Out of the four performances, the one with an audience of 3,000 (well-behaved) elementary school children was the most memorable. The kids were uncertain as to when it was appropriate to clap during each piece, so there was applause at random times throughout the show. Thankfully, they got it right that they should clap at the end of each piece! There was so much energy at that particular performance. Of course, the dancers loved it -- even if there was spontaneous applause for no apparent reason.
Our ballerina girl was cast in five roles, but in each show, she had only four roles to perform. "Snow" and "Waltz" are always beautiful, but I think that the Mirliton (Reed Flute) piece was exceptional. That was spoken like a true Ballet Mom, right?!
This was taken after one of the performances. These dancers are all members of the company at NCBallet; however, I think there are a couple of smiling faces missing from this group shot.
Liesey was also cast in the party scene, along with a couple of her friends, as there was a shortage of "party moms" this year. Of course, they all had a fun time at the party!
And now, without further ado, here are the long-overdue pictures:
As I was taking this photo, a seemingly normal, polite woman and her daughter approached us and wanted their picture taken with my favorite Arabian. They even said nice things (which were all true, of course!) about Liesey's dancing. Things quickly went downhill. After the photo op., the mom looked at my girl and bluntly asked, "Do you eat?" Weird, huh? She then went on to ask if she could feel my daughter's abs. Even weirder! Had I known she was going to be so peculiar & prying, I may not have allowed the photo shoot. Who knew? My daughter -- who happens to have a normal teenaged appetite, thank you very much -- handled this woman with as much grace & poise as she displays through her dancing on stage. :-)
As I was taking this photo, a seemingly normal, polite woman and her daughter approached us and wanted their picture taken with my favorite Arabian. They even said nice things (which were all true, of course!) about Liesey's dancing. Things quickly went downhill. After the photo op., the mom looked at my girl and bluntly asked, "Do you eat?" Weird, huh? She then went on to ask if she could feel my daughter's abs. Even weirder! Had I known she was going to be so peculiar & prying, I may not have allowed the photo shoot. Who knew? My daughter -- who happens to have a normal teenaged appetite, thank you very much -- handled this woman with as much grace & poise as she displays through her dancing on stage. :-)
This was taken after one of the performances. These dancers are all members of the company at NCBallet; however, I think there are a couple of smiling faces missing from this group shot.
My favorite -- Snow!
"Flowers"
Liesey was also cast in the party scene, along with a couple of her friends, as there was a shortage of "party moms" this year. Of course, they all had a fun time at the party!
Arabian Coffee Trio
That is my daughter's long leg in the very back. I thought that this made for a pretty neat pose. I only wish I had a higher resolution image so the photo would be bigger and easier to see. Oh, my!
Ivan Vsevolozhsky's original Reed Flute costume sketch for The Nutcracker (1892) is, to put it politely, "unusual" looking. Thankfully, my daughter got to wear a costume that did not include an excessively tall hat!
Mirliton or Merliton?
Either option is fine with me! The spelling
confusion is likely why most ballet companies
just refer to this piece as "Reed Flutes."
An adoring fan... Awwww!
