Grace and I went to the Nutcracker together this past Saturday afternoon. It was truly a magical experience for both of us. It was such a special gift for me to take my daughter to her very first performance of the Nutcracker ~ a mother-daughter moment I have dreamed of for so long. I treasured every moment Grace and I spent inside the theater together. Grace was glowing the entire time and I loved watching her take in everything beautiful and magical about the performance. Grace and I arrived at the theater an hour before the Nutcracker began in order to fully experience all of the sounds and sights in the theater. We sat up in the the balcony so we had a full view of the orchestra and the stage. Grace loved hearing the orchestra warm up prior to the performance and she excitedly named all of the instruments to me and to everyone who sat near us! 
Here is Grace outside of the theater just before we went inside. Grace could not contain her excitement and she was jumping up and down. Grace brought along her stuffed friend, Key. Grace was so excited to dress up in a tutu for the performance. She looked just like one of the dancing snowflakes in the Nutcracker's Land of Snow scene. Grace was just as excited to dress up Key in a tutu. Key wore a yellow tutu that I wore as a little girl in one of my ballet recitals!
We had to wait a few minutes in the lobby before the theater doors opened. Grace loved singing and dancing for everyone who was also waiting. The producer of the Nutcracker was there greeting everyone and he thoroughly enjoyed watching Grace dance. He was so taken with Grace that he went backstage to give Grace a star wand to keep that the Sugar Plum fairy danced with in a prior performance! The performance of the Nutcracker was beyond beautiful and what made it absolutely perfect was having my amazing daughter there with me. When Grace and I walked out of the theater after the performance to meet Daddy and Jack it was lightly snowing outside - just as it did on the stage during the Waltz of the Snowflakes! Everything about that day from beginning to end was so magical. When Grace woke up Sunday morning she told me that she dreamed about the Nutcracker as she slept. I can't wait to take Grace to the Nutcracker every year. It is something we will both look forward to and treasure every December.
3 comments:
Oh, Grace's very first theater experience! How I love the Nutcracker....remember when we went to see it at the Flynne Theater in Burlington, Rebecca?
What a story! I am so thrilled that Grace received a wand from the performance. What an honor.
I know that Grace has the joy and love of performing and the stage inside of her. This is only the beginning of many many theater moments both in the audience and on the stage for Grace.
Rebecca, thank you for sharing these amazing photos of Grace. Please, tell Grace that Key looked 'almost' as special as she did! Also, tell Grace how impressed we are that she knew all of the instruments in the orchestra!
What a day for you both! Just imagine how many more!
Love to you, Maddy
Fabulous!!! Talk about magical moments! The time together, the performance, nature, all creating joy beyond description.
Grace, you look like you belong on stage, sooooo very beautiful! And imagine, getting the very wand that was used by the Sugar Plum Fairy! Now, you can dance and wave your wand just like her.
Lots of love and hugs,
Memere
What a marvelous tradition and memory you created that day... My family also enjoyed the Nutcracker most years on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. All the girls would dress up, have a nice lunch together and then head to the theatre to enjoy the ballet. I had more fun watching Sarah and then her younger cousins, eyes sparkling as they watched the magic on stage... Then, when Sarah was 11, she danced in the Nutcracker! I have no doubt that one day Grace will be twirling on stage, too!
Donna
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