The Nutcracker

DEC. 11-23 The Sacramento Ballet will leap back onto the stage for its first production in nearly two years with a beloved holiday classic, The Nutcracker, featuring the Sacramento Philharmonic performing Tchaikovsky’s enduring score. The ballet’s newly minted artistic director Anthony Krutzkamp, formerly of the Kansas City Ballet, has selected three choreographers—troupe member Julia Feldman and two company alumni, Colby Damon and Nicole Haskins—to reimagine this year’s rendition with an emphasis on childhood wonderment. To wit, the 19th-century Russian ballet, a tale of young Clara as she sets out to explore the Land of Sweets, will star hundreds of school-age dancers as partygoers, animated candies and even fighting mice. Masks and proof of vaccination required. $25-$98. Times vary by day. SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. 1301 L St. 916-552-5810. sacballet.org

The Nutcracker by Keith Sutter