Infused with hip hop, drumming and humor, Lafayette’s Creole Nutcracker turns the traditional holiday ballet into a uniquely Louisiana cultural celebration that has something for everyone.

“Creole Nutcracker is about showcasing Louisiana’s unique Creole culture and what makes Louisiana special and unique: our food, our music, our dance styles,” said Leigha Porter, co-creator and co-choreographer with Jazmyn Jones, both Lafayette natives. “Those things are intentionally infused into the show.”

The Louisiana version of the classic 19th century full-length ballet replaces Clara with a young girl named Clarice and takes the audience on a tour of various festivals that celebrate everything from frogs to sugar cane to crawfish. The traditional Nutcracker’s opening party scene instead features a Zydeco dance party.

The seventh annual event was staged Saturday, Dec. 21, and included performanes by male and female dancers and music by several members of the Northside High School band.

The women premiered the Creole Nutcracker seven years ago with a cast of about 60. This year’s cast numbered more than 100 performers from the community, including youngsters and adults, dancers and actors and live musicians.

They took the stage Saturday for a second year at the city’s largest venue, the Heymann Performing Arts Center, after its audiences grew from 500 to close to 1,300, outgrowing the show’s previous venue.