Fri. Best Bets 12/26 8pm Dance

Get ready for the very last “Nutcracker” of the 1997 season: the familiar, largely traditional Moscow Classical Ballet version, which runs nearly to the end of the year at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Staged by company artistic directors Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasiliov, it puts the accent on youth and places the fabled, often-abused Tchaikovsky score under the protection of the Pacific Symphony.

* Moscow Classical Ballet, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. $20-$65. (714) 556-ARTS.