NOTN- Juneau Dance Theatre celebrated its 20th production of The Nutcracker over the weekend.

The annual holiday tradition has become a cornerstone of the city’s festive season.

The four performances, held Dec. 5-7, featured guest artists Nanako Yamamoto and Aldeir Monteiro of the American Repertory Ballet, who returned for a second year in the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. They joined a cast of about 85 dancers ranging in age from 4 to adult volunteers.

“We have families that come back year after year,” said Juneau Dance Theatre Executive Director Bridget Lujan “We have little ones that are in the audience one year and then on the stage with us the next year. There are all kinds of aspiring Ballerinas born the weekend of Nutcracker.”

JDT, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has staged The Nutcracker nearly every season since the early 2000s.

Rehearsals for the cast, which includes dancers from age 8 through high-school seniors, were held on weekends through the fall, with dancers putting in extra hours of practice to prepare.

“We spend most of the weekend at the studio, we want to be efficient with the time, but we generally work about four hours on Saturdays, another four hours on Sundays, and that’s on top of all of their class time.” said Lujan.

As in past years, Juneau Dance Theatre offered a free outreach performance, giving nearly 1,200 elementary school students the chance to experience live ballet.

Juneau Dance Theatre will next host auditions for its variety showcase, Juneau’s Got Talent, on Dec. 13–14, followed by a winter showcase performance in mid-January.

More information about JDT programs and upcoming events is available at juneaudance.org.