(41/50) Edward Bigelow, the original Mother Ginger in 1954 and the Polichinelles. Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1954. LIFE Magazine Archive.

(37/50) Maria Tallchief on the preparation for the first Nutcracker: “As usual, he created the pas de deux for André and me with a...

(26/50) I’m very inspired by all the family legacies in this company. I was able to find at least 10 instances of dancers whose children...

(2/50) The Sugar Plum Fairy, welcomes the Nutcracker Prince and Marie into the Land of Sweets in the original 1954 production of...

Three Balanchine Duets* Part 2 *commissioned for the Vail Dance Festival This week, Vail’s International Evenings of Dance performances...

[27/50] A story from Merrill Ashley's book Dancing for Balanchine (affiliate link) "At the first rehearsal, taught by Una Kai, a ballet...

[21/50] [1/2] Maria Tallchief remembering Tanny's opening night performance as Dew Drop: "...I watched Tanny lead the ‘Waltz of the...

[18/50] Maria Tallchief recalls watching Act 1 from the wings as she prepared to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy in Act 2: "Even from that...

[7/50] Allegra Kent on the first season of Balanchine's Nutcracker: "I was only a mouse and a shepherdess. I longed to be Dewdrop and do...

[5/50] “I was cast to dance the role of the Candy Cane when the ballet premiered in New York. Jumping through that damn hoop at breakneck...

[1/50] Here we go! It's officially Nutcracker season! Tune in every day (sometimes twice a day) to see the photos I have unearthed over...