Nutcrackin'

This year's night out at the Nutcracker soars above any other we've had the opportunity to attend. What a super night out for our little family, and an unexpected Amsterdam experience.

The dancing was truly spectacular and, dare I say, in another league from the performances we've seen in Seattle. The choreography and set design is so creative. But what made this performance so memorable for us were the little touches of Dutch culture woven throughout, especially the opening and closing ice skating scenes on a canal; the milkmaid dance scene, and the surprise appearance of Sinterklaas.

Miss A was a twitterbug feeling so grown-up and dressed up, and Mr. R blushed when he bumped into a little girl from school. It was a super, super night.

It was also a Hanukkah celebration for us, and we kind of relish the irony of giving tickets to this a traditional Christmas show for Hanukkah--it represents the threads of our family.

Not all of us made it to the final curtain!

Seven principal dancers were needed to keep this production going over its four-week run. We missed seeing the Clara pictured below (although our Clara was amazing), but I wanted to pass her story along because it is so inspiring.  

Michaela DePrince is an American and currently a member of the Dutch National Ballet's junior company. She was orphaned in Sierra Leone at the age of three, and then adopted and raised by an American family. She overcame multiple obstacles to become a rising star in the ballet world. Check out her story here, in Mighty Girl. She is one of the seven principal dancers or Clara's.