Delight in the New York City Ballet’s presentation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker choreographed by George Balanchine. Chelsea Clinton hosts.

New York City Ballet’s beloved holiday favorite, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™, airs live from Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. Set to Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, Balanchine’s Nutcracker features New York City Ballet’s entire roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians, as well as two alternating casts of 50 children from the School of American Ballet, the New York City Ballet’s official school. In addition to Balanchine’s choreography, the seminal work features scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley, after the original design by Ronald Bates.

The live television broadcast will be hosted by School of American Ballet board member Chelsea Clinton, who danced several roles in the ballet with Ballet Arkansas from 1985-1992 and then the Washington Ballet from 1993-1996. In a Lincoln Center first, the program will also bring the holiday classic to service men and women around the world via a Christmas Eve re-broadcast on the American Forces Network.