a dancer portraying the mouse king jumps up and reaches one hand out toward the camera. He is wearing a yellow and black checkered suit and is holding a checkered flag above his head. He looks intensely mischievous.

Owen/Cox Dance Group 'The Nutcracker & the Mouse King'

7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday, December 13, 2024 - December 15, 2024 | Polsky Theatre

Tickets start at $25.
Season tickets on sale May 6. Individual shows on sale June 17.

Individual Tickets Season Tickets (Save 10-15% per show)

High tea: Sunday, December 15 at 4 p.m. (RC 270)


Back by popular demand, Owen/Cox Dance Group performs their raucous version of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s holiday classic, in partnership with The People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City.


Almost everyone is familiar with the traditional version of the holiday story “The Nutcracker.” Far fewer are aware of the original and notably darker inspiration for this beloved ballet – E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” Owen/Cox Dance Group brings their highly unique, contemporary jazz adaptation of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” back to the Midwest Trust Center this holiday season!

About Owen/Cox Dance Group

Owen/Cox Dance Group's mission is to create new music and dance collaborations, present high-quality contemporary dance performances with live music, and to engage as wide an audience as possible through affordable live performance, education, and outreach programs.

With this mission in mind, founders Jennifer Owen and Brad Cox bring together some of Kansas City's most talented artists, representing a variety of genres, to perform contemporary dance with live music. With diverse backgrounds ranging from the Bolshoi Ballet and the Leningrad Chamber Orchestra to Alvin Ailey and Dave Brubeck, these dancers and musicians form a highly skilled and multifaceted corps. The collaborative results speak for themselves: Fresh and vibrant new works that are classical in form, but contemporary in expression.