Nutcracker 2022

The two-act Nutcracker Ballet is a holiday tradition, set to Tchaikovsky's famous score and dating back to the late 1800's, it's been danced by countless ballet companies around the world.  We are so pleased our four dancers can participate in this tradition this year with our local ballet company.  This is the second year these girls have been able to dance the Nutcracker in Ohio - this year they had 4 performances.  We are so proud of our girls!

*Maegli and Hiwot had the opportunity to dance as polichinelles in The Nutcracker with the Bristol Ballet in 2017  

*I've taken my girls to see a Nutcracker Ballet performance every year since 2011! (with the exception of 2020 Covid year)

It's such a joy to watch our girls perform on stage!

(Dabney is the lovely girl with the blue/purple skirt and shawl with the gold ribbon around her purple-trimmed hat.  Emory is the baby mouse on the far left.)

Nutcracker 2022 - dress rehearsals

 
Our four ballerinas have been working hard preparing for the Nutcracker performances.  Dress rehearsal week is always exciting - the girls have been looking forward to being back on stage at the Palace Theater.  

This year, Emory is a baby mouse - eating cheese (battle scene). Dabney is a package girl - decorating a tree and helping to hand the nutcracker present to Drosselmeyer (overture/pre-party scene). Addy is a cherub, and Maclaren is an angel - welcoming Clara and the Nutcracker prince to the Land of Sweets along with the Sugar Plum Fairy (opening the second act). 

Ballerinas

September has arrived, and with it school, cross country, and ballet!  

Our four ballerinas are looking forward to another year of studying with their ballet school (and another Nutcracker performance!). 
 

Nutcracker 2021

Four of our beautiful girls danced in our local ballet production of The Nutcracker:  a little reindeer (Emory), two street urchins (Maclaren and Dabney), and a baby mouse (Addy).  

We're so proud!

Ballerinas

Four beautiful girls starting back to ballet classes for the 2021/2022 season . . .

. . .  and super excited to participate in the Nutcracker this December!!!

 

Braces-Free

After a year (without popcorn, caramels, gummies, or taffy), our 9-year-old Maclaren is braces-free!

Her smile is gorgeous :)

(Her braces were removed the day AFTER our beach vacation - we traveled home with a bag of Forbes Salt Water Taffy for her to enjoy post-braces)

Splash Pad

Another check-off for our Summer Bucket List: Splash Pad!!!

We're thankful to have a little splash pad in our local community park - so convenient!   (Once upon a time, we would drive 30-75 minutes for a summer splash pad experience!) 

This park also has a playground, dog park, several miles of walking/running/biking trails, and is next to the high school - our cross country kids run through the park daily (and enjoy cooling off in the splash pad!).   

First Communion

Dabney and Maclaren celebrated their First Communion at church on the feast of Corpus Christi - the day we celebrate the extraordinary gift of the Eucharist.

St. Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Eucharist as the "source and summit of the Christian life."  It is our source of strength and a real, tangible connection to our Lord. 

 We are thrilled we have two more children that can share in this wonderful gift!

Ballet Recital

Our four beautiful ballerinas got to perform in an end-of-year studio showcase at the historic PalacTheater downtown.  It was such a treat to see our girls on stage once again! 

We are so proud of Emory, Addison, Dabeny, and Maclaren!!

(Last year, the recital was canceled due to the Covid Pandemic.  This past year, the Nutcracker Ballet didn't happen.  The Showcase was a treat for us all.  To make it happen this year, the limited audience seating was "social distanced," and the girls wore masks on stage.)

*This was Emory's first dance recital!

 

The girls have loved this year of dance at their new downtown ballet studio.   It was a different year, with masks and sanitizer, and several weeks of virtual instruction, but they all learned so much and LOVED their teacher Ms. Grasse :)

Emmy and Addy danced with a combined 5/6-year-old class (Creative Movement 1/2).  

For this performance, rather than facing the audience for af memorized routine, they showcased several new movements, dancing in a circle.  Their very favorite was the "butterfly" and "skating."  The girls were so sweet and super proud to be on stage!

 

 

Dabney performed with her Ballet 1 class (7-year-olds).  Throughout the recital showcase, it was neat to see the progression of ballet technique through the ages and stages.  In Ballet 1, the girls had a memorized routine with clear musical counts.  Hands remained on their hips for most of the dance - the focus was on footwork.  Dabney had the extra challenge of performing without her glasses!  She was lovely to watch :)

Maclaren performed with Ballet II (3rd grade) - she's already looking forward to advancing on to Ballet III and the burgundy leotard next year!  Their routine was challenging with partnering, line changes, and lots of jumps - but the girls made it look effortless.  Maclaren was so graceful and confident on stage.  Beautiful!

Daddy brought flowers for the girls and after the show, we went to Milk&Honey for ice cream!