And just like that, another Nutcracker in the trenches!

I’ll never tire of saying that…and it seems I’ll never outgrow that magical feeling backstage at PPAC at the end of December. Nineteen years of Nutcracker on the PPAC stage have turned it into something of a second home- a holiday home- for me. Sharing that bubbly backstage feeling with all of the sweet children in the cast takes me right back to my own childhood Nutcracker experience…stepping out onto the big stage, seeing the paper-white snowflakes close Act I, visiting the Land of Sweets from the Silberhaus steps of the Party Scene just halved and resting Stage Left.

This year I take the stage in the crowns of queens. Under the lights I hear words of affirmation in the wings. I return to my dressing room to treats and smiles from my fellow ballerinas. Then, in a flash of a weary week, it’s all over. Nutcracker works its magic into our tiny ballet family, the Company that has shifted and changed so much this year suddenly feels warm, fuzzy, related. We are for each other. We are special.

And together we move forward into a new year, a new bill, a new challenge for this steadfast little family of ours. 2019 here we come.

photos by Brenna DiFrancesco.