PAS DE DEUX; Star siblings Megan and Robert Fairchild light up New York City Ballet.(Interview)

Byline: Gia Kourlas

New York City Ballet's Megan and Robert Fairchild have risen through the company's ranks so swiftly that Andrew Veyette, a principal dancer (and Megan's boyfriend), has coined a new phrase to describe them. "He calls us the Unfairchilds," Megan, 23, admits, laughing.

Appearing this month in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, the invincible siblings have achieved much since the days when they choreographed shows in their Salt Lake City living room. "We would put on performances for our parents," Robbie, 20, recalls. "I'd hand out little programs and tickets and tell them, 'Your seat is the white couch.'_"

Megan, who joined City Ballet in 2002 and began performing principal parts soon after, is one of the company's most versatile ballerinas in the making. A true classical dancer, she brings a sparkling poise to the most rigorous of Balanchine ballets. More of a wild child, Robbie gained prominence last spring after a passionate star turn in Peter Martins's Romeo + Juliet. His first love, after all, was jazz dance; it was Megan who urged him to attend the School of American Ballet. ...