During the holiday season, dance companies and schools across the country perform “The Nutcracker” ballet.

The music and the dancers tell the time-honored tale of a little girl named Clara. At her parent’s festive holiday party, she receives a special present – an unusual Nutcracker doll. As she drifts to sleep that night, holding her new toy, she hears the sound of scurrying mice. It’s the start of a grand adventure.

Clara finds her bravery to battle the evil rat king, travels through a magical snowstorm and visits the Land of the Sweets, where chocolate, marzipans, gingerbread cookies and of course the Sugar Plum fairy all dance together.

“The Nutcracker” ballet is a holiday tradition that dates all the way back to the 1890s, but today performances take on many forms. With dozens of shows scheduled in the region, he is a guide to a few standout options for everyone from avid fans to families looking to start a new tradition.

If you want to see a professional performance but don’t want to travel into the city, Northern Virginia hosts two professional dance companies of our own.

The Manassas Ballet Theatre will perform "The Nutcracker" from Dec. 18-23 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas.

The Manassas Ballet Theater boasts an international company of talented dancers from over eleven different countries. It is the second largest ballet company in Virginia and presents the Nutcracker every year.

This year, the Manassas Ballet will have eight shows at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas and features the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra live on the Merchant Stage.

The ballet this year will debut two new Cavaliers: Jie-Siou Wu (Shaw) and Wei-Yuan Tai (Wayne) with Dani Moya and Hannah Locke, respectively, as their Sugar Plums. The ballet will also unveil new scenery for the snow scene and introduce new choreography by Vadim Slatvitskiy and artistic director Amy Wolfe.

The Virginia National Ballet continues to grow its company and reputation. The past three years it was named Best Performing Arts Organization in InsideNoVa’s “Best of Prince William.” For the ballet’s version of “The Nutcracker” this year it is debuting new sets, costumes and choreography at the Capital One Hall in Tysons.

Pyotor Ilyich Tchaviosky’s popular “Nutcracker” score is best appreciated live. If your focus is the music, check out the Fairfax Ballet Company with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. The FSO is consistently hailed as one of the finest regional orchestras in the country. They will accompany Fairfax Ballet Company “Nutcracker” performances at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University in Fairfax. The company will be joined by guest artists Emily Kikta and Aarón Sanz from the New York City Ballet and Mayim Stiller and Zane Winders from Oklahoma City Ballet.

The Fairfax Ballet, accompanied bythe Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, will present its version of "The Nutcracker" on Dec. 21 and 22 at George Mason University's Center for the Arts in Fairfax.

In celebration of its 60th season, Virginia Ballet Company and School is hosting a special evening event at the Ernst Community Center in Annandale. This is one of the longest-running Nutcracker performances in the country, and it still features some of the original handmade costumes dating back to the 1960s. Before the show, enjoy appetizers, drinks and desserts. Kids will have the chance to meet the Nutcracker characters and complete themed crafts while the adults mix and mingle.

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If you have very young children or family members with sensory sensitivities, consider heading north to see The Maryland Youth Ballet’s “The Mini-Nut” at the Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery College in Silver Spring.

The abbreviated show runs only one hour. And the 3 p.m. show on Dec. 8 is designated as a sensory-friendly performance featuring quieter music, dimmer lights and a relaxed audience environment.