NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Nutcracker is a story we all know and love. The 1892 classical ballet has captured the hearts of generations for over a century. Now, the iconic musical production is being reimagined, and some notable faces are being brought centerstage.

Jaylin Sanders, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ alum is a part of Tony and Olivier Award-nominated director and choreographer, Jennifer Weber’s Hip Hop Nutcracker. Sanders was a top six dancer in Season 18 of the dance competition show. The Chicago native believes his time on the show and years of dance training prepared him for his new gig.

It makes every other job easier because of how like stress-inducing that was, you know, in a good way because they put us to the challenge,” said Sanders. “So, I would say all of those things helped cultivate me in a way to make all these other dance jobs fun, and specifically this one, like easy to attack.”

Touring around 30 U.S. cities between November and December, The Hip Hop Nutcracker features dancers, a DJ, a violinist and one of hip-hop’s founding fathers, Kurtis Blow. Sanders believes this unparalleled two-hour production showcases the range and versatility of hip-hop music.

“You get the classic Tchaikovsky classical music score with all these different types of hip-hop as well as hip-hop fusion dancers,” says Sanders. “But you have like breaking, you have animation, house, crump and all these different elements to hip-hop as well as other dance styles that go with the classical scores looks an amazing show. It’s captivating in a way.”

Thursday’s showing of the Hip Hop Nutcracker starts at 7:30 p.m. at Chrysler Hall (215 St Pauls Blvd) in Norfolk. Tickets can either be purchased at the Scope Arena Box Office or Ticketmaster. For ticket pricing and tour dates, click here.