George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER, Featuring ON THE TOWN's Megan Fairchild, to Hit the Big Screen

Enchanting generations of wide-eyed children and adults alike, New York City Ballet's dazzling production of George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER plays to sold-out houses each holiday season in New York. Now audiences across the country will have the opportunity to enjoy the timeless tale set to Tschaikovsky's memorable music when it comes to movie screens nationwide for two screenings: Saturday, December 5 at 12:55 pm and Thursday, December 10 at 7:00 pm, as a presentation of Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance.

Featured in the cast are ON THE TOWN star Megan Fairchild as the Sugarplum Fairy, with Joaquin De Luz as Her Cavalier and Ashley Bouder as Dewdrop.

Produced by Lincoln Center and presented in association with Fathom Events, Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance brings spectacular dance performances by four of America's leading dance companies to approximately 600 movie theaters throughout the U.S. in fall and winter of 2015. The series is hosted by LIVE with Kelly and Michael stars Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan. Previous presentations were San Francisco Ballet (September 24), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (October 22), and Ballet Hispanico (November 12).

Tickets for Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance's screening of George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER are available at FathomEvents.com and at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participating box offices are subject to change).

Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance programs are recorded in HD by the multi-Emmy Award-winning team responsible for Live From Lincoln Center broadcasts on PBS, led by Andrew C. Wilk, Series Executive Producer. Each screening will include extra features such as interviews with the companies' principal dancers and informative segments that will provide an inside look at the productions. Interactive learning guides, tailored for a wide range of audiences, are available prior to each screening. Lincoln Center at the Movies will bring the best of the performing arts to national audiences through Fathom's extensive network of movie theaters and will focus on the different art forms on Lincoln Center's campus. For more information visit LincolnCenterAtTheMovies.org.

IF YOU GO:

Saturday, December 5 at 12:55 pm and Thursday, December 10 at 7:00 pm

NEW YORK CITY BALLET

Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins

George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER

Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky

Choreography by George Balanchine*

Scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian

Costumes by Karinska

Original Lighting by Ronald Bates

Lighting by Mark Stanley

New York City Ballet's acclaimed production of George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER premiered on February 2, 1954 and helped to establish THE NUTCRACKER and its score as perennial favorites in the United States. Critics have called this now legendary production of THE NUTCRACKER the "gold standard" and "THE NUTCRACKER of all Nutcrackers." NYCB's beloved production has been performed in New York City every year since its premiere, and is seen live by more than 100,000 annually. Created by George Balanchine, a giant of 20th-century dance, the ballet classic depicts a magical world where mischievous mice besiege a battalion of toy soldiers, and an onstage blizzard leads to an enchanted Land of Sweets. The ballet features the Company's entire roster of more than 90 dancers, as well as more than 60 young students from the renowned School of American Ballet. Tschaikovsky's glorious score is performed by the 62-piece New York City Ballet Orchestra under the direction of NYCB Resident Conductor Clotilde Otranto. NYCB Principal Dancers Megan Fairchild and Joaquin de Luz dance the roles of the "Sugarplum Fairy" and her Cavalier," with Ashley Bouder as "Dewdrop."

New York City Ballet is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with an unparalleled repertory of ballets-most of them created for NYCB-many of which are considered modern masterpieces. The company was founded in 1948 by arts patron Lincoln Kirstein and the legendary choreographer George Balanchine, who served as Ballet Master of NYCB from its inception until his death in 1983. In 1949, Jerome Robbins joined the company as associate artistic director. NYCB moved to its current home at Lincoln Center's New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater), built especially for Balanchine and the company, in 1964. Now under the direction of Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins and Executive Director Katherine Brown, the company has more than 90 dancers, a 62-member orchestra, an official school (School of American Ballet), an institute for choreography (the New York Choreographic Institute), and an annual 21-week season in New York City. NYCB is committed to promoting creative excellence and nurturing a new generation of dancers and choreographers. For more information visit nycballet.com.

Executive Producer for George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER is John Goberman.

The Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance presentation of New York City Ballet's George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER is directed for the screen by Alan Skog.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and educational activities annually, LCPA's series and programs include American Songbook, Avery Fisher Artist Program, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, Martin E. Segal Awards, Meet the Artist, Mostly Mozart Festival, and the White Light Festival, as well as the Emmy Award-winning Live From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS. As manager of the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln Center complex and 11 resident organizations: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, School of American Ballet, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, visit AboutLincolnCenter.org.

Fathom Events is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of The Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment's biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A, and much more. Fathom Events takes audiences behind-the-scenes and offers unique extras, creating the ultimate entertainment experience. It is owned by a consortium called AC JV, LLC., comprised of AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States. In addition, Fathom Events' live digital broadcast network ("DBN") is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 820 locations in 177 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit fathomevents.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride