Visions of Sugar Plum Fairies . . .

There is more than one way to crack a nut, and San Fernando Valley dance companies will prove it during this year’s renditions of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.”

Pacific Dance Academy in Van Nuys--which will present the holiday classic today in three performances at Cal State Northridge--has trimmed the ballet and added a narrator to help children understand the story.

“It’s a condensed version so it makes it a lot more fun to watch,” said Louise Mandel, director and choreographer at the academy. “I decided to showcase the highlights and not drag out the parts that are not interesting. It’s enjoyable for the kids because of the pace. I don’t know if Tchaikovsky would appreciate it, since we’ve taken out some of his music.”

At the West Valley Ballet Company, based at the 5678 Dance Studio in West Hills, co-founder and choreographer Suzanne Halffamier has added two dances to the ballet. One is called the English variation, a dance with orchestration left unfinished by Tchaikovsky. It was completed by John Launchberry, conductor of the London Philharmonic.

“It is extremely fast-paced,” said Halffamier, who performed with the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Joffrey ballets. “It is a short but very energetic dance that is not included in most companies.”

Just for fun, she also added the Hungarian dance from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”

“You won’t find many ballets that have a comical spoof in [them],” Halffamier said. “If people view ‘The Nutcracker’ as a sacred work that can never be changed and are afraid to add their own personality and artistry, I don’t think that’s how art grows.”

The company will perform its rendition of “The Nutcracker” two weekends this month starting Friday at Cal State Northridge. During two of its after-Christmas shows at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, the West Valley Dance Company will perform with the West Valley Symphony.

Halffamier, who also teaches English at Agoura Hills High School, said her dance students are not constrained by age or ideal body type, and she welcomes students with disabilities.

“I look more at a dancer’s ability and spirit,” she said. “If the person has the joy and talent, I don’t limit them.”

In Lancaster, Lara Arnaiz has put a big-city spin on her production of “The Nutcracker” by hiring guest artists from the New York City Ballet, Arch Higgins and Kathleen Tracey. Also appearing in the production Dec. 16-17 at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center will be Emily Jackson from the University of Oklahoma.

“It’s not your small, hometown recital performance of ‘The Nutcracker,’ ” said Arnaiz, whose Antelope Valley Dance Company recently received a $50,000 development grant from the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation in Los Angeles.

For a traditional version of “The Nutcracker,” many San Fernando Valley dancers will pirouette on stage at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

“We don’t have a new twist on it,” said Lori Sorenson, administrative director at California Dance Theatre’s Festival Ballet Company in Agoura Hills. “We don’t have anything crazy. We just have the beautiful Tchaikovsky music.”

Joining the company for its Dec. 16-17 performances will be guest artists Tina LeBlanc and David Palmer, both from the San Francisco Ballet.

“The Nutcracker” will be performed by:

Pacific Dance Academy today at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Cal State Northridge Performing Arts Center, (818) 346-4447.

West Valley Ballet Company, Dec. 15-17 and Dec. 22-23 at CSUN Performing Arts Center, (818) 677-2488; Dec. 29-30 at Pierce College, (818) 347-4807

Antelope Valley Dance Company, Dec. 16-17 at Lancaster Performing Arts Center, (661) 723-5950.

California Dance Theatre at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Fred Kavli Theatre, Dec. 16-17, (805) 449-2787.