Land of sweet ballet

Many huge numbers have been thrown around for Sacramento Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker this year: Opening night on December 11 marked the 500th performance, 200 is the number of costumed characters and another 500 is the number of kiddos involved in the production. Oh yeah, and one is the least number of times the production must be seen. OK, so that’s a small number, but it can add up to a huge number if 2,451 other people show up on any given night at the Sacramento Community Center Theater. Trust me, Tchaikovsky’s score played by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra and wicked crazy ballet moves make this a must-see holiday production.

Ron Cunningham’s The Nutcracker will continue Friday, December 18, at 7 p.m.; Saturday December 19, at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, December 20, Tuesday, December 22, and Wednesday, December 23, at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets are $15-$68 for adults, $15-$31 for children 12 and younger. Sacramento Community Center Theater, 1301 L Street; (916) 808-5181; www.sacballet.org.