For ballet fans, holiday productions of “The Nutcracker” are part of what makes this the most wonderful time of the year.

Adapted from “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” an 1816 story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the ballet tells the tale of a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and battles the evil Mouse King.

First choreographed by Marius Petipa and set to music by Tchaikovsky, it was commissioned by the director of Moscow’s Imperial Theatres in 1891, and premiered just before Christmas 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.

It debuted in western countries in the 1940s, gradually becoming a Christmastime staple.

“Everyone has these great holiday traditions with family and friends, and ‘Nutcracker’ is one of them,” said Alan Obuzor, artistic director of Texture Contemporary Ballet in Pittsburgh. “I think the score is some of the best music ever written, and the ballet itself stands the test of time.”

This year, balletomanes are especially fortunate. They have the choice of several area productions presenting varied versions of the classic Christmas Eve fairy tale, including:

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Since 2002, PBT has presented a Pittsburgh-inspired “Nutcracker” with choreography and concept by former PBT artistic director Terrence S. Orr, Tchaikovsky’s classic score and costume and set designs by Emmy-winning designer Zack Brown.

This year’s production will be staged Friday through Dec. 29 in the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh, with each performance featuring five scenes and more than 150 roles and costumes for both professional company members and student dancers from PBT School.

A growing Christmas tree, falling snow and magic tricks created by a professional magician add to the ambiance.

“I can’t imagine a holiday season without ‘The Nutcracker,’ and it feels so good to be reuniting with live audiences for this year’s production,” said PBT artistic director Susan Jaffe.

During 2020 theater closures, PBT debuted its virtual “Fireside Nutcracker,” which won three Telly Awards and reached more than 50,000 viewers in more than 30 countries.

Tickets, starting at $29, are available at 412-456-6666 or pbt.org. A full list of performances, including a sensory-friendly performance at 2 p.m. Dec. 17, also can be found on the PBT website.

Information on the theater’s covid-19 protocols, including mask and vaccine requirements, can be found at trustarts.org.

Texture Contemporary Ballet

The Pittsburgh-based company will travel to Greensburg for two performances of the classic ballet, with live music provided by Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra.

Times are 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday in The Palace Theatre.

“We’re very honored to continue this legacy of being the only community within the greater Pittsburgh area to have a live-orchestra ‘Nutcracker,’” said WSO executive director Endy Reindl. “It’s a very unique experience.”

“Any time live dance and music come together, it enhances the experience for both the artists and the audience,” said Texture artistic director Alan Obuzor.

More than 70 performers will include students from Texture Ballet School; Texture company dancers Kelsey Bartman, Madeline Kendall, Hannah Knorr, Elaina Sutula, Sophie Powell and Obuzor; faculty member and Texture guest artist Christopher Bandy, and other guest artists.

The program will feature Tchaikovsky’s complete score, along with choreography by Obuzor and Texture’s associate artistic director Kelsey Bartman.

It’s the first “Nutcracker” collaboration between Texture and WSO, which teamed for more than two decades with the now-disbanded Laurel Ballet.

Tickets are $16-$41 at 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org. Face coverings are required inside the theater.

Pazaz Christian Dance Academy

Using classical choreography and the Tchaikovsky score, the Greensburg-based academy presents a Christian perspective on the classic tale.

Performances will be 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday in the Science Hall Theater on the Westmoreland Community College campus near Youngwood.

“A Christmas Gift” is set at a Christmas Eve celebration in the Whittington home. The children’s missionary aunt and uncle return from a journey with gifts, including a Bible for the eldest child, Katherine.

When Katherine falls into a dream, she finds herself in the midst of a battle pitting mice and bugs against the army of heaven. Instead of going to the Land of Sweets, she finds herself in the Throne Room of Heaven in the presence of Jesus.

“All nations dance there before him,” said Pazaz founder Toni Bazala. “When she wakes up, she wonders if it was all a dream, or was she really in heaven?”

The production is based on “A Christmas Dream” by Mississippi-based Ballet Magnificat, Bazala said. The cast includes more than 100 Pazaz students, ages 3-18, along with several dancers from its professional company.

Tickets are $16, or $10 for ages 3-18. To purchase, call 724-837-2787 or visit pazazchristiandance.com.

Seton Hill University Dance Academy

Say goodbye to the Land of Sweets and hello to Swingland in “The Jazzy Nutcracker,” set for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18 and 1 p.m. Dec. 19 in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center in downtown Greensburg.

Attendees will see the familiar characters and Christmastime setting, Drosselmeyer’s gifts, the mice and the snow — only framed by “jazzed-up” adaptations of Tchaikovsky’s original score by Busy McCarroll, Jeff Nelson and Duke Ellington.

Instead of the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” there’s the “Dance of the Sugar Rum Cherry,” said Michelle Walters, director of community relations for the Seton Hill School of Visual and Performing Arts.

The cast includes about 40 academy students, ages 3-18, with Seton Hill students assisting with the production. It’s the academy’s second “Jazzy Nutcracker” outing.

“The first production attracted not just family and friends of the students, but a lot of folks looking for something different to enjoy in the Christmas season,” Walters said.

Tickets are $9, available from the Seton Hill box office at 724-552-2929. Admission is free to children 3 and younger.

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