And Visions of Sugar Plums Danced in Our Heads

As I reflect on a another year of planning, months of weekly rehearsals, a week of theater preparation and tech rehearsals, one dress rehearsal, three shows, and five outreach performances, I'm...unable to identity all of the emotions that accompany the end of Nutcracker season. The morning after our final stage show, a fellow board member commented in our BAND chat that we need a singular word that encapsulates how it feels to wrap something so intense and complex. This word needs to somehow capture anticipation, excitement, joy, and pride...as well as anxiety, frustration, and complete and total exhaustion.

For lack of a better comparison, I liken the Nutcracker experience to giving birth. It's a long, slow climb uphill, and then just before reaching the summit we find ourselves in a brief period of chaos and pain that requires great physical, emotional, and mental strength to survive. But as crest the mountain we find the most glorious and beautiful reward; when the audience quiets and the first notes begin to play - and then again when the curtain falls for the final time - that "Nutcracker high" hits, and you forget about all that came before, and you decide that of course you can do it all again next year.

We put on a lovely show for our ballet-, theatre-, and arts-loving patrons. Our artistic director brought her beautiful vision to life once again. Our dancers came together spectacularly both on and off the stage. Our volunteers stepped up and in whenever and wherever needed. We actually sold more tickets than last year, selling out both of our Saturday shows (Friday night's show was OH SO CLOSE to a sell out) and welcoming 7,500 members of our community to celebrate the holiday season with us.

I say this every year: I didn't expect to become a dance mom, and I never imagined myself on the board of a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of young people through the art of ballet and sharing quality classical ballet with the community. And yet, here I am in and loving both roles. Thanks to my dancing girl for making the dreams I didn't know I had come true.

~

One of my favorite Nutcracker moments comes on "show eve." The snow scene is rehearsed at the end of Act I tech rehearsal, fairly late at night when the rest of the dancers have gone home and the theater and building are both empty except for necessary personnel. It's during this rehearsal that these dancers get to experience what it's like to dance in "snow" - many for the first time - and it's magical.

Hallie shined in Snow Corps, as a demi-soloist Flower Fairy in Waltz, and in her first lead role as Spanish Chocolate. She also learned, over the course of the season, multiple difficult understudy roles to be prepared to step in if needed (and she performed these roles at outreach events) and I'm as proud of her for this as I am for what she brought to the stage. Understudying is HARD, and she handled the pressure far better than I would have at her age. (At any age, really...)

There have been three defining moments in Hallie's path toward becoming a ballerina, and without any one of them I don't think she'd be where she is today. The first of these moments was thanks to Ms. Suzanne, and I will always be grateful to her for the chance she gave Hallie five years ago. 

Hallie with Ms. Suzanne (artistic director)

Hallie with Ms. Ashley Laracey (Sugar Plum Fairy)

Hallie with Ms. Diane Bedford (artistic advisor)

Hallie with Ms. Megan Elliot and Ms.
Christi Varvel (assistant artistic directors)

Hallie and her friends...the bonds formed between dancers are strong. 💛💛💛

Love this sweet moment between the two
Spanish leads right before Hallie took the stage.

Hallie with her Spanish Corps.

Hallie and Avery right before Avery's first show as Clara.

Hallie and I had lots of support from our family - our boys of course came, but so did Tom's parents, Tom's sister, and my parents as well as some of her school friends and three of her teachers.

I adored spending time with my girl throughout Nutcracker season, and I also adored spending time with this sweet girl. When she was cast as Clara, she asked me if I would do her Clara hair. I said yes immediately, and I loved every minute - and there were A LOT of minutes - spent french braiding, curling, pinning, and hairspraying her gorgeous mane. When the very last show (an outreach performance at the public library) wrapped, I gifted her the curling iron I'd used for her memory box. I don't know that I've ever given anyone a more meaningful gift in my entire life, and I will remember that moment - and my role as Avery's Nutcracker Glam Squad - forever.

You were magical, Nutcracker. Until next year...