The South Bay Ballet Returns to El Camino College for "The Nutcracker" Holiday Tradition adds to the Spirit of the Season

The South Bay Ballet returns to El Camino College to perform the wintertime favorite, “The Nutcracker,” set for 2 p.m. December 19 and 20 in Marsee Auditorium.

A holiday tradition at El Camino College, the show is under the direction of the mother-son team of artistic director Diane Lauridsen and assistant artistic director Elijah Pressman. More than 100 dancers will take the stage to perform Charles Maple’s choreography to Tchaikovsky’s original score.

For more than 30 years, the South Bay Ballet has produced many dancers who have gone on to a variety of professional ballet companies, including the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), San Francisco Ballet, and Oregon Ballet. Lauridsen has guided the South Bay Ballet as it continues to grow as one of the premier pre-professional dance companies in the United States. As one of the longest standing members of the company, Pressman trained at the Lauridsen Ballet Centre, home of South Bay Ballet, and has performed throughout the country.

Tickets for “The Nutcracker” are $33 for adults and $22 for children under 12 and may be purchased at www.centerforthearts.org, by phone at 310-329-5345 or toll-free at 800-832-ARTS. The Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Campus parking is $3. The El Camino College Marsee Auditorium is located at 16007 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance.