Zecheng Liang and Yuka Iseda | Photo by Alexander Iziliaev
George Balanchine’s

The Nutcracker®

#PBNutcracker

Toast the season with George Balanchine’s must-see holiday classic

The holiday season comes to the stage in our annual performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, a tradition unlike any other. Cross swords with the Mouse King and dine with the Sugarplum Fairy in this quintessential celebration of the season, brightened by the eternal Tchaikovsky score.

Recommended for ages 4 and older.

Runtime
1 hour & 56 minutes, includes a 20 minute intermission

CASTING FOR PERFORMANCES DECEMBER 6–8

All casting is subject to change.

Presented by
Independence Blue Cross

Choreographer

George Balanchine

It is difficult to overstate the depth and breadth of the artistry and influence of choreographer, George Balanchine. Called the ‘Father of American Ballet,’ he combined a reverence for the classical training he received as a boy in St. Petersburg with ferocious originality and commitment to modernism. He and his many brilliant collaborators, including Sergei Diaghilev, Igor Stravinsky, Georges Rouault, and Karinska, among many, many others, transformed ballet into a 20th century artform. Balanchine’s influence as a teacher is every bit as paradigm-changing as the repertoire he created. When our own founder, Barbara Weisberger (herself a protégée of Balanchine) conceived of Philadelphia Ballet, Balanchine insisted, “But first, a school.”

Composer

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

The music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky constitutes one of the pillars of the orchestral repertoire and the very foundation of classical ballet. Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable melodies, inventive harmonies, and ground-breaking orchestrations make his music both loveable and eternal.  Ballet audiences are fortunate to hear not only the works he intended for dance, such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, but also a wide variety of orchestral pieces that have been choreographed by great dance-makers, such as George Balanchine.

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Meet the Ballet

Philadelphia Ballet comprises a team of dedicated professionals—each one devoted to bringing you the most thrilling and inspired works ballet has to offer.

The School

School of Philadelphia Ballet offers the highest caliber dance education of any program in the Greater Philadelphia area, providing our students with exceptional technical training and unparalleled performance opportunities.