A couple of thousand children—2100, to be more precise—were held spellbound for two hours Friday morning (Dec. 21), enchanted by the return of the East Bay’s longest running salute to the holiday season, and, similarly, your reporter felt himself drawn irresistibly into this land of beguilement. Ronn Guidi’s Nutcracker, now 35 years old, is back at the Oakland Paramount through Christmas eve morning, and, if you haven’t yet had your fill of seasonal theatrical cheer, this may be the place to find it.

Guidi’s return after six years’ hiatus to the helm of the Oakland Ballet Company following its dissolution 18 months ago, may be the happiest story on the Bay Area arts scene this year. This weekend’s performances, empathetic and musical, if not impeccably danced, delight in the present, while auguring well for the future. Guidi’s Nutcracker remains a warm, cozy experience, one in which many younger members of the audience may see themselves portrayed. Don’t expect dozens of relatives in the Act One party scene. Guidi, who has always made virtue of necessity, focuses on the immediate family (and the hired help) gathered for a typical holiday. Drosselmeyer is not the sinister figure of some other versions, but a fussy, amateur magician who likes to strike sparks and take an occasional nip from his flask.

Guidi cannily blends dance with mime. The holiday household is full of pranks, hijinks and maybe, one too many giant dolls, but at least we don’t get all the cousins and uncles that we need to deal with in other versions. Guidi’s battle with the mice could be sharper, but the growing Christmas tree is a heart-stopping moment, while the snow scene is eminently attractive and the Act Two divertissements abound in sly pleasures.

Friday morning, those Oakland Ballet veterans Joy Gim and Joral Schmalle lovingly danced the parents in the first act, then later delivered the sinuous Arabian duet, with Schmalle channeling Fokine’s Golden Slave, or maybe, Le Corsaire. The two bonbons and the narcissistic ram never fail to bring a chuckle and the Mother Ginger (Diane Wagner) was especially appealing, thanks to the irrepressible kids from the Oakland Ballet Academy. The eight-member women’s corps looked secure and radiant in the Waltz of the Flowers.

Guidi’s Nutcracker is essentially about dancing. Which may explain why Marie and Drosselmeyer’s nephew/Nutcracker are dancing roles, and why there are four major couples on stage at one time. The snow pair left a terrific impression. Ethan White exhibits remarkable ballon and soft finishes; while he phrases nobly and partners with great confidence. His ballerina, Jenna McClintock, is Oakland’s finest classicist at the moment and her musicality, attacks and port de bras are to be envied. For the Sugar Plum duo, Denise Roman-Schmalle united with Jekyns Pelaez, who spun and soared with the best of them. Aaron Simunovich and Mariko Takahashi did not attain a comparable level in the grand pas de deux. Her attacks in the variation missed the sharp attack needed here. Claire Lewis introduced a spunky Marie. Her Nutcracker, Diego Rivera Garcia evinced enormous enthusiasm, if, not as yet, a totally integrated technique.

Let’s not blame Tom Pracher for the fact that nobody in Oakland will ever rival the Drosselmeyer of Howard Sayette (now retired); Friday morning’s impersonation did the job. David Bertlin’s Mouse King was purest ham, and none the worse for it.

Ron Steger’s designs, introduced in 1992, cleverly minimize the Paramount’s shallow stage. The sets recall a series of Victorian greeting cards, which I gather was the idea. The prevailing hues are pink and violet. Steger’s drop curtains introducing the various divertissements are a master stroke of décor.

In the pit, Michael Morgan is conducting members of the Oakland East Bay Symphony in an exemplary performance of the Tchaikovsky score rendered here intact, but minus the children’s chorus in the snow scene (maybe, next year). It’s rare to encounter a reading of this music that combines lustrous textures, symphonic breadth and tempi that dancers can live with. But Morgan’s has it all.

The Oakland Ballet Company performs Nutcracker Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. and Monday at 11 a.m. For tickets, call (510) 625-8497. In addition, the company has announced a revival of Guidi’s Secret Garden April 12 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Copyright 2007, VoiceofDance.com.