The Andalusia Ballet, with Montgomery Ballet, will present Sleeping Beauty, the ballet of the legendary fairy tale, in 2:30 p.m. performances today and tomorrow, Sat., Feb. 28, and Sun., March 1, at the Dixon Center on the LBWCC campus.

Elie Lazar, artistic director of the Montgomery Ballet, said the performance will feature 16 professional dancers.

“It’s exciting and educational,” he said.

There are many reasons Sleeping Beauty is a great show, he said. The classical performance, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa, is set to the music of Peter Tchaikovsky — who also composed The Nutcracker Suite.

Like Nutcracker, Andalusia Ballet artistic director Meryane Murphy said, the music of Sleeping Beauty will be familiar. The fairytale also is familiar, she said, which makes the ballet easy to follow.

“The ballet is perfect in length,” Lazar said, estimating that it lasts an hour and 15 minutes. “That the Andalusia Ballet can produce this is a great thing in itself.”

The Montgomery Ballet presented Sleeping Beauty in Montgomery last year, and last month took it to Alexander City.

Students of the Andalusia Ballet performing include Carly Brown, Taylor Donaldson, Morgan Dove, Daley Kappenman, Meredith Grace Kerr, Mary Ashton McMillan, Lauren Powell, Lakin Thornton, Jodie Watson, Kathryn Williams, Natilee Mathews, Savannah Claire Morgan, Emily Kelley, Sydney O’Brien, Cameron Morgan, Sydney Brunson, Halle Burkhardt, Taran Carrasco, Katie Frasher, AnaSara Kipp, Audrey Livingston, Tori Mack, Kayla Mitchell, Gabby Godwin, Olivia Jones, Meagan Langley, Tori Mack, Hannah McCalman, Elizabeth McCalman, Hannah Elizabeth Miller, Emily Pierce and Mary Morgan Pierce.

Ian Morris and Abby Maruna, both of the Montgomery Ballet, will dance the lead roles. Other guest dancers include Guadeloupe Medina, Alexandra Giuffre, Nicole Miller, Kyana Neller, Ginny Smith, Haynes Owens, Molly Wagner, Patrick Willison, Chris Ashe, Joseph Villalobos, Colin Hislop, Laura De Guia Villalobos and Paul Gilliam.

This production is funded in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.