Anna Nikulina and Denis Rodkin star as Marie and the Nutcracker Prince in the Bolshoi’s ballet, screening today in Valletta.

One sure-fire way to enter the Christmas spirit is to take in performances heavily linked to this period, such as the renowned ballet The Nutcracker, playing today in Valletta.

Performed by the world-famous Bolshoi, the ballet is scored by beloved Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky and based on Alexandre Dumas’s adapted story of E. T. Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the King of Mice.

Set in a winter wonderland on Christmas Eve, the work perfectly encompasses the Romantic period, with sweeping scenery and music to match, amid a tale as fantastical as they come.

The plot centres on a young girl who receives a wooden nutcracker doll as a present from Mr Drosselmeyer at a party thrown by her parents.

The doll is quickly broken but as the clock strikes midnight, it transforms into a beautiful prince who takes Marie on a magical journey involving two opposing armies, one made up of mice, the other of gingerbread soldiers.

Along the way, Marie and the Nutcracker also meet the Sugar Plum Fairy whose solo piece is one of the most well known in the world of ballet.

The version screening today is reinterpreted and restaged by Yuri Grigorovich and stars Denis Rodkin (the Nutcracker Prince), Anna Nikulina (Marie), Andrei Merkuriev (Drosselmeyer) and Vitaly Biktimirov (the Mouse King).

The ballet retains the essence of what has come to be expected of it, a party, a fight, a land of snow and a land of sweets, in one unforgettable Christmas dream.

■ The Nutcracker is being screened tonight at St James Cavalier in Valletta at 7pm. It is suitable for all ages. Spazju Kreattiv are also offering patrons the opportunity to purchase block tickets for the entire Bolshoi programme which runs until April. For more information, visit http://kreattivita.org .