A duet from George Balanchine\’s The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet. http://nycballet.com This year New York City Ballet will present 47 performances of the holiday classic George Balanchine\’s The Nutcracker, from Friday, November 25, through Saturday, December 31, at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. This production, which premiered on February 2, 1954, at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York, 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 and has been performed more than 2,000 times. 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 includes the Company\’s entire roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians, as well as two alternating casts of 50 children 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 12 to 40 feet, an onstage snowstorm, and hundreds of elaborate costumes, including one for Mother Ginger that measures nine 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 $29 and New York City Ballet also offers a Sweet Seat VIP Package, which includes a premium center Orchestra seat, a complimentary souvenir book, and 15 percent off purchases at the NYCB Gift Shop. Plus, for every two Sweet Seat tickets purchased, audience members will receive a coupon for one complimentary keepsake photo taken with a character from George Balanchine\’s The Nutcracker. Tickets are currently on sale online at nycballet.com, in person at the theater box office, and by phone at (212) 496-0600. For more information about tickets to any New York City Ballet performance, call (212) 870-5570 or visit nycballet.com. The David H. Koch Theater is located on the Lincoln Center Plaza at Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street.