The right attitude

Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” is returning to the Alex Theatre, but this year, theatergoers can see three productions of the classic holiday ballet.

Dancers from Burbank’s Media City Ballet, The Red Chair Children’s Production Co. and the Los Angeles Ballet are rehearsing their own versions of the famous ballet.

About 60 dancers from the Los Angeles Ballet will perform their full-length production on Nov. 29 and 30.

“We are constantly making little changes and modifications in the ballet,” said Thordal Christensen, co-artistic director of Los Angeles Ballet.

This year, “The Nutcracker” is set in 1912 in Southern California, Christensen said.

“We wanted to have a local flair,” he said. “You can set this ballet in many different places.”

Unlike the traditional ballet, which takes place in the 1800s in Germany, Christensen’s choreography, costumes and sets will reflect the era the ballet is set in.

“I think the choreography makes a difference, and it’s an original choreography, and the sets and costumes determine where we are in time,” Christensen said.

The dancers range from 7 to 16 years old, with some roles like Clara’s parents played by adults, Christensen said. However, for other productions, the company’s dancers are typically 18 to 28, he added.

“The children are all very serious students,” Christensen said. “They take classes every day of the week.”

The dancers, despite their age, are all dedicated to the performance, and some are back to dance for the second year, Christensen said.

The Red Chair Children’s Production Co., which also features a cast of children ranging in age from 5 to 17, will perform on Dec. 4.

“Our production is really different from the other two, being that the others are professional adult companies,” said Jennifer Bosco, Red Chair’s director of dance.

It is the first time that Red Chair, which was founded more than two years ago in Burbank, is performing at the Alex.

Some of the children are new to the company, while others are returning again to take part in the ballet, Bosco said.

Burbank resident Elizabeth Briggs, 10, a student at John Muir Middle School, returns to Red Chair for the third time and will star as Clara for the first time.