Manhattan Youth Ballet Performances

The 2025 Knickerbocker Suite

A new holiday classic has been brought to the stage by Rose Caiola with the Manhattan Youth Ballet. Based on the jocular story by artist Elliott Arkin, this original ballet is a timely tale of American values and folklore with New York City at the center of attention.

The first act, mixed media production, opens with a satirical animated film narrated by Tony award winning actor, Michael Cerveris, revealing a series of imaginative contemporary visual scenarios and characters following in the tradition of the Nutcracker story.

In the second act, the Knickerbocker Suite weaves clever modern interpretations out of timeless scenes and dances in which the land of sweets becomes the cultural cornucopia that is NYC. The arts, sports, fine dining, parks and even the pigeons are magically and cleverly intertwined with the classic Tchaikovsky movements of Candy Canes, Coffee, Waltz of the flowers and more, culminating in a grand finale that is sure to bring joy and a great holiday spirit for audiences young an old.

Choreographers include Deborah Wingert, Brian Reeder, Marina Stavitskaya, Earl Mosley, Allegra Herman, George Sanders, and Angelyn Faust.