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George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker became a holiday tradition in Copenhagen when Nikolaj Hübbe took on the role of artistic director at the Royal Danish Ballet. He knew the ballet intimately, having performed it at the New York City Ballet, where he was a principal dancer for 16 years. Last October, Amy Watson took over artistic direction of the company and she too has an affinity with N.Y.C.B.—she trained at its School of American Ballet. Balanchine’s Nutcracker was choreographed in 1954 and is lovingly rooted in the original Mariinsky production, which was created in 1892 by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Of The Nutcracker and its power, Balanchine said, “In every person the best, the most important part is that which remains from his childhood.” He himself was quite partial to the mice. —Laura Jacobs
