With two live performances and one film screening of this magical holiday staple, there are plenty of opportunities to take in this holiday classic this year.  Discover the story of a young girl named Clara, whose gift of a nutcracker comes to life on Christmas Eve and takes her to the wondrous Land of Snow, where she meets all sorts of magical characters.

Originally performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892, The Nutcracker is still enjoyed worldwide by audiences of all ages. The ballet is based on the German tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, and was originally scored by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Les Grand Ballets Canadiens’ rendition will be presented at Salle Wilfred-Pelletier from Dec. 12 to 30. Two performances will be offered daily: a matinée at 2 p.m. and an evening show at 7:30 p.m. It will feature more than 150 dancers accompanied by an orchestra of approximately 70 musicians.

An hour before show time, an actor will read the original story to children in the audience and pick a young person to play a mouse during the performance. The storytime is aimed at fans aged 6 to 12.

For more information, visit grandsballets.com.

The Ballet Ouest production of The Nutcracker offers a more modern take on the classic tale, incorporating multimedia projections alongside the dancers on stage.

For the sixth consecutive year, the show will be choreographed and staged by Claude Caron. The performance features more than 80 of the school’s young dancers, who will join 40 members of the company’s corps de ballet on stage.

On Dec. 7 & 8, the shows will be held at the Centre Pierre Péladeau, on Dec. 14 at Théâtre des Deux Rives in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, on Dec. 21 & 22 at Salle J.Antonio Thompson, and on Dec. 28 & 29 at the Théâtre Gilles Vigneault in St. Jerome. There will be matinee and evening shows.

For more information, visit balletouest.com.

Finally, families can take in a film screening of the ballet on Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Hudson Village Theatre. Presented by the Hudson Film Society, the show will cost $12 for children and $20 for adults.

For more information, visit villagetheatre.ca.