Bursts of pink satin beat against a hard black floor; arms sway and legs leap as ballerinas float silently to the wistful notes of Tchaikovsky. The effortless movements once again bring The Nutcracker to life in Fresno.

The production, presented by the Lively Arts Foundation, runs at the William Saroyan Theatre on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and on Dec. 19 at 2 p.m.

As it has for the past four years, the company, led by artistic director Diane K. Mosier, staged a rendition of The Nutcracker which varies from the classic story. While the overture commenced the show, a prologue set up the background.

The magician Herr Drosselmeyer (Hal Bolen) and his nephew come across a young princess under a curse, and release her from the enchantment. However, the Mouse King (Jesus Luviano) and Mouse Queen (Katie Giometti) show up to harass the small group, and place the cure on the nephew instead, turning him into a young Nutcracker Prince.

From here, the familiar Nutcracker plot sets into play with a Christmas party at Marie Stahlbaum’s (Annalise Rodriguez) home. Throughout the party, guests are entertained by various dances. Drosselmeyer presents Marie with a nutcracker and a ballerina doll.

Later that night, the girl encounters a battle between mice and soldiers. As the sides duel in dance, the Nutcracker Prince (Stanley Perry II) appears and saves Marie from the Mouse King. However, the Mouse Queen emerges and furiously declares revenge on Marie and the Prince.

The Nutcracker then guides Marie to the Land of Snow, and then onto the Kingdom of Suites, where she is honored through dances by various sweets, including the Sugar Plum Fairy (Mayo Sugano) and her Cavalier (Taurean Green). Eventually, the Mouse Queen returns, and the Nutcracker Prince finally defeats her.

Throughout the show, I was consistently impressed by the level of talent. Every selection of dancers, ranging from local ballerinas to professionals, proved great proficiency. While all scenes were adorned with eye-catching movements, a number of particular performances shined.

The most confident face on stage belonged to 16-year-old Carolyn Lippert of University High School. Despite her young age, Lippert performed several different roles, including the Snow Princess, Arabian Coffee and Flower Demi-soloist. No matter which role she presented herself as, the ballerina danced with confidence and expertise.

Her most impressive moments were in the Arabian dance, opposite professional dancer Michael Dunsmore. The choreography by Kaye Migaki presented several impeccable poses of flexibility and strength for Lippert, who executed the movements with excellence.

The other noteworthy performance belonged to Giometti, who portrayed the Mouse Queen, a Snowflake Demi-soloist and the lead Chinese Tea dancer. From previous years I recalled her powerful pirouettes and pure agility, and she once again proved this talent.

When it came to professional partners, Terrin Kelly and Damon Mahoney achieved a beautiful performance as the Snow Queen and King. Despite occasional moments of slightly insecure pointe work, Kelly displayed herself as a graceful figure, and Mahoney accompanied her with confidence.

When the iconic Grand Pas de Deux came along, I sat back in contentment to watch Sugano and Green take the stage. As I admired Sugano’s elegant cream leotard and tutu, embellished with gold, the breathtaking, yearning Tchaikovsky recording begun to skip, and soon stopped altogether.

The audience gasped in compassion as Sugano and Green exchanged faint glances and proceeded with their movements in utter silence. Within 20 seconds, the song started over and the two gracefully returned to their starting positions as if nothing had even happened. Just when the scene resumed its peace, the song stopped at the same place again.

Nonetheless, the two persisted in their dance for about 15 seconds, came to a pose, bowed and finished. The audience responded with roaring applause for the couple, appreciating their professionalism. I was utterly impressed by the silent communication between Sugano and Green, who reacted calmly as if nothing was wrong. They were by far the most remarkable performance.

My complaint lies in the decision to use a recording rather than live music. Although it is understandable in that it saves money, the artificial music always makes me nervous for this very reason — and today my fears were legitimate. At the very least, the music should have been controlled by iTunes or something of the sort rather than what seemed to be a CD.

Despite this awkward interruption, The Nutcracker was still a brilliant way to spend my afternoon. Every year I thoroughly enjoy witnessing the shining moments by both young dancers and professionals. Seeing the high talent of local art is reassuring and absolutely something to appreciate, as it is clearly an area in which Fresno holds true caliber.

Throughout the corps of swishing dresses and pink pointe shoes, The Nutcracker is a show to sit and enjoy. In future years, I look forward to watching the dancers progress, and hope to see the choreography mature with them.

For more drama reviews, read the Dec. 16 article, ‘Color Purple’ presents emotional depth, musical caliber.

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