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Megan Fairchild, center, as the Dewdrop in “The Nutcracker"
Photograph: Erin BaianoNew York City Ballet: The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is back in NYC for 2022 and here's where to see it

Find a version of the holiday classic that is right for you with our 2022 guide to the many Nutcracker ballets in NYC

Adam Feldman
Written by
Adam Feldman
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There's more than one way to crack a nut! December in New York abounds with opportunities to see The Nutcracker ballet, which for dance fans is always among the best Christmas shows around. The most famous Nutcracker options are all returning in 2022, including New York City Ballet’s iconic Balanchine production and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (which includes a number devoted to the Nutcracker story). Some are aimed predominantly at kids; some others are very much not. Here are this year's ways to get your sugarplum fix.

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Christmas in NYC

Nutcracker Ballet in 2022

  • Theater
  • Musicals

You’ll get a kick out of this holiday stalwart, which still features Santa, wooden soldiers and the dazzling Rockettes. In recent years, new music, more eye-catching costumes and advanced technology have been introduced to bring audience members closer to the performance. In the signature kick line that finds its way into most of the big dance numbers, the Rockettes’ 36 pairs of legs rise and fall like the batting of an eyelash, their perfect unison a testament to the disciplined human form. This is precision dancing on a massive scale—a Busby Berkeley number come to glorious life—and it takes your breath away.

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular

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  • Dance
  • Burlesque

Austin McCormick and his risqué neo-Baroque dance-theater group Company XIV present a lavish erotic reimagining of the classic holiday tale, complete with circus performers, operatic singers and partial nudity. The word nutcracker has customarily conjured innocent wonder; now be ready to add glitter pasties, stripper poles and comically large stuffed penises to the toys in wonderland. Definitely leave the kids at home.

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  • Dance
  • Contemporary and experimental

Choreographer David Parker and his Bang Group reprise their neovaudevillian version of The Nutcracker, a comedic deconstruction of the holiday classic that mixes tap, ballet, contemporary dance and disco. The cast for this 20th annual production includes students from Steffi Nossen School of Dance and e.g. dance.

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  • Dance
  • Contemporary and experimental

Brooklyn Ballet's take on The Nutcracker, choreographed by artistic director Lynn Parkerson, emphasizes cultural and artistic diversity. Alongside sequences that hew to the classic 19th-century tradition are interludes featuring street dance, flamenco, belly dancing, Chinese dance, hoop dance, hip-hop and—new for this year's edition—the Hopak, a traditional Ukrainian dance.

  • Dance
  • Hip-hop

This production interprets the classic with hip-hop choreography and an updated version of the holiday story; directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber and adapted by Mike Fitelson, the production features onstage DJs, an amped-up version of the Tchaikovsky score and a short opening act by rap pioneer Kurtis Blow. 

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Looking for more fun holiday events?

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