It is a classic more than a century old and a beloved Christmas staple, the tale of the toy nutcracker who turns into a Prince after he has been saved by Clara from the foul Mouse King and his band of Pirate Mice misfits. Together, and to the delight of children and adults, the Prince and Clara dance their way to the Winter Land, where they are greeted by dancing snowflakes, then to the Land of Sweets, where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. It’s all a Christmas Eve dream, and the Eugene Ballet Company brings that dream to life again for seven performances over eight days of The Nutcracker, starting Dec. 17, at the Hult Center. The ballet will feature more than 150 Eugene Ballet Academy student dancers as well as its resident Orchestra Next for what promises to be enchanting performances. Also, Orchestra Next celebrates the recent release of its 2021 recording of The Nutcracker, the famous music composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, which is available at the Hult Center lobby during the performances.

The Eugene Ballet Company’s production of The Nutcracker with Orchestra Next begins with 2 pm and 7:30 pm performances Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall and concludes Dec. 24. Schedule and ticket information is at EugeneBallet.org and at HultCenter.org.