It's November, so that means we are fully into Nutcracker nuttiness. There are rehearsals, ticket sales, picture days, volunteer meetings, unexpected rehearsals, the occasional sinus infection, and oh yeah, more rehearsals. Our Nutcracker is staged by a youth ballet--translation these are student performers, and the crew is a band of parent volunteers. It is indeed the best of times and worst of times. It is the best of times because it can be an incredible bonding experience and you make new friends and the students get an incredible opportunity to participate in this wonderful holiday tradition. It is the worst of times...because it is a production run by parent volunteers and few of us are professionals at staging a show, so we operate as best we can and learn a little more each year through the mistakes we made the preceding year. Oh, and since we are volunteers...
In the middle of all of that, we are supposed to continue with school, Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday, and plan for Christmas. It's Nutty!
My mission today is to share some wisdom or at least my opinion on how to sail through this Nuttiness (is that a real word?).
1. With all due respect to REO Speedwagon...Roll with the Changes. Inherent in any performance are changes. Dancers get injured, people don't learn choreography and costumes don't fit, all of these things result in changes. Trust me, artistic directors don't like changing casting any more than we parents like it. But, sometimes they have to in order to make the production work. It is what it is and be prepared to roll with it.
2. You get out of it what you put into it. For parents who just drop their child off at the studio for their rehearsal and pick them up afterwards and do their minimum volunteer hours, and buy their minimum tickets--they will like the show. For the parent who participates in helping with costumes and volunteers backstage, and goes to the parent meetings, they will LOVE the show. They will make new friends. They will understand and appreciate how amazing it is to pull off a show with a band of volunteers. They will develop a greater appreciation of the arts and the next time they see a professional ballet, they will see it with a new set of eyes. They will understand the thousands of hours that have been poured into making the costumes, developing the synchronization of the corps, the beauty of the sets, and appreciate the glory of the full orchestra. In short, they will become art lovers.
3. Make Hay While the Sun Shines...Do not procrastinate. If you have an opportunity to knock out some holiday shopping today, do it! Schedule your hair cuts early. Do the holiday decorations over Thanksgiving. Encourage your kids to get a jump on homework. Stay on top of your laundry. Bake food early if you can. Trust me, you will be glad you did. Some youth ballets perform Nutcracker up through Christmas Eve. However late your school's performances go, you will find that your holidays are more frantic because of Nutcracker. So...BE PROACTIVE.
4. Get used to being a bridesmaid. The reality of ballet performances is that there for a girl, there are 3 plum roles that almost all little girls dream of being one day--Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, and Snow Queen. The reality is most of our daughters will never get to hold these roles. Not because she is not talented enough, but because of any other number of reasons. The choreography doesn't suit her. The Cavalier is too short/too tall, she doesn't look like Fritz, the costume doesn't fit (it is a consideration when a tutu costs $1000+ or more), or she is too old/too young. The fact of the matter is, do your child a favor and celebrate the other exciting roles with them--to name just a few...Party Girl...(believe me...it's an honor), Kissey Doll, Mirlitons, Arabian Queen, Arabian Odalisque, Corps of Waltz of the Flowers or Snow...I hope you get the idea. Each one of these roles and many others are huge milestones in your child's training. Celebrate that the teacher thinks they are talented enough to pull it off.
There is a lot more I am sure that I can share, but I am going to follow rule number 3 and get some sleep while I can.
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