The breath-taking and spectacular production, Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker,” comes to the State Theatre Center for the Arts, Easton, again this year for the holiday season with performances at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 10.

The Moscow Ballet, in its 24th year touring North America, garners critical acclaim for its “Great Russian Nutcracker” performances in more than 100 cities from New York to Los Angeles.

Elaborate hand-made costumes and sets, larger-than-life puppets, a magical winged clock, 60-foot growing Christmas tree and a superb dance company of 40 Vaganova-trained performers create this splendid and timeless holiday classic.

The “Nutcracker” is a fairy tale ballet in two acts centered on a family’s Christmas Eve celebration and a young girl’s awakening to the wider world and romantic love.

Alexandre Dumas Père’s adaptation of the story was set to music by Tchaikovsky and premiered a week before Christmas in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since premiering in western countries in the 1940s, the ballet has become one of the most popular holiday season performances.

The Moscow Ballet features award-winning and exceptional performers, such as principal dancers Ekaterina Alaeva and Kostyantyn Vinovoy. The magnificent costumes are created by resident designer Arthur Oliver. The stunning sets, hand-painted in Russia, are designed by Academy Award nominee Carl Sprague.

The production is known for its dedication to world peace, naming Act II the “Land of Peace and Harmony.” It features a flower-shooting cannon and an elaborate two-person “Dove of Peace” with a 20-ft. wingspan.

This year, Lana Popova joins the company. Popova, from Moscow, is a soloist and the audition director for Moscow Ballet. The multi-talented Popova is an experienced ballerina, teacher and artist, having performed on ballet tours in China, New Zealand, Australia, India, Mexico and Europe (including Spain, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden). She was the Head Assistant of the Delegation of the North-East of Moscow to the Para-Olympic Winter Games in Sochi 2014.

In a phone interview while on tour, Popova says the talented corps of dancers hail from many places, including Moscow, Kiev and Odessa in Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The Moscow Ballet company excels in synchrony and grace. To prepare for the roles, Popova says they rehearse scenes and dance partnerships about one month before the tour.

“We learn all of the roles for the ‘Nutcracker’ when we are in Russian Ballet School, and our first time on the professional stage is often when we are kids in the Nutcracker Party Scene ... so we know this performance in our sleep.”

Of the elaborate and visually-dramatic sets, Popova says, “Beautiful. They are painted by hand in Russia in great detail. [In] the Party scene, it looks like the curving staircase is real, and the backdrop for the Land of Peace and Harmony is full of birds and animals living in peace.”

Popova describes the evolution of the production: “We are always adding new pieces to it. Two years ago, we had new costumes made, about 200, which includes costumes for the 60 local student dancers in each city.

“We also turned the Dove of Peace from one dancer to two dancers ... each wearing a wing that is 10-feet long. We also have funny 10-foot tall puppets that the children love. We are always working on new steps and choreography.”

Concerning the enduring appeal of the “Nutcracker,” Popova says, “I think because it is a very happy story and also imaginative. All ages love it. The music is also beautiful even 150 years later.

“I have had such a good time on the tour this fall as an audition director,” says Popova. “Getting to know the local student dancers in cities across the U.S., and now I meet up with them again when we are in town for the full performance. [I’ve made] many new friends.”

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