Ten years of talent will be showcased in Russell Auditorium on the Georgia College & State University campus next month as the GCSU Department of Continuing Education presents its 10th annual presentation of Peter Illych Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Ballet.

The ballet will be performed Dec. 8 and 9 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for ages 12 and up and $7 for children under 12 and GCSU students with a valid identification.

Based on the book “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffman, the ballet remains one of the most popular in history and is performed by schools and communities across the country during the holiday season.

According to the Web site www.nutcrackerballet.net, “Although what is seen on the stage today is different in detail from the original story, the basic plot remains the same; The story of a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads.”

Choreographer Marius Petipa commissioned Tchaikovsky to write the music for the Nutcracker Ballet in 1891.

For full story, please see the Nov. 25, 2006 edition of The Union-Recorder.