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gelsey kirkland, former principal dancer of the new york city ballet, as the sugarplum fairy in george balanchine’s “the nutcracker”

The iconic "sunburst" pose from George Balanchine's Apollo

New York City Ballet (2025 Spring Season)

Apollo: Chun Wai Chan Terpsichore: Mira Nadon Calliope: Miriam Miller Polyhymnia: Emily Kikta

Before 1954, The Nutcracker was unknown as a Christmastime event. But when George Balanchine's production of the ballet for the New York City Ballet opened in that year, it inspired copycat productions from schools to professional companies. This is Maria Tallchief and André Eglevsky in the Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux.

Francisco Moncion as Coffee, Tanaquil Le Clercq as Dew Drop, and Maria Tallchief as the Sugar Plum Fairy, City Center, 1954. Balanchine's original Coffee variation was for a man.