why go
Hot Chocolate is a Nutcracker told through a Black American lens, which gives it a different rhythm and point of view from the classic. Cincinnati has made it a holiday tradition over its six years, and many families return each season. It suits anyone who wants a holiday show that is both familiar and new.
Where
Aronoff Center for the Arts · 650 Walnut Street · Downtown, Cincinnati OHDirections
