The Tchaikovsky score. The dances. The quintessential spirit of the season. Christmastime is filled with the sounds of  Waltz of the Flowers, Waltz of the Snowflakes and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy whenever The Nutcracker commands the winter stage. On December 3, The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School will present this classic at the Sarasota Opera House. The traditional choreography will be fully performed by the school’s dancers, not modified to accommodate the students. “We challenge our dancers to rise to the beautiful level of the choreography and they never disappoint,” says Ariel Serrano, the artistic director of The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School. Also unique to this rendition of  The Nutcracker will be the scenery and costumes, which have been conceived exclusively for the school by legendary theater designer Steve Rubin. Audiences will be transported into Clara’s dream world through the perfect marriage of dance and design. “I’m always moved by the Sugar Plum Fairy’ pas de deux. It’s Tchaikovsky’s finest moment,” Serrano says. “Every time I rehearse this pas de deux with my dancers, I am filled with emotion. This is ballet: the music, the choreography, the magic.” 

Sarasota Cuban Ballet, December 3, srqcubanballet.org.