OAKLAND BALLET'S REBIRTH this fall has been positively inspiring. With excellent dancers and a varied and well-conceived program, the company looks brand new. Artistic director Karen Brown finally seems to have found her groove, and full houses in the audience-friendly Calvin Simmons Theatre bear witness to her vision. Brown clearly intends to further broaden the audiences for her company by making going to the ballet a community and family affair. The Thanksgiving weekend program – as suitable for kids as for adults – is a good case in point. Scott Rink's Sorcerer's Apprentice doesn't feature Mickey Mouse, but its hero's misadventures with that pesky, ever-multiplying broom remain as lively as ever. This West Coast premiere, which features a jazzed-up version of the Dukas score, was first staged by American Ballet Theatre II a couple of years ago. If you have never seen Dudley Brooks's comedic dances, you'll be in for a treat with his A Short Solo. A master at deadpan and timing, he takes on a Chopin waltz, no doubt squeezing every note of giddy silliness out of it. Closing this family-style program will be master storyteller Ronn Guidi's Peter and the Wolf.

Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 2 p.m., 10 10th St., Oakl. $7-$54. 1-866-468-3399, www.ticketweb.com. (Rita Felciano)