George Balanchine's The Nutcracker

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George Balanchine's take on The Nutcracker is regarded as the most popular version of Tchaikovsky's ballet masterpiece. Even though the ballet follows the original piece's story line quite a few elements have been changed throughout Balanchine's version. For starters, the name of the young child in the lead is changed from Clara to Marie. Unlike the original production, Balanchine's work employs small kids playing the parts of Marie and the Nutcracker Prince. These two have almost no dance scenes in the second half of the ballet. The ballet premiered in 1954 at New York City Center. It is a common fixture on Christmas programs across the US.