Family Fare Fills Southland Stages for Holidays : Dance: ‘The Nutcracker’ will feature former Bolshoi dancers the Artyushkins in Long Beach and former Joffrey member Leslie Carothers in Pasadena.

In everything from do-it-yourself school productions to million-dollar opera-house stagings, “The Nutcracker” is back under the tree, with platoons of mice, soldiers, dancing flowers, snowflakes and desserts waiting in the wings to begin the annual sugarplum onslaught.

In unfortunate recessionary cutbacks, fewer groups than ever have gone to the expense of a live orchestra this year--and guest dancers, too, are at a premium. The Joffrey Ballet, for example, now relies on two home-grown Drosselmeyers after casting Royal Ballet alumnus Alexander Grant in the past.

However, the Artyushkins (formerly with the Bolshoi) are back in Long Beach and Leslie Carothers (formerly with the Joffrey) is back in Pasadena. Moreover, two highly distinctive male dancers are assigned local cavalier duties this season: Antonio Lopez, so brilliant in San Francisco Ballet’s “A Song for Dead Warriors,” and Afshin Mofid, who helped give New York City Ballet some picture-perfect performances of “Afternoon of a Faun.” Lopez will appear with the Pasadena Dance Theatre and Mofid in Santa Monica performances by the Westside Ballet.

Below is an alphabetical survey of “Nutcracker” stagings, large and small, in Southern California this year.

Ballet East, (Montebello High School Auditorium, 2100 W. Cleveland Ave., Montebello, (213) 725-1088). Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. $5. Taped music.

Ballet Pacifica (Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, (714) 642-9275). Dec. 18-23 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 19-23 at 3:30 p.m. $12 general, $10 seniors and children under 12. Taped music.

California Ballet (Poway Performing Arts Center, 15498 Espola Road, Poway and Civic Theatre, 202 C St., San Diego). Dec. 8 and 9 at 2:30 and 8 p.m. in Poway. $15.50 to $24.50. Taped music. (619) 748-0505. Dec. 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 15, 16, 20, 21, 22 and 23 at 2:30 p.m. in San Diego. $16-$32. Live music. (619) 236-6510.

Coast Ballet Theatre (McKinney Theatre, Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, (714) 493-0066). Dec. 13-15 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 15, 16 at 3 p.m. $10 general, $9 seniors, $8 children under 13. Taped music.

Festival Ballet Theatre (Huntington Beach High School Auditorium, 1905 Main St., Huntington Beach, (714) 962-5440). Dec. 8 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. $8. Guest: Alexander Greschenko. Taped music.

Forum Dance Ensemble (Yorba Linda Forum, 4175 Fairmont Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 779-8591). Dec. 8 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. $7.50. Taped music.

The Hirschl School’s Dance Repertory Theatre (Phoenix Club, 1566 S. Douglass Road, Anaheim, (714) 974-5528). Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. $5. Taped music.

Joffrey Ballet (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, (213)-480-3232, (714) 740-2000). Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, and 29 at 2 and 8 p.m.; Dec. 23, 30 at 2 p.m.; Dec. 26 at 8 p.m. $45 founders circle, $40 orchestra, $30 loge, $15 front balcony, $8 rear balcony. Live music. At the opening performance, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tina Leblanc will dance the Sugar Plum Fairy and Carl Corry the Snow Prince. Thereafter, Leblanc, Jodie Gates and Meg Gurin alternate as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Corry, Alexander Brady and Joseph Schnell alternate as the Snow Prince.

Long Beach Ballet (Terrace Theater of Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, (213) 427-5206). Dec. 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at 2:30 p.m.; Dec. 16, 23 at 7 p.m. $28 main orchestra and main loge, $21 orchestra side and rear, loge side and rear, $11 balcony, half price children under 12. Guests: Alla Khanashvili-Artyushkina and Vitali Artyushkin. Live music.

Pasadena Dance Theatre (San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, 320 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel, (818) 308-2868). Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 15, 21, 22, 23 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 15, 16, 22, 23 at 2 p.m. Box seats, $20, reserved seats $12-$16, children under 13 $8. Guests: Leslie Carothers and Antonio Lopez. Taped music.

Villa Park School of Ballet (Curtis Theatre, 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea (714) 990-7722). Dec. 8 at 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Dec. 9 at 1 and 4:30 p.m. (sold out). $10. Taped music.

Westside Ballet (John Burroughs Auditorium, 1920 Clark Ave., Burbank, and Lincoln Auditorium, 1501 California Ave., Santa Monica, (213) 828-6211). Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Burbank. Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.; Dec. 16 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. in Santa Monica. $10 adults, $5 children. Guest: Afshin Mofid (Santa Monica only). Taped music.