Chico Community Ballet brought fresh re-imagings of scenes and characters to the classic holiday ballet production, with only a few moments that may have confused audience members.

Though ballet dancers often make partnering seem easy, gracefully maneuvering across the stage, the technique takes time, patience and trust. The leads of this year's Chico Community Ballet performance of "The Nutcracker" told The Orion what partnering is like and what it takes.