A New Sugarplum Fairy Adrift in the Land of Snow
by GIA KOURLAS for the New York Times
published: December 12, 2006

A soloist at City Ballet, the daintily feminine Ms. Hyltin possesses a marvelous instrument. The lightness of her upper body, particularly noticeable in her port de bras as she waved her wand with a regal flourish, counterbalances her long legs and darting feet. In the pas de deux Ms. Hyltin and Andrew Veyette, as her Cavalier, were an illustration of faultless casting.

Their bodies fit wonderfully, but the two dancers also speak a gracious, refined language infused with youthful daring. There was a slight slip during the tricky caught turn that ends in a dramatic balance, but nearly everything else, from the exciting shoulder lifts to the supported pirouettes and the especially beautiful overhead lifts, was strikingly alive.

Visiting the Land of Sweets, Armed With Nerves of Steel
by ROSLYN SULCAS for the New York Times
published: December 19, 2006

With its long run and benign audiences “The Nutcracker” provides an opportunity for the company to try out promising dancers in solo roles, and at this performance the Powers That Cast went all out: from Dr. and Frau Stahlbaum (the hosts of the Act 1 Christmas party) to the Sugarplum Fairy, almost every featured adult performer was new to his or her