Dressed in Nutcracker attire, young girls ages 4 to 13 who are members of the Illinois Youth Dance Theatre will take part in the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Towne Square November 17 starting at 4:30 p.m.  

The dancers will showcase the many whimsical characters of the Nutcracker while Santa Claus stops by for a visit with all the good girls and boys. Mayor Jim Schwantz also will be in attendance.

Palatine residents involved in the Illinois Youth Dance Theatre are: Audrey Brinckerhoff, Shannon Shahinian, Emily Scaglione, Samia Rizzo, Annalise Peterson, Charlotte Johnson, Ava Greiwe, Grace Bucholtz, Mekaili Eckberg, Jadelyn Berg and Pargol Azadeh-Tehrany.

The girls also will be promoting their upcoming performance of The Nutcracker under the direction of Alyce Keaggy-Brinkmann on December 21-23 at Lake Zurich Performing Arts Center, 300 Church St., Lake Zurich.

For more information on performance times, and to purchase tickets, call 847-902-9757 or visit www.ballrooomanddance.com.

Illinois Youth Dance Theatre is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers who are advocates for the arts. The organization is sponsored by the Center for Ballroom and Dance in Deer Park. To learn more, visit www.ballroomanddance.com.