For many The Nutcracker is as much a holiday tradition as the lights on the tree and the uneaten fruitcake on the table. Ballet Theater of Central Pennsylvania will bring the magic of that special Christmas ballet -- the mysterious godfather Drosselmeyer, the glittery kingdom of sweets, the enchanted nutcracker doll -- to State College this weekend.

BTCP's The Nutcracker, a prologue and two acts choreographed mainly by artistic director Andrea Hill, is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker and Mouse King and set to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

"When we began working on this ballet, we did a lot of research into Hoffmann's story and really tried keeping with what he intended," said BTCP managing director Alex Hill. "To do that, we worked to keep the magical, mysterious quality that Hoffman as a writer is so well known for."

"And our adaptation of the story turns out a little different," Hill added. "It's keeping more with how Hoffmann intended -- the godfather's magical presence throughout; without that, you lose the essence of the magic. . . . It's Hoffmann's twist: everything you thought was real was a dream, and everything you thought was a dream was real."

Cast in The Nutcracker are dancers of 34-member non-professional BTCP and students of the School of the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania.

"In a lot of ways the kids are the best part of the show," said Robert Keal, who's dancing Drosselmeyer in the production. "The dancing is really cool. It's been a lot of work, a lot of rehearsal. . . . It's really a great ballet and there's a lot of divertissement, which is lots of dancing, especially in the second act. (The dances in the kingdom of sweets) are based on cultural dances and not strictly ballet."

After a short prologue, the ballet begins with a Christmas party during which godfather Drosselmeyer (Keal) gives Marie (Kaitlyn Deutsch, matinees; Merlee Hill, evenings) the nutcracker doll (Evan Kinzer-Howell, matinees; Brandon Hall, evenings). After the guests leave, Drosselmeyer returns and a battle erupts between mice and an army of toy soldiers lead by Marie's nutcracker. The victorious nutcracker transforms into a prince and he, Marie, and Drosselmeyer journey to the land of sweets, first passing through a land of waltzing snowflakes.

In the second act, the nutcracker prince, Marie, and Drosselmeyer arrive in the kingdom of sweets where the Sugar Plum Fairy (Tracey Kogelmann) and sweets of different lands welcome them with dances. The ballet ends when the Sugar Plum Fairy and Drosselmeyer leave the kingdom of sweets to Marie and her prince.

"It's exciting for me," said Kogelmann, who will be dancing the role of Sugar Plum Fairy for the first time. "The queen of sweets -- you can't go wrong with that! But really, (having a lead role) you feel a lot of responsibility for the audience and the audience's reception of the ballet. I'm just excited and anxious!"

Performances are in State College Area High School North Auditorium. Evening performances are 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow, with the annual Nutcracker Gala Reception following the tomorrow evening curtain.

Matinee performances are 3 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday.

Tickets to the performance are available at the door or by phone at 234-4961 and cost $10 for adults, $7.50 for senior citizens and students, and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets to the Nutcracker Gala Reception are available with a tax-deductible minimum donation of $10. For more information about the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania and other upcoming performances, visit www.btcp.org.