The resplendent Moscow Ballet returns to the Lehigh Valley, performing its classic “Great Russian Nutcracker,” 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 12, State Theatre For The Arts, Easton.

The traditional holiday tale showcases a ballet company of technically-superb dancers in a visually-stunning stage masterpiece that this year features a number of new stage settings and costumes.

Olga Aru, a renowned ballerina who studied with Varvara Potapova, is the audition and rehearsal director. In August, Aru auditioned and rehearsed student dancers from 10 Lehigh Valley dance schools. Those selected will dance with 40 professional dancers of the Russian Ballet Company.

After Aru set the choreography, local instructors assisted in teaching the students. Once a month, Aru rehearses with the young performers. Students will play the roles of party scene guests, mice, snowflakes and snow maidens, among others.

In a phone interview, Aru, who was born and raised in the Ukraine and speaks six languages, says this is her fourth year working with the Russian Ballet Company.

Aru studied ballet and dance pedagogy at the National Dance Academy Kiev. “Once I graduated, I traveled around the world. My home base is in Rome, Italy, right now,” Aru says.

Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” tells the story of a girl, Masha (Clara in United States’ versions), who falls in love with the Nutcracker Prince on Christmas Eve. Award-winning principal dancers Ekaterina Bortiakova and Akzhol Mussakhanov perform as the heroine Masha and the Nutcracker Prince, respectively.

Bortiakova graduated four years early from Jalil State Choreographic School after just six years of training. At 16, she won an award from Vaganova-Prix International Ballet Competition in St Petersburg; in 2001, was awarded “Artistic Inspiration” at Kazan International Ballet Competition, and, one year later, received best “Arabesque,” as well as “Best Partnering” award with Mussakhanov at the International Ballet Competition in Perm.

Mussakhanov is a 2001 graduate of Jalil State Choreographic School of Kazan; laureate of the IX International Ballet Competition in Moscow 2001; Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kiev 2004, and Festival of Independence of Kazakhstan, Kzakhstan, 2006.

The show includes scenes exclusive to the Moscow Ballet “Nutcracker” production, such as the Dove of Peace, which is composed of two dancers creating an immense bird with 20-foot wings, and the Rousseau-inspired Land of Peace and Harmony, which is filled with fanciful creatures.

New in 2015 are set designs by Art Directors’ Guild multi-award winner Carl Sprague, who has worked in the art department of more than 30 films, with a combined total of 22 Oscar wins, including best picture for “12 Years a Slave” and best production design for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and whose design work can be seen in “The Age Of Innocence” and “Amistad.”

Sprague created an Act I Party Scene that includes a Grand Salon with wall panels of iconic Russian scenes foreshadowing the story to come. In Act II, the new, romantic Waltz of the Flowers design creates a deep perspective reminiscent of the gardens of the Grand Palace of Peterhof.

Russian theatrical design meets American technology skill in Act I’s Party Scene in the new magical Grandfather Clock by John Creech, American Prop Master for more than a generation and credited for creations from extravagant Fashion Week runways to ballet and Broadway stages. The 10-foot-tall magical clock features a sculpted three-foot-tall owl whose wings open to a five-foot span and eyes light up as the clock strikes.

Russian Designer Valentin Fedorov, of the Chibaksari Opera House and a graduate of Bolshoi Theater Design School, created Moscow Ballet’s fanciful 10-inch tall animal puppets and backdrops, which have a 3D effect.

“The costumes are traditional Russian costumes made by our costume designer, Arthur Oliver,” says Aru.

New costumes for Act I designed by Oliver, known for his work at Shakespeare & Company and for A-list celebrities, including Raquel Welch, Alicia Silverstone and Keanu Reeves, were created by hand in St. Petersburg, Russia, by one of the world’s oldest theatrical shops.

Oliver traveled to St Petersburg to oversee his newest creations being hand-sewn by experienced Russian artisans. Also new in 2015 is Act I party attire for Mayor Stahlbaum’s annual Christmas Eve Ball. Oliver utilized rich fabrics adorned with intricate detailing to convey the characters’ statuses.

“We have 35 to 40 cities on our tour. The East Coast tour started in Houston, Texas, the first week of November, and the last show is December 30. Then, the company goes back to Russia,” Alu says.

Aru’s dance background includes roles in “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Don Quixote,” “Snow White,” “La Femme” and “Heart Of Snow Queen.”

Aru’s tutelage allows young local dancers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform with a company of some of the best professional ballerinas and danseurs in the world.

Aru extolls the magnificence of the State Theatre: “It’s a classical old theater, with a beautiful, big stage. It’s wonderful.”

Pennsylvania Classical Ballet Academy, Easton, is the Moscow Ballet’s host studio. The Academy donates rehearsal space and instructors.

The “Great Russian Nutcracker” stands apart as an opulent balletic event, with superb dancers, exquisite costumes and beautiful scenery. It was described as “a Christmas tale from a faraway Land of Snow and Ice” by New York Times Dance Critic Brian Seibert in 2014.

“It’s an exciting show to watch,” says Aru.

Tickets: State Theatre Box Office, 453 Northampton St., Easton; statetheatre.org, 1-800-999-STATE, 610-252-3132