Ballerina Swan and The Nutcracker

The show is funny and fun to watch but makes you think about  serious things like jealousy and how to deal with things when they don’t go the way you planned them, and also reminds you not to be afraid to be yourself.

I really liked the music in the show and I liked the funny parts of the show.

There were a lot of parts I liked but the costumes were amazing, especially at the end! I also loved the last part when all the dancers got to do their own little special dance – wow, they really are talented!

Loved that audience participation was part of the presentation. The cast taught a short (and easy!) routine to the children, and then left the stage to come dance along side the mini ballerina stars in the making. What a special memory!

A wonderful show for children, and the perfect intro to ballet or theater!

The cast was brilliant. Animated and joyful, and engaging for children! The storyline was easy to follow, and understand (so important when engaging with small children!).

As a mom, I appreciated the underlining message of acceptance, being true to yourself and being kind to one another.

Ideal for the holidays, the charming performance had my daughter and her friend transfixed. The mesmerizing dancers and eye-catching costumes kept their eyes glued to the stage.

The production uniquely blends ballet with masterful puppetry.

This performance is absolutely charming and just in time for the holiday season with the popular Nutcracker tunes.

My almost ten-year-old daughter really liked it, especially the ballet dancing, which is done by professional dancers.

It is a delight for young fans of ballet and Sophie the swan is endearing.

The story was very sweet and tied in the holiday classic Nutcracker theme. I loved watching her little face as the classic music by Tchaikovsky brought everything to life.

I could see my daughter following along with the story and I can only imagine what she may have been thinking.

My daughter has never sat through an entire play before, so I was a little nervous. However, the performance was so exciting she loved every minute of the ballet dancers on stage.

The story was so fun, so classic and so captivating.

The part that made Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker awesome was that there was a lot of audience participation…The BEST part was towards the end when the entire cast came into the audience and grabbed the kids to dance with them.

I would highly recommend you catch Ballerina Swan & the Nutcracker this holiday season, it is a good time for the whole family!

As soon as the dancers took to the stage, my daughter was riveted.

A surprising twist midway through the show adds a level of drama that parents will appreciate, and yet another moment for a couple of age-old lessons, including not judging a book by its cover and remaining true to ourselves.

The show is also a great introduction to the Nutcracker story for little kids. You’ll see some of the most iconic parts of the holiday tale, including the epic battle between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker, the Christmas tree that grows taller and taller, and the classic Nutcracker scores

Our family loved the show. My niece could not make it so we were worried my son would not be engaged. According to him [Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker] was for girls. But I must say the storyline and cast had us all engaged. We loved the twist. The black swan was the Nutcracker and a male. My son found this so fascinating.

We are so excited and grateful that New York Family included Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker on their list of family-friendly shows for the fall! We can’t wait for you to see the show too!

Based on the novel Ballerina Swan, this puppet-show turned ballet performance is sure to get you into the holiday spirit! The whole family can watch Sophie prepare for her first performance of “The Nutcracker.”

Thank you to Mommy Nearest for including Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker on your list of the 10 Best Things to Do in NYC in November! We’re so thankful to be included with other great company’s and events like The New Victory Theater, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Gingerbread Lane at NY Hall of Science to name a few!

Based on the book by Allegra Kent, Sophie may be the only winged and feathered member of the dance studio, but her passion and hard work teaches children that your dreams can come true if you want them to!

This weekend Shelley Goldberg included Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker in her Parenting report on NY1 – how cool is that? We were so excited to be included!

Watch the Parenting Report!

Break out the tutus and toe-shoes for Sophie the Swan’s latest adventure. A companion piece to the hit BALLERINA SWAN, this world premiere blends ballet and puppetry as Sophie prepares for her first holiday performance of “The Nutcracker.” Based on the book BALLERINA SWAN by Allegra Kent and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully.

Choreographed by Michael McGowan
Written by Barbara Zinn Krieger
With the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Playing through December 18th at The Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row!

We are so grateful that American Theatre included both of our holiday shows: Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker & Young Charles Dickens on their list of 16 Holiday Shows for Children and Families! How exciting! The shows are playing through December 18th so come check them out!

If you can look beyond ‘A Christmas Carol,’ these festive family shows prove there are plenty of ways to deck the halls.

New York City Children’s Theater (Nov. 26 – Dec. 18) will produce a companion piece to 2013’s Ballerina Swan. This world premiere blends dance and puppetry as Sophie the Swan prepares for her first performance in The Nutcracker. Michael McGowan choreographs, and the characters are inspired by Allegra Kent’s book Ballerina Swan.

This musical prequel to A Christmas Carol will get a reworked production from New York City Children’s Theater Dec. 2-18, following last year’s world premiere. Based on actual events, Young Charles Dickens recounts the Christmas that 12-year-old Dickens spent working in a factory and developing his social conscious. Andrew Frank directs the musical, which has book and lyrics by artistic director Barbara Zinn Krieger and music by Charlie Greenberg.

Thank you so much to The New York Times; they included Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker on their list of 6 Family Shows to See if You’re in NYC for Thanksgiving! We’re so honored – and so excited for Thanksgiving weekend!

This show for very young children mixes ballet and puppetry to tell the story of Sophie the Swan and her debut in a staging of “The Nutcracker.” A production of New York City Children’s Theater, it’s based on characters from the book “Ballerina Swan,” written by the former New York City Ballet star Allegra Kent and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, and features music by Tchaikovsky.

The show is a follow-up to “Ballerina Swan,” a 2013 dance-theater piece about Sophie that our critic called “charming,” adding, “Smartly constructed puppets and children’s ballet foibles can be adult pleasures, too.”

Thank you so much to The New York Times; they included Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker on their list of 6 Family Shows to See if You’re in NYC for Thanksgiving! We’re so honored – and so excited for Thanksgiving weekend!

This show for very young children mixes ballet and puppetry to tell the story of Sophie the Swan and her debut in a staging of “The Nutcracker.” A production of New York City Children’s Theater, it’s based on characters from the book “Ballerina Swan,” written by the former New York City Ballet star Allegra Kent and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, and features music by Tchaikovsky.

The show is a follow-up to “Ballerina Swan,” a 2013 dance-theater piece about Sophie that our critic called “charming,” adding, “Smartly constructed puppets and children’s ballet foibles can be adult pleasures, too.”

Mommy Poppins just named Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker & Young Charles Dickens as two of the best holiday shows for NYC Kids! Thank you, Mommy Poppins, for always supporting our work!

Ballerina Swan & The Nutcracker — Midtown West
Saturday, November 26-Sunday, December 18
Ages 3-8
A sequel to New York City Children’s Theater’s hit Ballerina Swan (inspired by NYC Ballet prima ballerina Allegra Kent’s children’s book of the same name), this show finds the dance-obsessed Sophie the Swan prepping for her debut in The Nutcracker. This 50-minute world premiere fuses ballet and puppetry for a lyrical, fast-paced experience that’s perfect for young children.

Young Charles Dickens – Midtown West
Friday, December 2-Sunday, December 18
Ages 8 and older
Another high-quality tuner from New York City Children’s Theater. This bio-musical about the challenging childhood of the famed Victorian author is inspired by Deborah Hopkinson’s picture book A Boy Called Dickens. An engaging mix of fact and fiction, the tuner had its world premiere last year, and we really loved it. Now the show’s back for an encore run, with some tweaks to the story, a new cast, and a few fresh songs. Find out how this talented young storyteller was forever changed when he was forced to spend a year (including Christmas Eve!) working to support his struggling family. Who knew A Christmas Carol was semiautobiographical?

Our friends at Red Tricycle included us on their list of the Best Nutcrackers for Every Age & Stage! Thank you so much to everyone at Red Tricycle – we can’t wait for Sophie to show everyone her take on The Nutcracker!

NYC parents can drive themselves nuts figuring out which seasonal production of The Nutcracker best fits their particular kid’s age, interests, and — most importantly — attention span. Some versions are classical, some modern. Some are too long, others too short, while still others can be a bit scary for the younger set. Complicating things is that by our count, there are at least 12 productions of the ballet being mounted this holiday season! Click through to find the show for your tiny dancer!

We’re so excited because Mommy Poppins has listed Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker as one of the 18 best Nutcracker performances in NYC! We can’t wait – only two more weeks until we open!

New York City Children’s Theater stages this simple interpretation of the beloved children’s book, Ballerina Swan, which combines an inventive swan puppet with live ballet dancers to tell the story of Sophie the swan preparing to dance her first Nutcracker.