Pliés in a Restaurant

Last week

our family and some friends

from ballet were eating

at one of our favorite

local restaurants.

Considering the fact that
we were eating
Chinese Dim Sum,
which had a variety
of unusual food
for the American pallet,
everyone's behavior was
appropriate for the occasion.

The conversation was delightful
and filled with laughter.

The end of the meal conversation,
of course, turned toward
the subject of Nutcracker-

from rehearsals,

to how to do multiple parts,

to making up
a new Nutcracker story
that combines parts
like the Snow King and
the Mouse King
with a half-and-half costume.

Then we discussed
how best to exercise
while at work;
suggestions included-
exercises at a desk,
lifting bank tellers,
and ended with
one of the male dancers
standing up and
demonstrating pliés
as he would hand paper work
to a coworker at a bank.

The funniest part was
that there was no embarrassment
on anyone's face at our table-
just lots of laughter. 

Spontaneity, laughter, and friendship
among like minded people is such a joy....

Nutcracker has begun...

...and it's only September.

As soon as summer Ballet Intensives

were over in August,

there were classes to review 

Nutcracker choreography

for the students.

For me,

since last Nutcracker,

visions of having a

Nutcracker Handbook

for cast members,

especially new ones,

have danced in my head.

After a month

of gathering the information,

typing and formating,

retyping and reformating,

having it edited by others,

I consider it done....

Well, except for

getting the directors

to write a welcome letter

and then

printing it out.

In a couple of days,

I definitely will  be doing

A HAPPY DANCE...

...and maybe even to the tune of

Snow

or

Chinese

or

Sugar Plum Cavalier....

Nutcracker- My Son's Roles

My son began performing
in Nutcracker in 2002.

The requirement for participation
was that one had to be
eight years old.

Sometimes, due to the fact
that there are few boys
in ballet, boys were allowed
to perform at seven years old.

The previous year,
my son had asked if he could perform
since he would be turning seven
during the performance weekend,
but was told that he could understudy.

So, he began as a seven year old
and turned eight
on the last day of performances.

The first year,
he was a
Small Mouse
and got to steal a prop-
the Nutcracker.

One of my favorite memories
of that year
was one of the older boys,
who was playing the Nutcracker,
took my son under his wing
and
I managed to get a picture
from behind
of the Nutcracker
with his arm around
a Small Mouse.

[As soon as the photo
is located and scanned,
it will appear in this post!]

My son played a
Party Boy
from 2003 - 2006.

The first couple of years,
he really loved it.

The next couple of years,
he liked it,
but was ready to move on
to other parts.

In 2006,
he was finally able to get
a part in the Second Act
as a (French) Mirliton
with the Junior Company dancers
and
had the role for two years.

He began partnering
with a couple of the girls
within the piece.

In 2007,
he was a little reluctant to play
Fritz,
due to being tired
of the Party Scene,
but did a great job.

Also in 2007,
he loved his role of
Nutcracker
because he got to
sword fight.

In 2008,
Ms Meg
(who has a feature
in a January post,
but I cannot figure out
how to link)
choreographed
Chinese
and
my son performed
with two girls
with rhythmic ribbons
while he carried
a dragon head that blew smoke
(that Ms Meg created).

Another highlight
of the piece was the
Chinese stage make-up
(that Ms Meg researched
and applied).

From 2008 - 2010,
my son was an
Animated Toy Soldier.

His performance in 2009
earned him a local
performance award.

In 2009,
my son was in
Spanish
with two girls.

This was the year
that I really started
helping with costumes,
especially the details
on the Spanish tops
for both the female
and the male costumes.

Another first in 2009,
my son was asked to perform
as a guest artist
in a town about thirty miles
from us
in the role of
Nutcracker Prince.

This added extra rehearsals,
extra driving,
and
an extended Nutcracker season
by a week.

Still, our family loved it
because
we made more ballet contacts,
got more ideas for Nutcracker
props and costumes,
and
enjoyed the family time together.

In 2010,
my son got his first role as a
Cavalier
(Orchid Cavalier).

He got to partner
and
have a small solo
within the piece
(meaning-
he did not have
the stage to himself,
but was the only one dancing
for a few minutes).

When watching him
in one of the final dress rehearsals,
I realized how far my son had come
in his dancing abilities
and
I had to cry
on Ms Meg's shoulder;
She remembered his first year
of class
and trying to refuse
to rehearse
because he
"knew the dance."

He was also nominated
for a local
performance award
in this role.

In 2011,
my son was
Sugar Plum Cavalier!

One of my favorite things
was hearing the compliments
about how far he had come
as a dancer
and
how professional he looked
in his dance;
especially since he plans
to become a professional
ballet dancer.

[There will be photos posted
as soon as snapshots are
found, scanned, uploaded, etc.
and permission is obtained
from the professional photographer.]

Nutcracker- My Daughter's Roles

My daughter could not wait
until she was old enough
to be in Nutcracker.

It was three years
after her brother,
(even though she is
two years younger),
that she was able to start
her Nutcracker career
at the age of eight (almost nine).

In 2005,
she was a
Small Mouse,
like her brother
had been.

Due to new choreography,
my daughter had to be told
that she could not teach
the other mice the part;
she was a little disappointed,
but she loved
that she got to steal a prop-
Clara's doll house.

In 2006,
she was a
Small Animated Doll.

She was great
at being motionless
at times
and
was very precise
and mechanical-like
in her movements.

And, she had her
adorable dimples
frozen in her smile.

In 2007,
she finally got to try-out
for Clara.

In the years leading up
to her first Nutcracker,
she would often tell
her ballet teachers
that she wanted to be Clara.

They would remind her
that she had to start
with other roles
and try-out for Clara
when she was old enough
and at the appropriate
ballet level.

However, 2007 was not
her year as Clara,
but she got to be a
Party Girl.

In 2008,
she knew that if she
did not get to be Clara,
she would soon be
too old for the part;
we were elated
when she got the role of
Clara.

Also in 2008,
my husband was finally convinced
to help build some props
(he led the family
in making the doll bed
for the Nutcracker prop,
as well as,
the life-size rolling bed
for the "living" Nutcracker)
and
he began working backstage
during performances.

In 2009,
my daughter got to play
a very mischievous
Mouse.

This time,
all the girls were older
so that they would
look bigger and human size.

Also, in 2009,
my daughter finally got
into the Second Act in the
Arabian Corp.

Most of the girls
had been looking forward
to the choreography
of the Arabian piece,
but it was changed.

My daughter did a great job
of learning and performing
the new piece.

After reviewing
my son's roles,
my daughter's roles,
and the family participation
(props, costumes, backstage)
of all that we did
for Nutcrackers in 2009,
it seems almost a blur
of activity-
but we really enjoyed that year!

In 2010,
my daughter joined Junior Company
and got the role of a
(French) Shepherdess
and danced "en pointe."

Shepherdesses costumes
were reconfigured from the previous
Mirliton costumes
by several volunteers-
It seemed we were always working,
reworking, and reworking some more
on the new Shepherdesses costumes.

During Thanksgiving holidays,
which was the week before
Tech/Dress Rehearsal Week,
I was handed a couple
of costume pictures
and a cardboard mock-up
of a Shepherdess hat.

After many hours spent
reworking the mock-up
and creating and sewing
a sample hat
out of rigid felt
during the Thanksgiving holidays,
I began Tech/Dress Rehearsal
with the goal of nine hats
to be made in a week.

The last couple of days
of Tech/Dress Rehearsal,
several volunteer moms
and dancers,
including some
of the Shepherdesses,
were sewing on the trim
and loops for bobby pins.

There were several
bleeding fingers
in this labor of love
to top off a great costume.

In fact, I was sewing
on the trim for the last hat
during the First Act
of the first performance.

Although a couple
of the girls
put on their hats
at the last minute
and they had to be readjusted
before they went back on stage,
none of them ever fell off.

In 2011,
my daughter was an
Arabian Demi-Soloist
and was in the
Rose Flower Corp.

After several years
of attempted bribes
to get my daughter
into full splits
before the next Nutcracker,
getting a role that required splits
finally encouraged her to finish
getting her splits.

And, this year it was even more fun
to watch the Waltz of the Flowers
with my daughter "en pointe"
and spinning in her skirt
with her beautiful smile.