The Manassas Ballet Theatre will present “The Nutcracker” from Dec. 18-23 with the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra live on the Merchant Stage at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

The family-friendly traditional holiday ballet follows Clara on her enchanting journey led by Uncle Drosselmeyer’s gift, the Nutcracker, to a magical world of thrilling battles, swirling snow and a celebration in the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The ballet this year will debut two new Cavaliers: Jie-Siou Wu (Shaw) and Wei-Yuan Tai (Wayne) with Dani Moya and Hannah Locke, respectively, as their Sugar Plums.

The Manassas Ballet will also unveil new scenery for the snow scene and introduce new choreography by Vadim Slatvitskiy and artistic director Amy Wolfe

“The level of talent this year is truly exquisite,” Wolfe said, “and dancing to live music has always been of the utmost importance to me.”

Manassas Ballet Theatre is a nonprofit founded in 1983 with a mission of improving the quality of life in Northern Virginia by making professional ballet performances accessible and affordable, conducting educational outreach in the community and providing top-tier training to serious students.