The Beth Fowler Dance Company, of St. Charles, transformed the Egyptian Theatre into a magical kingdom Friday with the ballet, “The Nutcracker.”

The company performed with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in three shows over the weekend at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St.

“The Nutcracker” tells the story of a young woman named Clara who receives a toy nutcracker as a Christmas gift. Later that night, the nutcracker comes to life and battles a mouse king. After defeating the king, the nutcracker takes Clara to a magical kingdom where she is introduced to dancers.

The show’s dancers began rehearsing for the ballet about two months ago and will perform two more shows at St. Charles North High School next week, said Lindsey Haugen, 14, of St. Charles, who played the Christmas Fairy.

“All of our hard work really pays off,” Haugen said. “We had a lot of late-night rehearsals, but it’s all worth it in the end when you see all of the little kids all excited.”

Anna Raimondi, 15, of Genoa, who played Clara, said she has enjoyed being able to take on the lead role in a classic ballet.

“I’ve been doing this for the past 10 years,” Raimondi said. “I’ve never been Clara before, so it’s been really exciting to be able to perform it.”

Cheryl Seweryn, 57, of Somonauk, said she enjoyed how precisely the production was executed.

“I think that for a non-professional dance group, these girls do an amazing job,” Seweryn said. “We came last year and liked it so much that we came back. It’s a joy to be here.”