Made by students. For everyone.

Silver Spring Dance Conservatory is teaming with several other local studios to put on the second annual "Journey to the Land of the Sweets: A Nutcracker Tale."

"I think what's special about our show is that every single role is danced by students," said Katie Reiter, the creator and choreographer of the presentation. "We don't hire any professionals, and (all the performers are) from different studios. We have about 10 different studios participating, 60 kids. It's a great way to see young, aspiring, maybe future professional dancers, getting to dance big, big parts. They work really hard to make this show what it is, and they're just really beautiful to watch."

The performances will be held Friday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 20, with a sensory-sensitive show at 11 a.m. and a show at 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m. at the Hempfield Performing Arts Center, 1555 Kauffman Road, Landisville.

The evening shows and Sunday matinee will run for approximately an hour; the Saturday morning performance will last about 35 minutes. In the sensory-sensitive show, the lighting is a little softer and the music is not quite as loud. Following the sensory-sensitive show, audience members will have an opportunity to interact with the dancers.

There is no admission charge for all the performances, but tickets are required and can be reserved by going to http://www.ticketor.com/silverspringdance. Attendees may also get tickets at the door. Donations will be accepted.

The production is completely funded by donations, and the dancers do not pay to participate in the show. "We really wanted to remove some of common barriers to access because dance is often seen as this expensive, an elite thing, and we wanted to make sure that everybody in the community could come enjoy this performance regardless of their ability to pay," said Cindy Nehr, who is the executive director of Silver Spring Dance Conservatory.

The cast includes Emily Spanjer (Clara); Livi O'Byrne (Aunt Drusilla); NoraJane Christensen, Gabby Grine, and Abigail Gubbins (enchanted dolls); Grace Martin (Marie - Clara's younger sister); Eva Crossland (Snow Queen); McKenna Straley (Coffee); Shannon Witt (Dewdrop); and Gabby Grine (The Sugarplum Fairy).

"It's a kind of altered version of the traditional 'Nutcracker' ballet," said McKenna, who is a senior at Hempfield High School. "We have about 60 people in our cast, a bunch of leads, a bunch of young dancers, and it's really a great show."

She stated that the shows will provide quality holiday entertainment. "It's good for the holiday season," said McKenna. "We're putting the show on around Christmastime. The show is centered around Christmas, a little Christmas party, so I think that people would be interested to see it around the holidays. People are always looking for things to do. I also think it appeals to people because dance is always a cool thing for people who don't actually dance, so you can come and support young dancers."

Nehr noted that the ballet shows are good experience for the participants. "It gives them the opportunity to work with other dancers of all different ages and levels and experience levels really working together as a group, which is super important in all aspects of life, not just in dance and the arts," she said. "It also gives them the opportunity to learn how a production like this comes together. They get to see what's going on as far as costuming and props and sets and how all the moving parts and bits and pieces come together."

Auditions for "Journey to the Land of the Sweets: A Nutcracker Tale" start at the end of June. "Then we start pretty much right away," said Reiter. "Our older dancers participate in what we call a 'Nutcracker' boot camp. For two weeks out of the summer, they have rehearsal in class every day. And then after we've established a good amount of choreography, we switch to weekly rehearsals. The closer we get to the show, the more we call all of the dancers and do what we call full run-throughs, where we rehearse the entire ballet from start to finish multiple times. It's a lot of work, but it's also really enjoyable."

Silver Spring Dance Conservatory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 1997. "Our goal is to provide our students with high-level dance training in a space that still nurtures their social development, their creativity, and friendships," Nehr said. "We really believe that through the arts, we can cultivate really wonderful things in our young people. We really want to do that here. We are providing a very high level of training for our dancers, but it's also in a space that is welcoming and inclusive and family friendly."