Among the whirlwinds of the holiday season, there is that undeniably lovely and tempestuous affair fluffed with snow and tulle and cute children that few can resist.

That is “The Nutcracker,” of course.

The grand and gorgeous gale of a Christmas ballet blows onto a Whidbey Island stage for the 18th annual production by the Whidbey Island Dance Theatre. Here is a company that is skilled enough to turn out a professional-caliber performance every year, much to the delight of its dedicated island audiences.

Set to the familiar sounds of the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved “Nutcracker Suite,” the company manages each year to combine the traditional and the deliciously daring in a production in which more than 155 characters come to life.

As always, the Whidbey Island Dance Theatre’s production is full of new twists in choreography, costumes and sets, along with the artistry of several professional guest dancers.

The ballet dramatizes the tale of Clara’s enchanted Christmas Eve, when her mysterious godfather’s magic leads to a dream of unexplainable and wonderful events through the night. Clara journeys to lands where snowflakes and flowers dance; where fairies, mermaids, and even a dragon perform; where a fierce and terrible battle is fought; and where a handsome prince comes to the rescue.

Principal company dancer Avery Grant takes the role of Clara, supported by the handsome Lars Larsen returning in the role of Godfather Drosselmeyer.

Professional artist Benjamin Koehl, who has wowed island audiences since 2007, returns to dance the Snow Pas de Deux, with principal dancer Sayaka Yokota as the Snow Queen, and the Sugarplum Pas de Deux with the Faerie Queen played by professional dancer Katelyn Candelario.

This is somewhat of a banner year for the production, as several alumni of the company who are pursuing professional careers in dance, return to perform on the Whidbey stage.

Candelario, a longtime favorite with local audiences who performed with the company from 1999-2004, is taking time from her professional gig with Seattle’s DASS Dance to play the Faerie Queen and dance the part of Snow Demi-Soloist.

With her in the Snow Demi-Solo will be another former company dancer, Brittany Falso, an apprentice with DASS Dance.

Graham Vanderwood, a recent Whidbey Island Academy graduate, is a professional choreographer for competition teams at Island Dance and elsewhere. He lends his excellent skills to the performance in his return as the Nutcracker Prince.

Other island notables who return to perform in this production include Nicole Falso as the Rat King, Halla Miller as Snowflake and Swallowtail, Jennifer Bondelid as Mother and Chelsea Matthews-Jensen as Waltz of the Flowers Demi-Soloist.

The production’s choreographers include Charlene Brown and Susan Campbell Sandri, the co-artistic directors of the company, and Bondelid, Leigh-Anne Cohen-Hafford, Matthews-Jensen, Susan Vanderwood and Graham Vanderwood.

Whidbey’s remarkable arts culture and artists are brilliantly reflected in the show’s elaborate sets and props by Whidbey designers and painters Mary Ellen O’Connor and Gary and Tarey Kay; sumptuous costumes by local designers and fabric artists Class Act Tutus, Aloria Lanshaw of Scattered Threads, Tarey Kay of Tarey Togs, Dayna Antognini and Kris Schricker, together with masks by designers Mary Ellen O’Connor and Diana Shirley. Special effects are by Whidbey residents and Hollywood professionals Ray Brown and Bob Riggs.

“The Nutcracker” plays at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10, 11, 17 and 18, and at 2 p.m. Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19.

Tickets are available at the WIDT Office (Ken’s Korner Mall, Suite 208), by calling 341-2221, or at www.widtonline.org.

Advance tickets include reserved seating; prices are $22 for adults, $17 for children 17 and younger, and $20 for seniors. Opening night tickets are $17 each. All seats are $22 at the door. Special rates are available for military personnel, and for groups of 15 or more. For more information, click here.

Patricia Duff can be reached at 221-5300 or pduff@whidbeynewsgroup.com.