RENOWNED NEW YORK CITY BALLET TO BRING GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER™ WITH SPECIAL GUEST HOST KELLY RIPA LIVE TO MOVIE THEATERS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Produced by Lincoln Center for Live Broadcast by NCM Fathom, Beloved Holiday Classic Arrives in Select Theaters Nationwide on Tuesday, December 13
New York & Centennial, Colo. – November 21, 2011 – This holiday season, New York City Ballet’s acclaimed production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ arrives in movie theaters across the country for one magical night. New York City Ballet presents George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ LIVE featuring special guest host Kelly Ripa of LIVE! With Kelly, will be broadcast to more than 550 theaters nationally on Tuesday, December 13 at 6:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. CT/ 7:30 p.m. MT/PT/HI/AK (tape delayed). As host of the live broadcast, Ripa will take audiences backstage for a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of The Nutcracker including interviews with NYCB principal dancers and others who bring this holiday classic to life onstage. This special holiday event will also feature an exclusive visit to a rehearsal at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet and home to the young ballet students who perform in the production each year.
Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com . For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the NCM Fathom website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
“We are thrilled to bring this beloved holiday production to audiences around the country, in what we hope will be the first of many opportunities to present New York City Ballet’s extraordinary repertory in movie theaters throughout the world,” said Katherine E. Brown, NYCB’s executive director. “We are particularly delighted to have Kelly Ripa hosting this landmark presentation, bringing her unmatched passion and energy to this very special event.”
Ripa is co-host of the popular syndicated morning talk show LIVE! With Kelly and recently celebrated her 10th anniversary as co-host of the show. After 10 consecutive Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Talk Show Host with partner Regis Philbin, the duo recently was honored as co-winners of the 2011 Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host for “LIVE.”
New York City Ballet presents George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ LIVE is being produced for movie theaters by the award-winning Live From Lincoln Center team that brings live performances to millions of viewers every year. This special holiday presentation will be broadcast to select movie theaters through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network.
The Nutcracker will transport audiences to a dream-like place filled with visions of Sugarplum Fairies, marching toy soldiers and a glowing one-ton Christmas tree that will grow, seemingly forever, in front of movie theater audiences nationwide. The production will feature NYCB Principal Dancers Megan Fairchild and Joaquin de Luz as the “Sugarplum Fairy” and her “Cavalier” and Ashley Bouder as “Dewdrop,” accompanied by the 62-piece New York City Ballet Orchestra under the direction of conductor Clotilde Otrano.
Other highlights of this enchanting presentation include an onstage snowstorm and hundreds of elaborate costumes including one for “Mother Ginger” that measures nine feet wide and weighs 85 pounds. The production’s grand finale will also use more than one million watts of lighting – the most used in any New York City Ballet production.
Set to Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky’s glorious score, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ features choreography by Balanchine, scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska, and lighting by Mark Stanley after the original design by Ronald Bates. The production will feature more than 70 New York City Ballet dancers, the 62-piece New York City Ballet Orchestra, and 50 children from the School of American Ballet, the official school of NYCB.
“This is an exciting ‘first’ for Lincoln Center and for the New York City Ballet—the first offering of an American ballet company’s live performance in cinemas worldwide,” said Elizabeth Scott, Lincoln Center’s chief media and digital officer.
This production, which premiered on February 2, 1954, at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York City, helped establish The Nutcracker and its score as a perennial favorite in the United States, evident by the countless versions of the ballet now performed all over the country. New York City Ballet’s beloved production has been seen by more than 100,000 people annually and has been performed more than 2,000 times.
“George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ is a holiday favorite cherished by millions around the world,” said Dan Diamond, senior vice president of NCM Fathom. “Performed live by America’s treasured New York City Ballet, fans will experience this historic holiday performance all in the comfort and convenience of their local movie theater.”
About National CineMedia (NCM)
NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater advertising network covers 176 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes over 18,300 screens (17,300 digital). During 2010, approximately 700 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters in which NCM currently has exclusive, cinema advertising agreements in place. The NCM Fathom Events broadcast network is comprised of nearly 700 locations in 165 Designated Market Areas® (all of the top 50). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 42 entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 48.7% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com.
About the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with a roster of spectacular dancers and an unparalleled repertory. Now under the artistic direction of Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, the Company was founded in 1948 by the legendary choreography George Balanchine and arts patron Lincoln Kirstein, and quickly became world-renowned for its athletic, contemporary style, which revolutionized the ballet world. The Company has also been home to Jerome Robbins, who made more than 50 works for NYCB, as well as to countless other choreographers, composers, dancers and musicians. Widely acknowledged for its enduring contributions to dance, NYCB is committed to promoting creative excellence and nurturing a new generation of dancers and choreographers.
With this collaboration, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts launches its newest distribution channel, Lincoln Center Digital Productions. Lincoln Center is a 16-acre campus housing 11 prestigious cultural organizations, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The other 10 are the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and the School of American Ballet.
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