And that's a wrap! Nutcracker 2023 is done.
This was my 35th year of being involved in a Nutcracker production, either as a dancer or a coach. Twenty-one years dancing in it, fourteen years coaching. There have been only two years since my first Nutcracker in 1986 when I didn't do anything but watch: in 1989 I was too old for children's roles and too young for adult ones, and in 2001 I had just dislocated my kneecap a month earlier so I stayed home and babysat my fellow dancer's cat while she was on tour with the rest of Alberta Ballet.
I'm always so proud of my students when they finish a run of performances, and this Nut season was no exception. Their schedule, the conditions under which they rehearse and perform, and the choreography they are given to dance would make a professional dancer hesitate. But these young dancers stepped up and made me burst with pride, as always.
Two of my students, Sarah and Alex, danced several roles each. In today's performance, Sarah was the Sugarplum Fairy and Alex was lead Spanish. Here we are after the show.
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