A Wonderland of Scrooge, Carols and Dance

Need some expert advice on what to see this holiday season? Our arts writers offer recommendations on the best of the best.

Dance and Music

“The Nutcracker” has become the perennial holiday ballet partly because the first act takes place at a Christmas party. But as a wonderful fantasy, the ballet comes up a bit short by ending ambiguously. The heroine’s visit to Candyland in the second act turns out at the end only to have been a dream. Or has it?

Cinderella, on the other hand, really does become a princess at the end of her fairy tale. So as an alternative to numerous productions of “Nutcracker” available this season, consider seeing American Ballet Theatre’s “Cinderella.”

Created by Houston Ballet artistic director Ben Stevenson for the National Ballet of Washington in 1970, the production got a face lift in 1989. This version was first danced by ABT in 1996. Casting in Costa Mesa will be announced. Dec. 19-23, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 566-2787.

Much of our Christmas music dates to the Renaissance and the baroque era. To hear it as perhaps listeners did then, go to the “Renaissance of the Spirit” program by Musica Angelica, the Los Angeles-based period instrument group directed by archlutanist Michael Egan. Dec. 14, Founders Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center. (714) 556-2787.

Starting with Gregorian Chant and ending with music of the 20th century, Chanticleer offers a “Sing We Christmas” program. The San Francisco-based male a cappella vocal ensemble is named after the famous “clear-singing” rooster in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” Dec. 8, Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive. (949) 854-4646.

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano return for their yearly “Fiesta Navidad” program, which honors the holiday season with Mexican music, dance and traditions. The program is sponsored by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Dec. 12, Orange County Performing Arts Center. (714) 556-2787.