(Photo: Paul Kolnik; Courtesy of New York City Ballet)

New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center; 212-870-5500.
Towering trees, onstage blizzards, and pretty ballerinas. Why mess with the success of the late, great choreographer George Balanchine? This one sets the standard.
• Dates: November 23–December 9: T–Th, 6 p.m.; F, 8 p.m.; S, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Su, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; December 11–December 16: T, 6 p.m.; W, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Th, 6 p.m.; F, 8 p.m.; S, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Su, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; December 18–December 23: T, 6 p.m.; W, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Th, 6 p.m.; F, 5 p.m.; S, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Su, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; December 24–December 30: M, 2 p.m.; W, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Th, 6 p.m.; F, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; S, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Su, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
• Price: $29–225

(Photo: Richard Termine)

New York Theatre Ballet
Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., nr. Park Ave.; 212-355-6160.
A streamlined one-hour version that's been known to attract celebrity moms like Marcia Gay Harden and Sarah Jessica Parker.
• Dates: December 7, 4:30 p.m.; December 8, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.; December 9, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.; December 15, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.; December 16, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.; December 22, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Price: $35–$43

American Ballet Theatre
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave., nr. Ashland Pl., Ft. Greene; 718-636-4100.
This new, acclaimed production of The Nutcracker received rave reviews for its choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, live orchestra, and costumes by Tony Award winner Richard Hudson.
• Dates: December 7, 7:30 p.m.; December 8, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; December 9, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.; December 12–14, 7:30 p.m.; December 15, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; December 16, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
• Price: $15–$125

(Photo: Courtesy of Dances Patrelle)

Dances Patrelle: The Yorkville Nutcracker
Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 695 Park Ave., at 68th St.; 212-772-4448.
The Sugar Plum Fairy alights in 1890s Manhattan for a history lesson en pointe.
• Dates: December 6, 7 p.m.; December 7, 7 p.m.; December 8, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; December 9, 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
• Price: $45–$85

The Dance Theatre in Westchester: The Colonial Nutcracker
Walt Whitman Theater at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, 2900 Campus Road, nr. Nostrand Ave., Flatbush; 718-951-4500.
This family-friendly production places The Nutcracker story in colonial Yorktown.
• Dates: Sunday, December 16, 2 p.m.
• Price: $10

Related:

• Archive: “Guides”
• Articles by Rebecca Milzoff | Emily Watkins