Dancers with the Oakland Ballet Company have spent the past month preparing for this year’s production of “The Nutcracker.” The shows, which will be presented at the Paramount Theater, are scheduled for Christmas weekend.

This year’s presentation is expected to feature dancers with the Oakland Ballet Company, members of the Oakland East Bay Symphony and students from Bay Area dance schools.

Graham Lustig, who became the company’s artistic director last August, has taken the story, which is traditionally set in the Victorian era, and has set it in the beginning of the 20^th Century. To coincide with a different visionary scene, the dancers are also learning new complex choreography.

Reporter Terria Smith attended a rehearsal at the Mills College Haas Pavillian to record this Oakland North Radio audio podcast. You can listen to more Oakland North audio podcasts on Oakland North Radio, or subscribe to them via iTunes.