Skateboard legend Tony Hawk made an unexpected guest appearance at the Golden State Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker on Dec 20. The show took place at the San Diego Civic Center in Southern California, and social media posts announcing the collaboration with the pro skater went out only nine days before the performance.
Tony Hawk does ballet…kind of
For the most part, the production of The Nutcracker unfolded as usual until Hawk made his first guest appearance. During the first act, Hawk suddenly rolled onto the stage on his skateboard, wearing a cap and scarf, and drew immediate cheers.
During the second act, Hawk appeared again as performers launched into a Russian dance. This time, he joined 15-year-old skateboarding star Katelyn West in matching Russian dance outfits. Together, they rode and landed tricks on a quarterpipe built directly onto the stage as the dancers performed around them.
Hawk later explained in an Instagram post how the unusual collaboration came together. “I was invited to do a ‘cameo’ in @goldenstateballet’s Nutcracker performance in San Diego,” he wrote on Instagram this week.
“Sometimes you just have to say yes to things WAY outside your comfort zone,” Hawk added, “especially when your daughter thinks is funny.” His daughter, Kady, filmed parts of the night using what Hawk jokingly called an “Audiencecam.”
Still, the performance almost did not happen as planned. Hawk said, “Thanks to @rampcarnies for saving the day with this last-minute quarterpipe build, saving @sk8tlynwest and I from [potentially] the worst freestyle demo ever.”
Reactions to Hawk’s guest appearance
Online reactions quickly followed the unexpected crossover, with fans and performers alike embracing the occasion. One commenter joked, “He was a punk AND did ballet.” Another wrote, “As a former skater girl and, more recently, a professional ballerina, I adore this. Such a fun mix of worlds!”
Dancers from the production also chimed in. “It was such a pleasure having you share the stage with us, thank you ❤️” one dancer wrote. Meanwhile, another added, “Thank you so much for joining us!!! And for turning our goofy ideas into sick realities!! 🫶🏼🛹🩰🌟”
Golden State Ballet leaned into the buzz as well. The company posted a behind-the-scenes TikTok showing Hawk, West, and the dancers rehearsing together. The caption read, “Ballet & Tony Hawk were 2 things we never thought would be in the same sentence but we arent mad about it. 🩰🛹🎄”
As one TikToker pointed out, Tony Hawk just seems to appear in the most unlikely of places. They said, “Every time I see someone talk about a Tony Hawk side quest, I think, ‘they can’t mean THAT Tony Hawk.’ But they do. They do always, in fact, mean THAT Tony Hawk.”
@goldenstateballet Ballet & Tony Hawk were 2 things we never thought would be in the same sentence but we arent mad about it. 🩰🛹🎄 #fyp #viral #ballet #nutcracker #tonyhawk @Tony Hawk ♬ Nutcracker Russian Dance (Trepak)(845254) – ogsogs
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