Comment on ‘Nutcracker Ballet’ to feature more than 100 students

From the penguins played by 3- and 4-year-old rising stars to the professional artists, the Berkshire Ballet Theatre’s production of “Nutcracker Ballet” is described as “bigger and better” than ever. Featuring more than 100 students from Summers Academy of Dance in Crystal Lake, the annual Christmas tradition returns Dec. 15 and 16 to the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake.  Artistic Director Courtney Petrocci will perform as the Sugar Plum, while her husband, Marc, an artistic associate, will take on the role of Cavalier. In their third year with Berkshire Ballet Theatre and its home-base Summers Academy of Dance, the two, both former lead artists for the Milwaukee Ballet, work hard to tailor the classic production to their young dancers and give the audience something new every year. “I thought we were full of energy before, but, oh my goodness, people are going to feel it in the audience,” Petrocci said. “Nutrcracker Ballet” opens Dec.