George Balanchine’s

The Nutcracker®

December 2024| Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts & Hershey Theatre

Let the Holiday Magic Come to Life with George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker! 

Whether a holiday tradition or a first-time discovery, ‘The Nutcracker’ is an annual gift every family will want to be part of!

Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet has been hosting a Nutcracker performance yearly since 1965. Shortly after starting, CPYB became the only school in the world with the license to perform George Balanchine’s Nutcracker. Since then, ours has been one of the most sought-after Nutcracker performances to attend or participate in. This performance is enjoyable for the whole family. 

Performance Length: Act I – 49 min. — Act II – 41 min.

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The brilliant dancers of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet bring Balanchine’s winter classic to life with larger-than-life sets and dazzling costumes set to the magical music of Tchaikovsky.

The first Nutcracker performance was in 1892 by the Moscow Imperial Theatre and later made its appearance in the United States in 1944. The story is loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffman fantasy about a girl, Marie, befriending a Nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and battles the Mouse King. This memorable story connects with everyone from children to adults and leaves everyone feeling in the holiday spirit.

Production Credits

Ballet in two acts, four scenes and prologue

Based on: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) by E.T.A. Hoffman
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: George Balanchine
Répétiteur: Darla Hoover
Scenery: C. David Higgins, Carlos I. Arditti

Thank you to our Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor
Don and Marjie Mowery

Season Underwriter
F&M Trust