The Nutcracker

Shelley has always dreamed of having her studio put on a performance of The Nutcracker. This was the year that she made it happen. And it was AWESOME!

Whitney had to audition for it and was cast to be the Snow Queen. Eeek! My favorite part of the show! I was so happy and excited for her.

Here's a screen shot of the announcement

that Shelley put on Instagram.

Doesn't she look professional?

To add to our excitement, Shelley decided to hire three young men to partner three of the main ballerinas. One of the young men she offered to hire was Brandon. And he said yes! AND he got to partner Whitney and dance as the Snow King! It was SO fun to watch them practice together. They had to practice once or twice a week for several weeks to learn their routine. Brandon was a great partner, always concerned about making sure Whitney looked good.

Here they are practicing their moves at the beach:

Shelley hired Toni to take professional photos of the whole company.

They turned out so great!

The whole group

The snow queen with all of her snowflakes 

Handsome Snow King 

Stunning Snow Queen 

Agh! Look at the gorgeousness!

I'm so happy she got my long legs!

And she's using them in beautiful ways.

When my awesome parents heard that BOTH of their grandkids would be performing in the Nutcracker, they got tickets and came out to see it! I was so happy they could be with us for the big night.

It was a one-night-only performance. And in the late afternoon, just a couple of hours before show time, it started SNOWING. 

Do you know what happens when it snows in NC? EVERYTHING shuts down! Oh no!! Shelley had to pull some strings with the theater, but the show went on... to a much smaller crowd than expected.

A few pics of rehearsal

Oh, how I wish I could capture the way my heart wanted to burst with

pride and joy watching these two dance together.

Such a special parenting moment.

The show was a "simplified" Nutcracker, 

so it was shorter and just hit the highlights.

The little mice and soldiers were super cute.

Clara and the Nutcracker danced beautifully together.

And then, my favorite part of the show,

the SNOW!

Here they are greeting Clara and the Nutcracker at the end.

It was a showstopper of a dance.
When Shelley had finished choreographing it
a couple of months ago, she told me,
"It might even make YOU cry, Andrea."
I told her she was pushing it.
And it didn't.
But I know it did move other less-robotic people to tears.
I had two friends tell me that it made them cry.
Such a memorable experience.

The snow scene closes out the first act,
but Whit wasn't done.
She also danced with the Arabians.

And in the Waltz of the Flowers.

And came back out in her
Snow Queen costume for the finale.

Love, love, love it.

 They greeted their fans in the lobby afterward.

Whit even got to sign autographs.

Brandon's friend, Emily, came up from Salisbury,
even in the snow! Happy she could be there.

Whit's friend, Lauren, also braved the weather to see her.

The three main soloists:
Dew Drop Fairy Macy,
Sugarplum Fairy Alisa,
and Snow Queen Whit

And also with Clara (Mallory)

Miss Shelley spent many, many sleepless nights
and LONG days to pull this off.
So happy Whit and Brandon had this opportunity.

We went out to eat at Little Tokyo to celebrate after.

I was sad I forgot to get a picture of Gigi and Grandpa at the theater,
but at least they are in this pic with us. :)

Yummy sushi.

Not sure if this will work, but here's a link
to the video of the Nutcracker.

Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for our beautiful ballerina.