Sara Mearns stepped onto the stage as the Sugarplum Fairy wearing something more precious than a jewel-encrusted tiara. In her ears, invisible to all, were hearing aids. “I heard every single noise possible,” she said. “Backstage, onstage. The shoes

It was like any matinee at New York City Ballet until something odd happened: One lead dancer turned into a ballerina tag team. On Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Centerapex gaming88, Sara Mearns, dancing the gorgeous, taxing role in George Balanchine