The Nutcracker will prance its way through Abbotsford and Mission in a couple of forms this Christmas season.

The Royal City Youth Ballet Company’s version will take place today (Saturday), 2:30 p.m., at the Abbey Arts Centre. The New Westminster-based company will be presenting The Nutcracker for the 21st Christmas season.

The choreography is done by Delores Kirkwood, who was recently honoured with the Order of British Columbia for her contribution to the arts in B.C.

The production will feature three Abbotsford dancers – Jeremy Brama, Victoria Bonar and Dakota McGhie-Holt. The company will also do two more showings at The Act in Maple Ridge on Sunday, 1 p.m., and 4 p.m.

For those missing this weekend’s productions, there will be another version put on by the Fraser Valley Academy of Dance at the Clarke Theatre in Mission on Dec. 18 and 19.

Ballet students from Abbotsford, Aldergrove, Mission, Surrey, Langley and Chilliwack will join a cast of more than 100 dancers, including professionals from the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada as well as members of the Yevshan Ukrainian Dancers and Druzhba Ukrainian Dancers.

It’s the second annual presentation of The Nutcracker choreographed by FVAD artistic director John C. Carney. In his career, Carney has been a principal dancer with the Rambert Dance Company, soloist with the English National Ballet, and student, teacher and choreographer at the Royal Ballet School.

The audience will get to enjoy the humour and delight of a Christmas party at the Stahlbaum’s, then follow Clara in her dream as she witnesses the excitement of the battle between rats and soldiers, travels through the mystical snow and across the serene ocean to the Kingdom of Sweets. They’ll also get to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nutcracker Prince and all of Clara’s new friends who entertain the audience with the Chinese, Candy Cane, Russian, Arabian, Smarties, Spanish and Flowers dances.

Performances will be held Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 19, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and students $15. They are available at the FVAD office (604-826-0097), the Clarke Theatre box office (604-820-3961), Jazz-Ma-Tazz in Abbotsford (604-855-9166).

For more information go to www.fvad.ca.