This is the best of all Nutcrackers—the truest to Marius Petipa’s libretto, the one that hears Tchaikovsky’s score most profoundly. A beloved New York City tradition that dates from 1954, it glitters like an Old World ornament that’s been handed down through the generations. Of The Nutcracker and its power, Balanchine said, “In every person the best, the most important part is that which remains from his childhood.” —L.J.

Similar events around the world: George Balanchine’s Nutcracker is also performed by the Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia (December 6–31, 2019) and the Royal Danish Ballet, Copenhagen (November 30 – December 22, 2019).