With its fairy-tale story line and its fantastic Tchaikovsky score, "The Nutcracker" has become a Christmas tradition — as well as one of the few ballets to enjoy mainstream popularity. Who hasn't heard of the Sugar Plum Fairy?

So it's not surprising that the beloved holiday chestnut prompts no shortage of productions. This season, "The Nutcracker" — which revolves around a young girl named Clara and her dreamy adventures on Christmas Eve — will be presented at a variety of venues, including three major ones: the Edison Theatre, the Fox Theatre and the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

First up: Dance St. Louis presents the Joffrey Ballet in "Nutcracker at the Fox." The company's largely traditional approach to the ballet allows for the imaginative leap of presenting the same dancer as different characters — such as Clara's brother Fritz becoming the Snow Prince, and their parents transforming into the Snow King and Snow Queen. The Washington Post praised the Joffrey's "Nutcracker" as "an elegantly unified production, with tastefully executed vintage touches, and great care taken with Tchaikovsky's beloved score."

Indeed, the Joffrey version has set a standard for "Nutcracker" excellence.

"I was originally in 'The Nutcracker' when (the late) Robert Joffrey choreographed it, back in the '80s," said Ashley Wheater, a former Joffrey dancer who was appointed artistic director of the company in 2007.

"Joffrey was an extremely well-read man, and I think he felt that there was no one who had really done a 'Nutcracker' based in Victorian Americana," Wheater said. "He loved that period and the details — with all the toys, and everything about the chaos of a big family getting together to celebrate Christmas."

In recent years, St. Louis Ballet set its "Nutcracker" production during the 1904 World's Fair. But this year, the company will take a more traditional approach.

"Actually, we have new sets this year because we're moving to the Touhill Performing Arts Center," said Gen Horiuchi, artistic director of St. Louis Ballet and choreographer of the production. "For six years we'd performed at the Edison Theatre, and those sets would be too small.

"That's why we purchased brand-new sets, which are larger. But unfortunately, it's no longer a St. Louis theme. It could be anywhere on Christmas Eve — but the story is the same. And we'll basically keep the same choreography."

The company has someone special in the wings for its "Nutcracker" production: Miyako Yoshida, a principal dancer with London's prestigious Royal Ballet. Yoshida will portray the Sugar Plum Fairy in evening performances on Dec. 20 and 22.

"Miyako and I have been friends for 25 years or so," Horiuchi said. "We grew up together in Tokyo. Both of us won a ballet competition in Switzerland, in different years — I won in 1980, and she won in 1983."

Horiuchi's career took him to New York City Ballet; Yoshida pursued hers to the Royal Ballet. But over the years, they kept in touch.

"I've always wanted to invite her to dance with my company," he said. "And finally, it's happening." On Thursday, Yoshida announced plans to retire from the Royal Ballet after the company's tour of Japan in the summer next year.

The recently established Missouri Ballet Theatre — which will present its "Nutcracker" production at the Edison Theatre — meant a new beginning for the company's artistic director, Adam Sage.

"I wanted to create a professional company for dancers between the ages of 18 and 25," said Sage, a former San Diego resident who relocated to St. Louis because of its central location and burgeoning arts community.

In his conception of "The Nutcracker," Clara's fantasy endures.

"In a lot of versions, they go back to her waking up in the house, and realizing that it was all a dream," Sage said. "But for me, it's a never-ending dream that continues. She's off to another enchanted place."