Of all of the different activities to do during Christmas time, going to see the Nutcracker is my all-time favorite. It just doesn't 'feel' like Christmas to me without it.
Ever since I held my baby girl, Rylan, in my arms, I've been anticipating the moment that she would see her first performance of this beautiful ballet. It's the ideal mother-daughter event, and I can recall the multiple times I went to see it with my mom. This is the year, since Rylan had reached the age (5) where she could manage to sit through the entire show.
Mom purchased tickets for the three of us and we went to yesterday's Matinee in holiday style. Tons of other little girls and their moms were there as well - so many beautiful little ones in gorgeous holiday dresses - I just love, love, love this time of year!
We had seats in the center Mezzanine, and I brought binoculars in case Rylan wanted to see anything close-up. A few nights ago I read the story of the Nutcracker to Rylan so she would have an idea of what the ballet was about. Unfortunately, I forgot to leave out a few details - things that adults just take for granted. The performers don't talk or sing...they just dance. That there is an intermission - that doesn't mean it is over.
When the show started, Rylan was smitten with the fancy hair and dresses of the little girl dancers. She got very excited when she saw the mice because she knew that a friend of hers was one of the mice (although she wasn't performing in this particular show - they trade off). She was very satisfied when the Mouse King met his end. And then the Nutcracker's head piece was removed and he began to dance with Clara. First, she asked grandma if they were going to kiss. (She was hoping they weren't). Then she asked why they weren't talking to each other. She was surprised by the snow falling on the dancers as they swished around the stage.
The snowflake dancers are my favorite part of the whole show, but I'm always afraid that they will slip and fall. Then we sat through intermission and Rylan colored in her little Hello Kitty coloring book that grandma gave her just before the show started.
Rylan was antsy through the second-half. I love all of the different dancers - and my favorite in this show was the Arabian dancers. They used a large rectangular parachute and the visual effects were sooo neat. The rest of the show was a little more unremarkable, but the Sugarplum Fairy was very, very good. Strangely though, she did not perform her little solo dance where the Celeste plays in the background. The quintessential Nutcracker element was missing. ???? Very strange.
After the show we wandered around the upstairs Mezzanine and took some pictures. They just completed a major years-long renovation of the performance center, and so this whole section was all new to us.
I felt teary-eyed through much of the beginning of the show, as I watched Rylan watching the performance. She loved it. I can remember going to evening performances with my mom and brother, and just being taken in by the grandeur of it all. I don't know if this will set off a desire for Rylan to do ballet (is it horrible if I say that I hope not??), but we shall see. I did it for a number of years, and I loved it.... but it is expensive (and it ...ahem... didn't make me any more graceful)
As we were leaving, I purchased a dancing Clara tree ornament for Rylan - as her ornament for this year. We decorated the tree later in the evening, and as I was unpacking my childhood ornaments, Rylan saw my Clara ornament that my mom gave me. They are now hanging side-by-side on the tree.
