ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Performances of the Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis each feature a disabled child in a wheelchair, better known as the chair dancers.

It's a tradition for the Chicago-based Joffrey Ballet, which is currently performing in St. Louis. Years ago a boy in a wheelchair came to an open casting call, saying he wanted to dance.

He was given a role in a party scene in the ballet, and since then the children who do the role are in a wheelchair. They express themselves onstage, performing head and arm movements in a choreographed part.

Dancer Willy Shives says the company thinks of the children in wheelchairs as dancers. He says everyone dances in their own way.

The ballet runs through Sunday. It was brought into town by the Dance St. Louis organization, which works to attract dance productions from around the world to the city.