By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

For the ninth consecutive year, members of the Alabama Youth Ballet Guild and the Stevan Grebel Center for Dance will bring a Christmas favorite to the Pelham High School auditorium on Dec. 14-15.

Grebel Dance will hold performances of The Nutcracker on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m., and will hold a matinee on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. Both performances will take place in the PHS auditorium located at 2500 Panther Circle.

Adult tickets for the performances range from $10 to $15 and are available online at Grebeldance.com/NUTCRACKER2013.  Senior citizen and military discount tickets are $7.50, and children’s tickets range from $5-$10.

The performances are put on by a cast of 60 members of the Alabama Youth Ballet Company, professional guest artists and a community cast.

Every year, the Ballet Company recruits a well-known Pelham male to serve as Mother Ginger during the performances. This year’s Mother Ginger will be Pelham Councilman Ron Scott. Past Mother Gingers include former Pelham Mayor Bobby Hayes, Fire Chief Danny Ray and Parks and Recreation Director Billy Crandall.