Nutcracker

Yesterday, I had the privilege of getting to see "The Nutcracker" performed at the Orpheum. As most of you know, I absolutely love ballet, but I hardly ever get to see it-so seeing any ballet is a treat. And then for me to be able to see "Nutcracker", my absolute favorite ballet...well, let's just say that it was a fabulous experience. I just love the whole story-the idea of a little girl getting swept away into a dream on Christmas Eve, where she goes to the Land of Sweets and rules besides the Nutcracker Prince, and is visited by beautiful dancers and fairies. Not to mention, of course, that the ballet is highly appropriate for modern times. After all, if it weren't for Clara throwing the slipper at the mouse king, the rascally rodent would never have been defeated! But still, I've been entranced by this ever since I was a little girl. My mom bought me a video of Baryshnikov version of it, and I watched it religiously until our mean VCR ate my tape. Then last year, Mom found it on DVD on Amazon, and gave it to me for Christmas. I was so excited! But I guess I'm babbling...in any case, I was just struck by the continuity and the impact of this ballet. It's still affecting people today-it just isn't possible NOT to like "The Nutcracker." When we went to the ballet yesterday, I was leaning forward in my seat, watching the story unfold before me. When Clara received her nutcracker from Uncle Drosselmeyer, I found myself feeling just as awed and thrilled by the sight as I was when I was five. But then, I was flabbergasted by what I heard next. Behind me came the voice of a little girl, whispering to her mother. "She got a nutcracker." The awe, the excitement, and the amazement in this little girl's whisper just hit me. How amazing, that a simple story can still have the same affect on people! I'm almost twenty years old, and I felt a connection with this tiny child behind me, perhaps seeing the ballet for the first time. We didn't know each other, and we'll probably never see one another again. But we were both struck by the same story, and the same magic captured both of our imaginations. How beautiful.