Lobero Nose Ballet 

The annual invasion of local productions of The Nutcracker doesn’t begin until mid-December, as Festival Ballet and then the State Street Ballet roll out their full-fledged renditions of Tchaikovsky’s Christmas classic. But this weekend brings a tasty holiday appetizer, especially for the tots and teens, as State Street Ballet Academy presents Rudolph, the charming holiday tale, set to dance, of a misfit reindeer with a blinking red nose who makes friends and embarks on a journey through the North Pole to save Christmas. As befitting a youth production, the ballet, which features dancers ages 3 and up, shares the story of the once-rejected reindeer who learns that there’s a place for everyone. The production, which plays December 2 and 3 at the Lobero Theatre, features the students of State Street Ballet Academy and the Cold Spring School Choir, directed by Sara DiSalvo.