Nutcracker Practice

Tonight I have my first Nutcracker practice on stage at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. (TPAC) I'm excited for a couple reasons - I haven't performed on stage in a long time, it's snowing like I remember when we did the Nutcracker in Virginia and this means it's almost over. While I am excited to do the show this weekend, I am also very very nervous and I think I'm ready for it to be over! I can't believe the shows are this upcoming weekend....

Good News!

I am in the Nutcracker Ballet and I have TWO roles! I am SO EXCITED! I will dance as part of the "Hungarian Corps" and also the "Sugar Plum Fairy Corps". I am thinking that both these roles dance on pointe. When I took ballet and performed years ago, my last Nutcracker role was as a flower dancing on pointe shoes. I don't recall the Hungarian characters and what their costumes look like or how they dance, (could have been called something else when I danced) but I do remember the Sugar Plum Fairy Corps. I was planning on accepting and being happy with any part that I got and so to have two parts in seemingly good roles is amazing to me.

I AM ECSTATIC!!!

I auditioned on August 23rd and although I did horribly, I am just glad I got a part. I remember the holiday season feeling so much more festive when I was taking ballet and performing in the Nutcracker.

You'll all come watch me, won't you????

What a great weekend

Jere and I had such a nice weekend. I tried to get him to go to campus on Saturday to work on a few projects but in the end, I am glad he ended up hanging out with me ALL weekend :)

My friend Jessie and I had a garage sale at her house and I made $144 plus $30 more to come soon. I thought that was pretty good for wanting to get rid of stuff that would have just gone to Goodwill anyways!

I think the best thing that came out of going through boxes was finding my nice ballet leotard. Too bad I only have two more classes this semester! I also re-sewed my point shoe ribbons so that the ribbons won't bunch up when I wear them. This is something I've been wanting to do but will only enjoy for the last two classes as well.

My sister's birthday was Saturday and because my family stinks at communication (me included, apparently ) I didn't see her at all. Kinda like how I didn't see my grandpa before he died...Thankfully I have more chances to see my sister.

Okay this is taking a sour note so I'll end that.

Edit:: On a good note, my friend Marcie had her baby! Surprisingly (to me if nobody else) it makes me want to think more about having one myself. I'm not sure how much thinking one has to do before they're ready to have kids - it probably, really takes just jumping into it belly first. (Don't try to make sense of jumping with your belly first. I'm not sure how that would work)

On mother's day we had my mom and Jere's mom/siblings over for lunch. We ate pesto/artichoke pasta with chicken and it was delish! We also had corn on the cob, salad and banana cream pie bars. I was stuffed :) My mom had to leave but Jere's family stayed until around 4:30pm and played cards with us...it was a lot of fun! We were really tired all weekend and somehow got in three naps that were each over two and half hours long. (I know you guys with kids are laughing at us right now) Actually Sunday we layed down for a few minutes and woke up four and a half hours later...I don't know how we'll survive when we start having kids!

Today is back to normal, except for the fact that we only have 19 days till we leave on a plane for Amsterdam for a MONTH. That makes me really really nervous/scared/excited/blank and realizing I don't care if I get anything more done with the house - I need to help plan our stinkin' trip!!

First I think I'll have to wax my eyebrows. Eyebrows come first.

Ballet

I took ballet when I was younger. I was in the Nutcracker five or six times I think? Let's see, I'm trying to remember what roles I had.

Angel (2 times?)
Soldier
Snowflake
Adolescent Party Girl
Candy Cane
Flower

I wish I could remember more but I think my favorite role was the candy cane. We wore tight red and white striped outfits that went to our ankles. One arm had a long sleeve and the other arm was bare with a skin colored elastic to hold the shoulder up. The main move whenever the chorus came was to first kick the right leg high in the air (preferebly above the head) and then the left leg. Then to run in formation kicking heels to booty. While there were other moves, this was my favorite part. There were six of us in the scene kicking our legs in the air and dancing with red and white striped hula hoops.

My second favorite role was the adolescent party girl. I liked this role because I got to wear an 'old fashioned' dress. I think mine was green with pink trimming. I love the dress because it had a full skirt and I used to think it would be so fun to live in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder and wear dresses all the time. In the party scene each age group does a dance and it was simple but fun! Coincidentally, I believe I had both of these roles in one year...

I stopped taking dance when I was about 12 or 13 but I was on the dance team ("The Highline", as it was called) and I almost minored in dance in college. I enjoy dance and so I decided in January to take a ballet class. Ballet is my first dance love and Jazz is second. I love being graceful and performing. I also love the feeling of working muscles that I wouldn't normally be moving doing "chasse's", "developpe's", "frappe's", "glissade's", "plie's", " pirouette's", ronde de jamp's", "sous-sus's", "tombe's", and "pique's".

My goal is to take this class so I can try out for the Nutcracker in the fall.