The merriment and magic of the season are mirrored in the fanciful tale “The Nutcracker,” a perennial favorite of the Salt Creek Ballet, which features young dancers and professional guest artists.

The music of Tchaikovsky is beloved territory for the troupe’s artistic directors, the husband-and-wife team of Sergey Kozadayev and Zhanna Dubrovskaya. Both were born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and trained at the famed Vaganova Ballet Academy. Ballet dancers in Russia before moving to the United States, they have led Salt Creek for the past 11 of its 23 “Nutcracker” productions.

The appeal of the holiday favorite is evergreen.

“I think the brilliant score is a main reason and, of course, E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale of the sweet young girl Clara whose dream comes to life,” Dubrovskaya said, making a comparison to “Beauty and the Beast.” “Who can resist ... the Sugar Plum Fairy and not be excited by the Russian and Arabian dances and the beautiful, lyrical (waltzing) flowers?”

The role of the mysterious godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, who presents the gift of the toy Nutcracker to Clara, will be performed by Valeri Dolgallo. He is a former dancer who was a colleague of the artistic directors at a dance company in St. Petersburg.

“We are so lucky to have beautiful, gorgeous guest dancers from American Ballet Theatre and Boston Ballet and also our son,” Dubrovskaya said of the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier.

The guest artists for the Hinsdale performances will be Gillian Murphy and Gennadi Saveliev from New York’s prestigious American Ballet Theatre. Murphy, a principal dancer with ABT, returns to Salt Creek, joined by Saveliev, an ABT member and soloist.

In Aurora, the roles will be danced by Larissa Ponomarenko, principal dancer with the Boston Ballet, and Alexander Kozadayev, an award-winning, freelance dancer.

Alexander has a twin brother, Ilya, a soloist with the Houston Ballet.

Taught by their parents, they became professional dancers and occasionally return to teach at Salt Creek.

“We raised them in this beautiful art,” Dubrovskaya said. “They love this art; it is their life.”
 
Because of the multiple venues, Salt Creek has cast two dancers in the role of Clara: Grace Rivelli of Hinsdale and Alice Lupu of Westmont.

“They are wonderful young dancers,” Dubrovskaya said. “When we did our auditions, we picked them because they show a lot of expression and that part requires dramatic acting.”

Mikaela Randt of Woodridge dances the role of Clara in a dream sequence in which she is a princess accompanied by the Nutcracker transformed into a prince. Randt is a senior member of the company.

“I’m really excited,” said 12-year-old Grace of her role.

She has been taking dance at Salt Creek for nine years, studying ballet, character, jazz and en pointe disciplines. And yes, dancing on your tip-toes is hard on your feet, but training makes it work, she said.

“I just really love dancing,” she said, noting she normally takes lessons 10 hours a week, with added private instruction to prepare for her big role.

Making her fifth appearance in “Nutcracker,” she will appear as Clara in the Saturday performances in Hinsdale and Aurora.

“I love the party scene and the fight scene; you have to do a lot of acting that’s really fun,” Grace said. “During the fight scene, I jump on a chair when the baby mice come on stage, (followed by) the big mice and the Mouse King.”

She said part of the audience appeal of “Nutcracker” is the action.

Dubrovskaya said she looks forward to sharing the universal fairy tale filled with magic and mystery.

This year’s production of “The Nutcracker” has a cast of more than 100 children and young adults from the school of the Salt Creek Ballet, ages 8 to 17, representing the communities of Hinsdale, Wheaton, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Burr Ridge, Westmont, La Grange, Naperville, Western Springs, La Grange Park, Elmhurst, Darien, Oak Brook, Addison, Brookfield, Willowbrook, Bolingbrook, Lemont and Woodridge.

If you go

What: Salt Creek Ballet of Hinsdale and Westmont will present “The Nutcracker” in multiple venues with guest performers from American Ballet Theatre and Boston Ballet.

Venues:

 • 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, Hinsdale Central Auditorium, 5500 S. Grant St., Hinsdale, with a special benefit performance and Sugar Plum Party at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30. Buy tickets at (630) 769-1199. Tickets for the Saturday performance are $27.50, $24.50 for children 12 and younger. Tickets to the Sunday benefit are $34.50 and $29.50.

• 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Tickets are $29.50, $23.50 for children younger than 12, and free for children younger than 2. Call (630) 896-6666. Visit www.theparamounttheatre.com.

• 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University in University Park; visit www.centertickets.net.

 Info: www.saltcreekballet.org.