The stage is set and costumes complete. Rehearsals continue but the cast is ready. Time for &uot;The Nutcracker&uot; ballet has come again.

With directors Lee Partridge and Teresa Burns standing watch, the dozens of young people who have rehearsed since September are perfecting their steps.

The curtain rises on the first performance at 8 p.m. Thursday at Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center. &uot;The Nutcracker&uot; continues on Friday and Saturday, also at 8 p.m. On Sunday, the performance begins at 2 p.m.

Billed as &uot;A Christmas ballet to the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,&uot; the performance heralds the beginning of the holiday season, Partridge said.

&uot;I really think it gives everybody a chance to be ready for the Christmas spirit. It brings out the child in all of us,&uot; she said.

This year, Natchez Ballet Academy celebrates the 20th anniversary of performing &uot;The Nutcracker.&uot; Some special events are planned, Partridge said.

&uot;There will be a Nutcracker Tea Party at Twin Oaks on Saturday at 2 p.m.,&uot; she said. &uot;Some of the children will be there in costume. It’s for mothers, daughters, grandmothers &045; really for anyone,&uot; she said.

After the Saturday performance of the ballet, a wine and cheese party for alumni of the ballet will be held in the Green Room at Margaret Martin.

The nutcracker design used by the company for its logo was created by Erin Eidt Myers. Her mother, Carolyn Eidt, is wardrobe mistress. &uot;We could not put it on without Carolyn,&uot; Partridge said. &uot;She has everything beautifully organized.&uot;

The show requires not only many young dancers on stage but also many behind-the-scene workers. That includes Tommy Jackson, production manager; and Catherine Garvin, lighting. Burnley Cook is narrator.

Ballet Mississippi has assisted with choreography. David Keary, artistic director, staged the Pas de Deux. Ballet Mississippi also has provided guest artists Dustin Layton and Chaz Lindsay to perform alternately in some major parts for male dancers.

Layton, 14, has been working with Keary for three years. During the summer he danced with St. Louis Ballet School.

Lindsay, also 14, works with Keary at Ballet Mississippi. During the summer, he studied with the Houston Ballet.

Assisting with costumes were Ginny Avara, Mary Bender, Marceline Hawkins, Dooks Kimbrell, Nine Needles Sewing Club, Peggy Roth, Sanjay’s Creations and Dorothy Whitehead.

Scenery and set design are by Mark Carraway, Burnley Cook, Tommy Jackson and Maura Johnson.

Make-up is by Erin Myers, Pat Tumminello and Melanie Trippe.

Mary Lees Wilson of One of a Kind has assisted with tickets. Shirley Roberts and Gwen Young are in charge of the box office.

Ushers are Janet Aubic, mary Blackwood, Missi Cranston and Cheryl Morace.

Stage crew includes Emmett Burns, Meg Freeman, Tommy Jackson, Jodi Kelley, Monica Mayo, Ross Partridge, Steele Partridge, Chris Trippe and Claire White.