(Credit: The Rock School for Dance)

By Cherri Gregg

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Rock School for Dance presents its annual “Nutcracker 1776″ at the Merriam Theatre on December 1st, just in time for the holidays.

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“We decided that we wanted to do a Nutcracker that was Philadelphia centric. So we have Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,” explains President Bo Spassoff.

Spassoff also says that Rock School dancers of all ages will perform athletic feats in bright costumes over great music, and that even though the show is for kids, the boy-meets-girl storyline and excitement on stage will keep most adults mesmerized.

“We have fire on stage, the pace is quick, the scenes change quickly. There’s a lot of action–a nice big battle where a lot of large mice are thrown around. It’s very entertaining, the music is great and at the end, we have 180 people on stage,” Spassoff says.

For more info or for show times, visit: www.therockschool.org