More than 122 years ago, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was commissioned by the director of Russia’s Imperial Theatre to compose the score for “The Nutcracker,” using a libretto adapted from E. T. A. Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Now, the ballet with the pieces “Waltz of the Flowers,” “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Waltz of the Snowflakes” has now become one of the most widely performed ballets throughout the world. The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center will present the State Ballet Theatre of Russia in “The Nutcracker” at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 and 3 p.m. Dec. 21 in the Classic Center Theatre at 300 N. Thomas St. in Athens.