The stage was a whirlwind of color and excitement Wednesday night as the cast of the 2012 community production of The Nutcracker Ballet held a dress rehearsal in preparation for performances this weekend.Children and adults dressed in holiday attire mingled with sugar plum fairies and lifelike dolls as cast members practiced the scenes.The holiday classic is spun around a young girl’s realistic dream after being given a nutcracker as a gift.Herr Drosselmeyer, a local councilman, magician, and Clara and Fritz's godfather (portrayed by Mical Whitaker) joins the holiday party and hands out gifts to all, but the special gifts given to Clara Silverhaus (portrayed by Madelyn Wolfe) and Fritz Silverhaus (portrayed by Brooke Stansel) are a nutcracker and a rat puppet.Clara becomes enamored of her nutcracker, but Fritz, being a typical brother, taunts Clara with his rat puppet and intentionally breaks the nutcracker. Drosselmeyer repairs it, and it is put up for safekeeping.Later, Clara sneaks back to the Christmas tree and gets her nutcracker, which comes to life as she is whisked away into a fantasy of snow, sweets, and rats who battle gingerbread soldiers and their nutcracker leader.Professional dancers Stacey Slichter and Norbert Nirewicz directed the community production by the Statesboro Youth Ballet.Performance dates are today and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Averitt Center for the Arts’ Emma Kelly Theater. A Sunday matinee will be held at 2 p.m.The ballet is sponsored by East Georgia Regional Medical Center, Dabbs Hickman Hill & Cannon LLP and Colonial House of Flowers.To purchase tickets or for more information call (912) 212-ARTS (2787), or go to www.averittcenterforthearts.org.Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1-5:30 p.m.Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at (912) 489-9414.