Westworld Alberta

City Ballet in Lincoln Center, Manhattan's main performing arts complex. When Balanchine launched his version of the Russian classic in 1954, he popularized The Nutcracker as a holiday ritual around the world. Entering the theatre, I'm surrounded by eager parents and awed little girls in velvet dresses. As the curtain rises, there's an excited murmur as the children in the audi- ence see the children on stage. We all hold our breath during the ballet's signature moment, when a Christmas tree grows sky-high – this magical moment simply never gets old. The next night, I switch gears with The Hard Nut by the Mark Morris Dance Group. Set in the 1960s, this staging brims with tongue-in-cheek twists. Its pop-art scenery and campy costumes (bell-bottoms and male dancers in drag) contrast wildly with the Brooklyn Academy of Music's beaux arts-style opera house. A few nights later, I treat myself to the buzzed-about newcomer: the American Bal- let Theater version, which debuted in 2010 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The pro- duction is lush with spectacle and fantasy, offering up a striking transformation scene in which the tree soars above the dancers, as well as a whimsical Waltz of the Flowers with dancers dressed as bumblebees. An imagina- tive retelling and tickets half the price of the NYCB? This is where I'll be going next year. 7 Raiding the holiday markets My Holiday Reform Bill includes a clause about shopping in person, not online, so I turn to the holiday markets. The shopping villages at Union Square, Bryant Park and Jennifer Paull WESTWORLD >> NOVEMBER 2011 31

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