Resident Cecilia Perlstein,13, is particularly excited about the Joffrey Ballet’s return to Los Angeles—with it’s acclaimed production of that holiday classic, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.

She’s making her Dorothy Chandler Pavilion debut as one of the party guests, who arrive with their parents and receive gifts in the ballet’s first scene. Resident Mia Perez is also appearing in the production as an angel.

An eighth grader at Hawthorne, (where she’s also been active in the Science Olympiad), Perlstein started studying ballet last year and only recently began dancing “en pointe.”

She developed her love of dance as a member of UCLA’s Chinese Cultural Dance Club and has performed in the club’s annual Royce Hall program, Lotus Steps, for five years.

A summer session at the Buck’s Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp in Connecticut, where she also got to perform, only deepened her commitment to the art.

After learning about Joffrey auditions from her dance school, the Kova Ballet Conservatory on Robertson, Perlstein tried out and got a part.

“I’m really, really excited and happy,” says Perlstein, daughter of Ron and Judy Perlstein. “It’s going to be a good experience seeing and working with professional dancers.”

With a dance career as a goal, Perlstein is now taking four lessons a week with her teacher Olga Tozyiakova

Now immersed in rehearsals in downtown L.A., Perlstein is thrilled to be in a ballet she’s only seen on DVD.

Returning to Los Angeles for the first time since 1994, the Joffrey Nutcracker performances will be accompanied live by the LA Opera Orchestra.

Performances will be Dec. 1-4 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Tickets range from $34-$125. For more information, visit www.musiccenter.org/events/dance.html or call 213-972-8555.—Steve Simmons