The Nutcracker®
The Nutcracker leaps from the stage with fighting mice, toy soldiers, dancing candy canes, and waltzing flowers, all set to Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score. Embark on an unforgettable journey with Marie and her Prince to the Land of Sweets in this beloved holiday tradition.
Performances By Date
* Student Matinee
◊ Sensory-Friendly Performance
Single Tickets On Sale April 2025
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.”
The music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is 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.