Il LAC Lugano Art and Culture opens the December holidays with a production that marks a new chapter for ballet in Lugano: a contemporary reinterpretation of the Nutcracker Choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti and co-produced with the MM Contemporary Dance Company, the show will premiere from Friday, December 19th to Sunday, December 21st, with the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana conducted by Philippe Béran and the Clairière Choir of the Conservatory of Italian Switzerland, conducted by Brunella Clerici.
Classic fairy tale and contemporary imagination
The new version of The Nutcracker departs from the usual ballet repertoire: Bigonzetti chooses to return to the literary source of ETA Hoffmann, reinterpreting it through a choreographic language that plays with the ambiguity between reality and fantasy.
The story unfolds on Christmas night, when a young girl receives a puppet with a princely face from an enigmatic figure. From the moment the gift comes to life, the tale unfolds into a visionary universe populated by familiar figures transformed into an army ready to face a giant mouse and his retinue of rodents. Reality and dream intertwine, as the narrative follows the adventures of Clara and Drosselmeier through suspended atmospheres, constantly poised between imagination and reality.
3D architecture and an immersive stage design
The scenic design, entrusted to Carlo Cerri, constructs a visual environment in which three-dimensional images and lighting combine to create a continuous interplay between what appears and what seems to escape perception. The costumes by Kristopher Millar and Lois Swandale complete the aesthetic with choices that are not tied to a specific era, helping to make the story timeless.
“More than the great ballet repertoire,” explain Bigonzetti and Cerri, “we are interested in the original atmosphere of Hoffmann's tale, where the boundary between visible and invisible remains constantly uncertain, as if an electronic short circuit were continually shifting the spectator's perception.”
The international cast
The production will feature dancers from the MM Contemporary Dance Company, directed by Michele Merola, one of Italy's most internationally acclaimed dance companies. On stage are Matilde Abbati, Filippo Begnozzi, Elisa Bocconi, Anna Dal Maso, Sara Ferrentino, Mario Genovese, Paolo Giovanni Grosso, Aurora Lattanzi, Fabiana Lonardo, Giulia Lusetti, Sara Manzini, Luca Marchi, Lorenzo Molinaro, Federico Musumeci, Andrea Palmieri, Giorgia Raffetto, Alice Ruspaggiari, Diletta Savini, Gabriele Scarcia, Maxime Schiavon, Nicola Stasi, and Giuseppe Villarosa.
The technical and creative side also includes contributions from OOOPStudio for video production, Nuvia Valestri for costumes, and Studio Cromo Attosecondo for props. Roberto Zamorano is the choreographer's assistant, and Enrico Morelli is the repetitive maestro.
An appointment to get closer to the show
On Friday, December 19th, at 6:00 PM, in the LAC Hall, Mauro Bigonzetti and Lorenzo Conti – dance consultant – will offer the public an introductory meeting designed to delve deeper into the poetics and construction of the new production.
…and the journey continues beyond Lugano
After its debut in Ticino, The Nutcracker will have its Italian premiere at the Teatro Comunale Pavarotti-Freni in Modena on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 5:30 pm, before moving to the Teatro Municipale Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia on Saturday, January 24, at 8:30 pm and Sunday, January 25, at 4:00 pm.
Information and presale
LAC ticket office
Bernardino Luini Square 6
CH – 6901 Lugano
Opening hours
Tue – Fri: 11: 00-18: 00
Sa – Su: 10: 00-18: 00
+41 (0)58 866 4222
www.laclugano.ch
