SF Ballet Performs Nutcracker at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital

What Dancers from the San Francisco Ballet will give a special performance of the beloved holiday classic the Nutcracker for patients at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. A group of 10 dancers will perform an abridged version of the ballet in-costume for patients and their families in the hospital playroom, then hand out signed posters and visit with young patients in their hospital rooms. When Wednesday, December 1, from 2:30-4 p.m. Where UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital 505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco Media should meet in the main hospital lobby between 2-2:15 p.m. for escort to the performance location. Who Patients and their families at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Dancers from the San Francisco Ballet Contact Media interested in covering the event or arranging interviews should contact Kate Vidinsky at (415) 502-6397 or [email protected]. Background The special performance is one of several holiday events arranged by the Child Life Services program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital to help children, teens and their families reduce stress and experience a normal routine, despite a hospital stay that can last weeks or even months. UCSF child life specialists help patients understand their illness and treatment, ensuring that each child’s needs are met at all stages of care. The San Francisco Ballet is America’s first professional ballet company and the first company in the country to premiere the Nutcracker, on Dec. 24, 1944. The new Nutcracker, which premiered on Dec. 17, 2004, is the company’s fifth production of the holiday classic. The ballet tells the story of a young girl named Clara who, on Christmas Eve, dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle with the Mouse King.