Philadelphia Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ is the dose of magic you need this holiday season

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is for, and about, children; in fact, its first act is almost entirely devoted to kids. And the many youngsters onstage at the Academy of Music for Friday’s opening-night performance of the Philadelphia Ballet’s George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker were amazing.

Beautifully schooled in terms of technique, they also came across … as actual children, their smiles remarkably genuine when they came downstage during the party scene — a quality that is difficult for even seasoned professional ballet dancers to maintain.

But the adults were no slouches, either. In particular, Dayesi Torriente was a revelation.

That, in itself, was no surprise, since this principal dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet has always been impressive. But it was surprising that her sheer strength, the rock-solid steadiness of her unsupported pointe work, and the way she immediately and consistently commanded the stage — as Dewdrop, leader of the waltzing Flowers — should have so dominated Friday’s excellent performance.

Mind you, Torriente’s was just one of many outstanding performances. Both Cailyn Talley as Marie and her annoying little brother, Fritz (Casey Davis), were completely believable as sparring siblings; they also did a fine job with their choreography. Charles Askegard offered a complex interpretation of Herr Drosselmeier, conveying both warmth and potential menace as the magical figure who introduces a nutcracker into the story; he also twirls a mean cape. The Mouse King (Yuval Cohen) hammed things up with exaggerated hip wiggles and a hyper-dramatic death scene. And young Emerson Lomba (Drosselmeier’s nephew/the Little Prince) proved to be an elegant dancer and an excellent actor. In his signature scene, using mime to illustrate how he defeated the Mouse King, Lomba made crystal clear the distinction between that menacing rodent and his own bravery in battle.

Who could resist a dozen adorable baby Angels: the little girls in identical dresses, sparkly wings, and halos who open Act II? Not I. But even more remarkable than the patterns they traced while gliding, single file, around the stage, was their ability to stand absolutely still and focused, throughout the solo of the Sugarplum Fairy (Yuka Iseda).

Most of Nutcracker‘s second act consists of divertissements: brief, themed dance sequences that are technically challenging and highly entertaining but have nothing to do with the plot. These include a nominally Spanish number, led on Friday by Sterling Baca and Sydney Dolan (she was especially spirited), and a sultry, belly-dancelike solo performed by Oksana Maslova, showing off her superhuman physical flexibility.

It seemed unfair that, after Federico D’Ortenzi had beautifully executed a series of complicated leaps (as lead dancer in the vaguely Chinese segment titled “Tea”), he couldn’t take a moment to savor the audience’s applause. But the choreography — and the music — called for him to rush offstage to make way for the next item.

Speaking of music, I’m not sure that Philadelphia Ballet’s Nutcracker attendees fully appreciate how lucky we are to enjoy this ballet — which is always presented to first-rate, live music. On Friday the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra was in fine form, led by dynamic conductor Beatrice Jona Affron, with a moving violin solo played by Luigi Mazzocchi and the mesmerizing voices of the Philadelphia Girls Choir.

Demi-soloist Russell Ducker has danced a wide variety of roles; he is also a talented choreographer. But did you know that he can channel English music-hall comedy? As Mother Ginger, wearing a voluminous skirt that hid eight young dancers, Ducker milked every bit of comic timing from the role. In particular, the exaggerated double take he did upon glimpsing his own garishly made-up face in a hand mirror, was priceless. Despite their youth, Mother Ginger’s offspring turned out to be accomplished dancers, in this sequence and — especially — when they reappeared at the ballet’s end.

The various segments of Nutcracker‘s Act II built to an emotional climax, with the justly famous pas de deux of Sugarplum (Iseda) and Her Cavalier (Zecheng Liang). In her earlier scene Iseda was appropriately ethereal, demonstrating neat footwork and making unusually soft transitions from one arm position to another. However, in this duet she had to pull out all the stops, which she — and Liang — most definitely did. They made the big tricks look effortless, as when she ran toward her partner from the opposite corner of the stage and jumped directly onto his shoulder. The same was true with the dramatic “fish-dive” finale, in which the ballerina moves from a high lift directly into a downward-facing diagonal, with her nose practically touching the floor. During his solo variations Liang acquitted himself brilliantly, performing challenging leaps and multiple pirouettes, and always carrying himself like an actual cavalier.

There were a few unwelcome distractions — notably, when one thoughtless patron insisted on using a cell phone to film the dancers, forcing an increasingly frustrated usher to intervene. Still, this was a triumphant performance, in which the dancers seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. While most Philadelphia Ballet programs only run for a few days, this year’s Nutcracker will be performed 30 more times, with a number of different casts. This gives local balletomanes a rare opportunity to compare and contrast a variety of combinations of the troupe’s superlative dancers.

Philadelphia Ballet in “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.” Through Dec. 29 at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St., kimmelculturalcampus.org.