''The Steadfast Tin Soldier'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Bizet's '' Jeux d'enfants'', based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1838 fairytale of the same name of the love between a tin soldier and a paper-doll ballerina. The ballet premiered on July 30, 1975 at the

Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is a large amphitheatre located in Saratoga Springs, New York, on the grounds of Saratoga Spa State Park. It presents summer performances of classical music, jazz, pop and rock, country, comedy, dance, opera, ...

, with

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

Patricia McBride Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's ...

and

Peter Schaufuss Peter Schaufuss (born 1949 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish ballet dancer, director and choreographer. Biography He is the son of ballet dancers Frank Schaufuss (1921–1997) and Mona Vangsaae (1920–1983). Schaufuss trained at the Royal D ...

Production

George Balanchine first used Bizet's ''Jeux d'enfants'' for a 1955 project, in collaboration with choreographers Barbara Milberg and Francisco Moncion, danced by Melissa Hayden and Roy Tobias. It was revived four years later, with the choreography only credited to Balanchine. The 1975 version, a pas de deux, was commissioned by the

, where the

performs annually, and premiered on Bizet's centennial year, performed by

and

. The ballet uses sets and costumes designed by David Mitchell. After he made ''The Steadfast Tin Soldier'', Balanchine, who had adapted Andersen fairytales before, said what attracted him to fairytales by Andersen was the "underlying Christian substructure". The 1975 ballet premiered in New York City the following year. In 2020, in response to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts, the New York City Ballet released a 2014 video recording of ''The Steadfast Tin Soldier'', featuring Erica Pereira and

Daniel Ulbricht This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Devin Albe ...

References

External links

Episode 33: Hear the Dance: The Steadfast Tin Soldier
on City Ballet The Podcast {{DEFAULTSORT:Steadfast Tin Soldier, The 1975 ballet premieres Ballets by George Balanchine Works based on The Steadfast Tin Soldier Ballets to the music of Georges Bizet New York City Ballet repertory Sentient toys in fiction Fictional amputees