"The Nutcracker"

is synonymous with the holiday season.

It is a story

of magic and enchantment that occur during one Christmas Eve for a little

girl named Clara. Both the Georgia Youth Ballet and the Peachtree City

School of Dance will present the beloved classic this weekend.

"The Nutcracker"

is based loosely on the story, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King"

lived in a loveless household and was forced to battle a mouse king with

seven heads. Alexander Dumas, author of "The Three Musketeers,"

revised the story and Marius Petipa choreographed a play based on that

version of the tale. In 1892, Peter Llyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music

for the ballet.

The revised

version of the tale starts at a holiday party at the home of siblings

Fritz and Clara and their parents. The children's grandfather arrives

and gives them gifts. After Fritz sees Clara's present, a beautiful nutcracker,

he breaks it.

After everyone

in the house goes to bed, Clara returns downstairs to check on her nutcracker.

The Christmas tree grows and the room fills with an army of mice, lead

and takes Clara on a magical journey to the Land of Snow and the Land

of Sweets. They meet enchanting characters and see a variety of dances

before Clara returns home and wakes up from what must have been a dream.

The Georgia

Youth Ballet will present "The Nutcracker" at Our Lady of Mercy

High School Dec. 7-9. Performance times are 7:30 Friday, 2:30 and 7:30

p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Friday, Dec. 7 is family night

and all tickets are $5. Tickets Saturday and Sunday are $12 for adults

and $8 for seniors and students. Saturday's performance will have a special

guest, Dr. Ferrol Sams, who will narrate the performance. A portion of

Saturday's proceeds will benefit the Sams School.

The Peachtree

City School of Dance will present "The Nutcracker" at 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 8 and 9 at Duke Auditorium at Starr's Mill High School. Admission

is $7 for adults, while children 12 and under will be admitted for free.

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