After 16 years of listening to the same music, learning different roles and performing in a ballet with her family each December, Emily Chapman was surprised to learn the OU School of Dance doesn’t perform “The Nutcracker” ballet every year.

Today, Chapman, a ballet performance sophomore, will fly home to Midland, Texas, where she will meet her dance partner and learn the role of Arabian before performing with the Midland Festival Ballet Saturday.

“It never really seems like the holiday season until ‘The Nutcracker’ hits,” Chapman said.

The Oklahoma Festival Ballet, OU’s ballet company, only performs one ballet a year and will dance “Sleeping Beauty” in the spring, said Mary Margaret Holt, School of Dance director.

“‘The Nutcracker’ is one of the few romantic ballets most students have performed when they come to the School of Dance,” Holt said. “If we did it every year, that would be the only ballet our students would perform.”

Chapman is one of many students in the School of Dance who are finding companies outside the Oklahoma Festival Ballet to perform “The Nutcracker” with this season.

Austin Lintner, University College freshman, has performed “The Nutcracker” with his studio in north Texas for 13 years and will return home to dance in the studio’s 25th anniversary “Nutcracker” performance later this month.

“December isn’t Christmas season, it’s Nutcracker season,” Lintner said.

With more than 20 other students from OU, ballet performance sophomore Brittany Church danced in Classen School of Advanced Studies’ “Nutcracker” show last weekend. The School of Dance was invited to perform principal roles in the Oklahoma City high school’s ballet.

“It gave our students another opportunity to be on stage and perform,” Holt said. “It was great for our students to perform principal roles and be role models for the Classen students.”

Church said dancing with Classen reminded her of being in high school and how hectic things became during “Nutcracker” season.

“‘The Nutcracker’ is a consistent tradition for dancers. We can count on it … Everyone is going to get sick, everyone is going to stay up all night … that time is priceless and you love it,” Church said.

At age 10, when Ali Prochaska began dancing “The Nutcracker” with the Tulsa Ballet, she fulfilled her childhood dream.

“I always wanted to [dance “The Nutcracker”] ... It’s every little kid’s dream,” said Prochaska, ballet performance sophomore. “I wanted to have people up on the stage clapping for me one day.”

Chapman said she is looking forward to OU’s next production of “The Nutcracker,” which will happen during her senior year in December 2011.

“Being a senior doesn’t guarantee you a lead role,” Prochaska said. “It’s based on skill level.”

Because Prochaska performed with the Tulsa Ballet, a professional company, she was never cast in a principal or large role, but is looking forward to the OU production where she may be cast in a principal or large role, she said.

Church said “The Nutcracker” ballet is whimsical and an absolute fantasy.

“It’s a dream … it’s an escape from reality … it’s charming and heartwarming, and the music is beautiful,” she said.