Celebrate the yuletide season with the magic of The Nutcracker ballet. See this holiday classic come to life as Herr Drosselmeir turns the nutcracker doll into a handsome prince who will whisk Clara away to a land of snowflakes and sweets ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The ballet is presented by the University of Pikeville School of Dance and includes more than 120 performers ages seven to adult, including community volunteers.

The University’s first Nutcracker performance debuted in 1978. A highlight of the production was a six-foot Christmas tree that grew to 14-feet and magically collapsed upward before disappearing.

Peggy Davis, artistic director and founder of the dance program, made an appeal for someone to design a new tree during an interview on PikeTV.

“Out of the blue we heard from someone who had been involved in making the original tree,” said Davis. “Kay Chaney of Harold called and offered to make a new one. This is very exciting and we really appreciate her efforts.”

Nutcracker performances will be held Friday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2:30 p.m. Dancers ages 3-12 will be staging a “mini” Nutcracker on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3:30 p.m. All performances will be held in University of Pikeville’s Booth Auditorium, Record Memorial building, level five. Admission is $5. Tickets will be available at the door.

The University of Pikeville School of Dance is under the direction of Conda Little and Davis. For more information, call (606) 218-5751.