BROOKLYN, N.Y. - It's a holiday tradition with a Brooklyn twist. The Nutcracker has been on Lynn Parkerson's mind ever since she founded the Brooklyn Ballet 17 years ago. She's now its artistic director.

"I thought about what kind of Nutcracker makes sense for us to do as a ballet company that represents Brooklyn," Parkerson said.

Her Nutcracker includes all the favorites - the snow scene, the sugar plum fairy, the march of the children and of course Tchaikovsky's score. But it also includes hip-hop and other dance genres not associated with ballet.

"Instead of having the Chinese dance, the Arabian dance instead of having those dances performed by ballet dancers who are imitating Spanish dance for example, we actually bring in those dancers to perform their national dances," Parkerson explained.

NY1 recently caught a rehearsal at the ballet’s studio. Carter Wyatt has only been dancing a few months. He was discovered during the Brooklyn Ballet’s outreach efforts at his grade school. He’s learning to dance there on scholarship. 

"If I’m trying to practice and I get really nervous I just say ‘go with the flow’ and i keep trying and trying," Wyatt said.

Another student at the Brooklyn Ballet's dance school, Janee Jean Baptist, also will appear alongside the professional dancers for some of the performances.

"I love how I’m able to express myself and be creative without saying anything. because growing up I had pretty bad anxiety and I would stay to myself a lot but dance allowed me to like get out of my shell," Jean Baptist said.

The Nutcracker tells the story of a girl named Clara who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and leads her on a fantastical adventure to the Land of Sweets. It premiered in the late 1800s but became a holiday staple in the U.S. in the 1960s.

Not only is the Nutcracker a beloved holiday tradition, for many people it’s their first experience with ballet.

"It is something that caught on like fire in this country. It’s not like that in other countries. I think because of the variety of dances that are performed and the music is so beautiful and it’s so colorful," Parkerson said.

There are two performances December 14th at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn. Expect a warm reception.

"My grandma right there, she let my principal know that I was going to be in the Nutcracker and my principal gave my whole class tickets to see the show," Wyatt said.

For details go to brooklynballet.org.