Over 1,000 children auditioned for a part in Sacramento Ballet's "The Nutcracker" and 560 children ages 6 to 16 got a part in the production, including several girls from Amador County.

"This year we added 30 children to the performance. The audience likes to see a lot of children and it is a great experience for them to participate," said Sacramento Ballet Marketing Director Jennifer Getz.

The ballet has been putting on a performance of "The Nutcracker" since 1968 but the new version was started in 1988. " We just celebrated our 500th performance of the Nutcracker," Getz said. "Last season the performance was sold out on quite a few nights."

The Sacramento Ballet has the most productions that include children, Laurie Kursar said. "Two of my girls are performing in 'The Nutcracker.' My youngest, Ivana, who is 7 years old will be a Christmas doll and my 11-year-old, Milka, will be a soldier," Kursar said. "Milka did a workshop at the Sacramento Ballet which was three weeks of dance. It was at that time that she got to know a lot of people. They liked her and told her that she should try out for 'The Nutcracker' and she did."

Kursar said that she will be chaperoning, doing makeup for the kids and ironing costumes.

"All of the six girls who are from Amador County know each other because they danced together at Wendy's Danceworks in Pine Grove," Kursar said.

"Every girl who dances here who auditioned for a part, got a part! They have all been in 'The Nutcracker' before but had different parts. A couple girls got advanced roles that are based on their dancing skills so I am pretty proud. They are so excited for one another that they left messages on my answering machine to tell me who got a part. I have had the studio for 10 years and my success is due to a lot less structure and more family oriented, we are one big happy family here," Wendy Pearson, owner of Wendy's Danceworks, said.

The girls enrolled at Wendy's are Katrina Williams, from Pine Grove and Sutter Creek resident, Christina Hunt. Alexandra Inslee, Amanda Vorwerk and Rachael Bianchi also dance at Wendy's Danceworks and got a part in the ballet. They are from West Point in Calaveras County, Pearson said.

The two other young ladies who made the audition is a Jackson resident, Cara Tortorich and Sutter Creek resident Holly Shaw.

Decades ago there were only a couple nights a year of the performance but times have changed. This year it will start on Dec.11 and run through Dec. 24 at the Sacramento Community Center. The performers are rotated on various evenings so the children don't have to commit all their time during the holidays and more kids get a part this way also, Getz said.

For one night only, on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. the children will also be performing in "The Nutty Nutcracker," which is a twist on the regular version, she said.

Saturday, Dec. 11, Saturday, Dec. 18, Tuesday, Dec. 21, Wednesday, Dec. 22 and Thursday, Dec. 23, the shows will start at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 12 and Sunday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 24 there will be one performance at 1 p.m.

For more information, visit www.sacballet.org.