Day 15: Finding Christmas Joy in "The Nutcracker"

For about a decade now, seeing "George Balanchine's Nutcracker" at the New York City Ballet has been the enchanting kickoff to the Christmas season for my teenage daughter and I. . She did ballet when she was little. I also took dance lessons when I was younger. But that's not the draw. It's the joy, the storybook wonder of the holiday classic that has made it a Christmas mainstay for us. Backstage, we caught up with Mother Ginger and peeked under her huge hooped skirt. We were photographed with principal dancers. Three days from now, we'll be savoring our lavish view again from the orchestral seats in the backdrop of a Lincoln Center theater, seats so close to the stage that we'll tilt our heads back to gaze at the tree of Christmas magic become a huge size. Even last year, amid a resurgence of the coronavirus, our holiday spirit was undimmed when we saw dancers aged 12 and up replacing angels, mice and party-sized revelers. a pint due to safety protocols and their eligibility for Covid vaccines. The little dancers are back this year. They do indeed add shine and softness. But the sweetest moment for us came in 2019 when "The Nutcracker" broke a barrier with the first black dancer to play Marie, the brave young heroine. This was an important step for the production, which dates back to 1954. And Marie looked like us!

ImageCharlotte Nebres, 11 years old, in December 2019, when she played the young heroine Marie, whose life is charged with magic in "The Nutcracker by George Balanchine". This was a milestone for the production, which dates back to 1954.Credit...Heather Sten