With it’s significant Bay Area connection, “The Nutcracker” has been a mainstay of local dance companies for decades and decades.

And why not? The ballet and its iconic score by Tchaikovsky has everything a holiday production could ask for — sumptuous choreography, unforgettable music and a Christmas setting.

Once again, Bay Area troupes are offering a wide array of versions of the ballet that dominates the winter dance season and which historians estimate accounts for 40 percent of ballet company box office income each year.

Here’s a roundup of some of the Bay Area “Nutcracker” performances on tap.

San Francisco Ballet ‘Nutcracker’: Helgi Tomasson’s choreography and the renowned lavish production values makes the company’s production one of the best known and most admired in the count

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