Winter Wonderland: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®

It’s hard to imagine a time when George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® did not call for an annual pilgrimage to the New York City Ballet during the holiday season. To celebrate this beloved tradition, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is hosting an online exhibition on the ballet: Winter Wonderland: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®.

The exhibition charts the early years of the ballet’s life, from its premiere in February 1954 to the success of the remounted production in 1964. Through treasures from the archives of the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, including photographs, set models, and costume designs, the story of the work emerges, as do the thematic qualities that make Balanchine’s version of the ballet unique and so enduring: namely nostalgia, faith, love, and childhood innocence and wonder.

Click here to check out Winter Wonderland: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®. And don’t miss this year’s production at New York City Ballet! Purchase tickets here.

Photo Credit: Alberta Grant with nutcracker in Act I of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, 1954. Zachary Freyman | Courtesy Estate of Bob Kohler