'The Nutcracker'

Shea's Performing Arts Center, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and BalletMet are teaming up to present the holiday favorite "The Nutcracker" for three performances this weekend.

The fairy tale ballet by Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky will feature BalletMet, a ballet company from Central Ohio that was formed in 1978 and made its international debut in Cairo, Egypt, in 1989. The company also toured to 24 states in the United States, Canada and abroad, including a New York City debut at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts in 1991, two residencies at the prestigious DanceAspen Festival, and an engagement at the Italica Festival in Seville, Spain, in 1993.

In 2004, BalletMet made its critically acclaimed Manhattan debut at the renowned Joyce Theater in New York. The company was one of 18 chosen from a field of 66 international applicants to perform. Ballet- Met annually reaches a total audience of nearly 125,000 people through performances at home and on tour, academy classes and activities, and extensive DanceReach educational/outreach programs.

Performances are at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25 at Shea's Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St., Buffalo. Tickets are $65, $55, $40 and $28 and are available through the Shea's box office, 650 Main St., and Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com and 852-5000.