Charlotte Nebres
A symbol of magic, Charlotte Nebres made history in 2019 by becoming the first black ballerina to star as Marie – the young heroine of George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” which happened Friday at New York City Ballet.
The Nutcracker is set to Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky’s classic score. It is the most famous stage production of ballet performed in the U.S. featuring the New York City Ballet’s entire roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians.
It also features more than 125 children, in two alternating casts, from the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet using the plot of Alexandre Dumas, père, version of E.T.A. Hoffmann‘s tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King in 1816.
It premiered on February 2, 1954, at the New York City Center with costumes by Karinska and sets by Horace Armistead.
It has been staged in New York every year since and many other productions throughout the United States either imitate it or directly use the Balanchine staging.
Nebres, 11, starring as the first black Marie is a milestone for the productions. Click here to read more.
