No Nutcracker Nuttiness!

Most professional dancers have a love/hate relationship with Nutcracker. Love it or leave it, its the staple of most ballet companies large and small and anywhere in between. Here at our local school and company , auditions are held the previous spring and student dancers hit the ground running the second week of September. How can young dancers---and their parents!-keep their sanity and health--and positive attitude throughout all the ''nuttiness''?...

Here's some of this Mom's hopefully useful suggestions from years spent both wearing the pointe shoes as a dancer and buying them for my young dancers!

Be Organized!!,,
And realize no matter how organized you are there WILL be the unexpected!!
One of my daughters had all of her hair and make up items planned out and bought one memorable season only to find out she had more parts than originally cast in , requiring more shoes, different make up and most certainly a little more stress over more difficult choreography.
Take into account non dancing family member's schedules and needs. For four seasons, younger son's varsity swim meets twice a week were going on at the same time as the Nutcracker season. I am proud to say I only missed one meet-and made it up to him later. Of course, there is the small matter of his birthday falling RIGHT on Nutcracker weekend pretty much every year. His sisters have joked he is either going to marry a dancer or NEVER go to a ballet again.With this his first year of college, he actually said he is going to miss--well maybe a little bit---that crazy weekend!
But all small talk aside, the calendar is your friend.Having the schedule up on the wall in an easy to get to place is invaluable. And make sure you constantly check for rehearsal time changes. Also noting deadlines such as shoe orders, handing in that cast party slip, or making reservations for relatives coming to see the show go on the calendar too!
AND there's that matter of holiday shopping that is ''supposed'' to be done right smack dab in the middle of carpooling or rehearsing...I wish I could say I was so organized I shop in August but let's just say Amazon online is my good friend!

Eat!
Sounds silly ,but its easy to skimp on nutrition when dancers are at late rehearsals. This goes back to being organized and planning ahead, And the crockpot is your friend!!!

Prioritize!
This might not be the time if you are a parent to take on a new family project, remodel your living room or plan a long trip on that only weekend you have off rehearsals.  If you are a dancer , maybe its not a good time to speed date--lol!(I warned you I was going to spare you some of my mistakes!) Nutcracker is a marathon. Each mile counts and the breaths in between are important too.

Have a sense of humor and a sense of priorities.
Didn't get the part you wanted? Do the best with what you were given. Its the dancing that's important. There's a lot of emphasis on the role of Clara in many productions. Believe its true that not every dancer that makes it into a professional company was that lead part. Get the most out of everything you are given. The important thing is to stay injury free and keep improving, AND to enjoy yourself.

Take a break!
A movie, a tv show, a good book, a craft project can give a well timed mental health break when it all gets too ''nutty''!

Then there's the reality that most Nutcracker parents are also heavily involved in a volunteer capacity. I serve as business manager, board member , parent and loyal audience member , so I will surely be reading this list many times over the next few months---And buying my husband lots of chocolate to make up for the madness---and the magic--that is Nutcracker season! But there are some of my friends who could really share a tale or two--Those who are the directors, choreographers, maybe even also in the show AND have children in the production. Somehow all of the hearty Nutcracker tribe pulls it together and when that curtain goes up, the snow falls and children get that light in their eyes and all the time and preparation is so worth it.
Its always kind of sad when its over,,,Oh,,that's the moment to take that vacation,,,or go on the speed dating website,,lol!!,,Or in my case buy my husband a really large box of chocolate!1

Welcome!!

Welcome to our space on the web. A place to share thoughts,insights,helpful information,dreams and pretty much anything else having to do with a journey in dance,,,,for the young and old...and in between... and forever young-or at least young enough to keep dancing!-