The Dance Initiative is ringing in the Christmas season with two performances of their original production “Where Are You Christmas” Friday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Bama Theatre.

The performance chronicles the story of a young girl who, in the days leading up to Christmas, experiences both the positive and negative elements of the holiday, including the hustle and bustle of the shopping mall, stressful family dinners, a food fight and a trip to Santa’s workshop. In the midst of getting caught up in all the holiday chaos, she discovers the true meaning of Christmas and the story of Jesus’ birth.

“A lot of times we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of gift buying and keeping up with family and we tend to forget what the holiday is really about,” said Dance Initiative co-founder and show choreographer Melissa Verzino.

Though the dance emphasizes the religious aspects of Christmas, Rebecca Tingle, Dance Initiative co-founder and show choreographer, said the show will have something for everyone and will emphasize the importance of family, tradition and spreading joy to others.

“[The show] is religious, but it’s not just religious because there are so many styles [of music and dance],” she said.

Inspired by country singer Faith Hill’s song, “Where Are You Christmas,” the production breaks away from the traditional Christmas ballet format like that of the The Nutcracker. The performance will feature contemporary dance styles like hip-hop and lyrical along with ballet. Popular Christmas songs such as “Run Run Rudolph,” “The Little Drummer Boy” and two versions of “Where Are You Christmas” will accompany the contemporary dances.

The performance will also feature a sing-along. Guest singers, accompanied by some of the cast, will sing “Merry Christmas With Love” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”

Where Are You Christmas is the debut performance of The Dance Initiative, an organization associated with The Dance Centre that is currently seeking nonprofit status. The Dance Initiative was formed this summer as a way to expose the Tuscaloosa community to a variety of dance styles beyond ballet.

After directing The Nutcracker for 32 years, Tingle felt it was important to take a different direction for Where Are You Christmas to allow the dancers and the community to experience different dance styles.

“A lot of our students are interested in all genres of dance,” Tingle said. “We want to broaden our horizons so that we are introducing the audience as well as the dancers who love dance [to new styles].”

Verzino and Tingle were inspired by a love of Christmas carols to create an original performance rather than performing a Christmas standard like The Nutcracker; however, Radio City’s performance of the classic ballet was also a major influence for the show.

“The [Christmas] music that you hear on the radio, a lot of times we don’t have performances that [feature it],” Verzino said. “Also, Radio City Christmas Spectacular is a major inspiration for us. We’ve had several dancers that have been fortunate enough to be in the touring company as Clara.”

Tickets are available at The Dance Centre. Adult tickets are $16 and $12 for children 12 and under. For more information, visit thedancecentre.net.