'The Nutcracker' comes to life at Oxnard youth center

Dancers from the cast of the Ventura County Ballet's 2023 production of "The Nutcracker" performed for a crowd of children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme on Tuesday afternoon. The preview performance at the youth center in Oxnard, which included a handful of dances from the full ballet, came as the company prepares for its 25th anniversary production of the Tchaikovsky Christmas classic.

This year's cast of nearly 100 dancers is led by Aaron Smyth, featured in Disney’s "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms," and Elizaveta Domracheva.

"The Nutcracker" will come to life at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center during weekend performances on Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and on Dec.10 at 2 p.m. Tickets and information are available at venturacountyballet.com.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 'The Nutcracker' comes to life at Oxnard youth center