Dreams of Christmas sweets and holiday magic join beautiful music and ballet in Off the Wall Dance Productions' presentation of “The Nutcracker” this weekend. There will be two free performances beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, both at the City Auditorium. Any donations given at the performances will be donated to Food for Kids, a Jackson County program for underprivileged youth.

Tchiakovsky's ballet, based on the story "The Nutcracker and the King of Mice" written by E.T.A. Hoffman , tells the story of a special Christmas Eve night for young Clara, played by Alyssa Pickering.

Clara is presented a beautiful Nutcracker by her godmother, Drosselmeyer. She falls asleep with the Nutcracker, but at midnight her adventure begins. An army of mice invade the holiday home, and the now life-sized Nutcracker, played by Diego Quirino, must lead his soldiers into battle to defeat the fierce Mouse King, Aliyah Gutierrez, and his minions.

From there, the Nutcracker takes Clara on a fanciful journey to the Land of Snow, where she meets the Snow Queen, Kelli Hadrava, and her snowflakes.

In the Land of Sweets, they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy, played by Evan Smiley, who, upon learning about the battle with the Mouse King's army, rewards Clara and her brave new friend with a show.

There they see dances of the Chocolate (Spanish), Coffee (Arabian), Tea (Chinese), Trepak (Russian), Mother Ginger and Her Peppermints, Dance of the Reed Flutes, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Waltz of the Flowers.

The climax of her adventure finds Clara watching her beloved Nutcracker dance with the Sugar Plum Fairy.