Video: 'Marzipan' Comes To Life In GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER At New York City Ballet

Check out video of featured dancer Baily Jones as she performs 'Marzipan' in the New York City Ballet 2024 production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, beginning performances tonight at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. 

The 2024-25 season of the holiday classic, sponsored by Travelers, will conclude on Sunday, January 5, 2025, with a special Sensory Friendly Performance.

New York City Ballet’s (NYCB) acclaimed production of Balanchine’s masterpiece, which premiered on February 2, 1954, helped to establish The Nutcracker and its score as perennial favorites in the United States, evident by the now countless versions of the ballet performed all over the country.  NYCB’s beloved production is seen by more than 100,000 people annually.  

“Now in its 70th year, New York City Ballet’s timeless production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® is a treasured holiday classic that continues to entertain and inspire generations of audiences.  We are incredibly grateful to Travelers for their generous continued sponsorship, which helps make this production possible year after year,” said Katherine Brown, NYCB’s Executive Director.

“A staple of the holiday season since 1954, George Balanchine's The Nutcracker® is an iconic holiday tradition enjoyed annually by so many people of all ages.  We are delighted to continue our support of the production and New York City Ballet for a thirteenth consecutive year,” said Lisa Caputo, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing, Communications & Customer Experience Officer at Travelers.  

Set to Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky’s glorious score, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® features choreography by Balanchine, scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska, and lighting by Mark Stanley, after the original design by Ronald Bates.  The production features the Company’s entire roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians, as well as more than 120 children, in two alternating casts, from the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet.

Highlights of this world-renowned holiday production include a one-ton Christmas tree that grows from 16 to 41 feet, an onstage snowstorm, and hundreds of elaborate costumes, including one for Mother Ginger that measures 9 feet wide and weighs 85 pounds.  The production’s grand finale involves one million watts of lighting, the most used in any New York City Ballet production.  

Ticket prices start at $60, and New York City Ballet also offers a Sweet Seat VIP Package, which includes premium seating, a complimentary souvenir book, and for every two Sweet Seat tickets purchased, a coupon for one complimentary keepsake photo taken onsite at the theater.