Somehow my trusty and and not at all cynical traditional Nutcracker-closing line “Another Nutcracker in the trenches…” didn’t seem fitting this year.  It’s hard to describe last weekend’s show as being dumped into a wide, muddy hole in the ground when it made me feel so good I thought my heart might just explode right there on the stage.

In the past I’ve tried to illustrate for you those moments in dance when everything feels right- the lights are on you, the music is all you can hear and you completely lose track of everything that lies beyond the stage on which you are dancing.  These are what I’ve dubbed ‘the magic moments’.  Not only are these moments magical because they make you feel like you’re flying 20 feet above the black Marley floor, but also because when they happen, it’s hard to tell whether or not it’s actually real.  Similar to the surprise you might feel when you catch a foul ball at a Red Sox game, there is always a Did that really just happen?! feeling closely following the magic moments.  But then you feel your cheeks cramping up from that relentless smile on your face, and you realize that it’s all very real.

So here’s to another year of The Nutcracker; It was everything it could have been and more.