The sweet season

It’s a familiar holiday tradition, but it’s also probably the first classical ballet that most Americans see: The Nutcracker, with music by Tchaikovsky. The Sacramento Ballet presents a version choreographed by Ron Cunningham, the company’s artistic director, and accompanied by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra. Add to that a cast that includes several hundred local children, the professional dancers of the company and all the pageantry you’d expect, and it’s a holiday winner. Whether you favor the battle between the toy soldiers and the mice, the various dances of the sweets from around the world or the delightful children emerging from beneath the skirts of Mother Gingerbread, don’t miss the Sacramento Ballet’s annual production.

The Nutcracker, 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 2 and 7 p.m. Thursday; $15-$68. Sacramento Ballet at the Community Center Theater, 1301 L Street; (916) 808-5181; www.sacballet.org. Through December 23.