Tutus, Bows, And Ribbons, Oh My!
As you can imagine, we were in heaven.
The History
The acclaimed production of George Balanchine’s timeless choreography set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score premiered on February 2, 1954 when the New York City Ballet was in residence at City Center of Music and Drama, establishing The Nutcracker, and its music, as a Christmas tradition forever. It has been presented at Lincoln Center since 1964 at the New York State Theater, now the David H. Koch Theater.The famed ballet is based on the book "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," by E.T.A. Hoffmann, with an interpretation written by Alexandre Dumas. The production boasts a roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians, plus over 125 children, in two alternating casts, from the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet.
From Act One's The Party Scene to the towering Christmas tree brimming with glittering tinsel and The Waltz of the Snowflakes to Act Two’s The Land Of Sweets and The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, the entire ballet has remained unchanged for over a half-century! To this day, the sets are moved manually, and the costumes original, making every moment of the grand ballet that much more fantastical and alluring—just as it was over fifty years ago.
The Sugar Plum Fairy
The Snowflake
“If I could give a little ballerina a piece of advice it would be never to give up on your dreams or compare yourself to anyone else; everyone is unique and beautiful. George Balanchine used to liken his dancers to a garden of flowers, each one different in scent and beauty! If you work hard and believe in yourself, you can set your mind to anything!” Nieve Corrigan, one of the ballet’s incredible dancers, told us on a recent visit to the showroom.Having danced in The Nutcracker since she was nine, Nieve has played nearly every role from Soldier to Mouse. Now as an adult, she dances every night as a Snowflake and Flower, in The Waltz of the Snowflakes and The Waltz of the Flowers.
From the moment we met Nieve, we were smitten; therefore we asked her to come to our showroom to play dress up! Of which, fortunate for us she obliged and there among the racks of printed silks and embroidered dresses, she danced around in point-toe shoes with her fellow dancer Laurren Collett joking about the realities of dancing in certain scenes.
“I have grown to love different parts of the ballet. The snow scene is amazing to watch from the wings, and the snow looks real, like heaven with angels singing! However, it’s not the easiest to dance because you can’t breathe through your mouth or else you will choke on the snow!” She continued “My favorite is The Waltz Of The Flowers, I would dance this any day, all day, especially in layers of pink tulle! I could go on forever expressing my joy for flowers!”
A girl after my own heart, couldn’t agree more!
The Performance
While a performance of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker is happening onstage, we watched with wonder from above as The Sugar Plum Fairies danced in preparation for opening night of the ballet. Scarlett and I were awestruck by the spectacular energy, brilliant creativity, and unique spirit that go into producing this breathtaking ballet.
A Night At The Ballet
This year, surrounded by bows, Sugar Plum Fairies, nighties and the love of family and friends, it was my honor to co-chair the family benefit at Lincoln Center, and bring together my childhood memories of celebrating George Balanchine's The Nutcracker and the spirit of the holidays.
Herein we take you through the magic of the performances, followed by the brilliant benefit with our kids, the ballerinas, and the beauty of the costumes in this timeless tradition that supports The New York City Ballet and The School of American Ballet.
The School of American Ballet
We're so proud of all the hard work and energy that was put into this year's benefit as it was a huge success having raised nearly $800,000! This support is vital for The New York City Ballet and The School of American Ballet’s Scholarship Fund to ensure financial aid and training for the next generation of ballet dancers. To learn more about this esteemed program, please visit https://www.sab.org/
Read More About This Special Evening
Credits
Thanks to the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet for allowing us to step into your beautiful world to share in our storybook all that goes into each and every magical performance.
Photography
All backstage and performance photos by Aletiza Photo
Akira Ruiz