My First Nutcracker

First a question for Nutcracker veterans: how long before the music stops playing in your head?

In addition to rehearsals, I watched rehearsal videos repeatedly to fix the timing of my (small) role in my head. In quiet moments I still hear it playing. A friend of mine who grew up dancing in The Nutcracker year after year told me she still hears it.

My costume as "Grandfather"

Our performances were this weekend: one Saturday evening, and a matinee Sunday afternoon. Everything went well. No one got sick. No one was injured. No one made a serious misstep. The audience laughed at the funny parts and applauded the really good stuff.

Two of my friends from MYB came to the Saturday night performance; one brought her husband, who I hadn't met before. As I went out to meet my friends afterward many people I didn't know stopped me to offer compliments, but the excitement of friends is a sweeter intoxicant. Many thanks to Lesley, Michelle and her husband for making the not-insignificant drive.

The cast insisted to the artistic director/choreographer that she had to come out on stage during curtain call Sunday. Thus she was watching the second act from the stage left wing, near where I enter for call. She was practically vibrating with excitement, taking videos with her phone, and her face was glowing to beat the stage lights. At the end of curtain call the cast invited her on stage, and she and the managing director of the company (who was also dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy role) were presented with flowers.

After the curtain closed she spoke to the assembled cast. She told us that she was so excited at how the show had benefited from adding the student and supporting cast, and how proud she was of everyone. Then she broke down in tears. I guess we done good.

We haven't gotten any of the professional photographs of the performances yet, but here's one from my costume fitting. I didn't realize the right side of my tuxedo coat was snagged when I had one of the other dancers snap this pic with my phone.

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After injuring my heel in class two weeks ago, I stopped going to class for fear of making it worse. Now that the performances are done I decided it was time to go back. I made it through the pirouette exercises before noticing that my heel was beginning to tighten up in the same place as the initial injury, which prompted an early exit. I'll try to ease myself slowly back into my regular class schedule.