Six Days til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

 

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Six Days Til Christmas

I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it is 6 days til...

 

 

The Nutcracker Ballet

 

Ballet Arkansas with the

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

 

My daughter started taking Ballet lessons in kindergarten.  She originally signed up because one of her little friends was going to take lessons.  Students at Ballet Arkansas were a part of the yearly production of the Nutcracker held at the Robinson Center in downtown.   Rehearsals, costumes, makeup, hair, etc became a big thing.  Children rehearsed over and over for weeks and weeks getting ready for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances. 

 

 

My daughter was in the cast as an angel her first year; an angel and a rat the next year; then a little rat and a gingerbread baker with Mother Ginger the following several years; a toy soldier one year; and honestly that's all I can remember without looking at old pictures, etc.  :)  But, by this time, she was getting tired of ballet - she had no desire to be a professional ballerina - although she did dance on pointe for several years.  With that being said, the Nutcracker Ballet performances became a big event in our lives during the Christmas season.

During my daughter's young years, she would go to bed almost every night listening to the Nutcracker music. She knew every note, twist and turn of Clara and relished in every move by most all of the characters of this ballet.

We still love to listen to the Nutcracker music and love every memory and no regrets with the hours and hours of practice and rehearsals which were required. It's a great memory! 

 

Hope you're having a great Christmas week.  Have you been naughty or nice?

Santa Claus is coming to town,
Gayla