This is an indulgent post. I have no deep, profound thoughts, or messages to share. I just want to gush for a few minutes. Because I can. It’s partly why I started this blog…so that after a magical evening, I can feel free to write whatever (within reason) I wish on here on as long as in the end, there is some good in it. And this, my friends, is VERY GOOD STUFF.

I just returned from a most spectacular evening in Ottawa with my dear friend and neighbor, Anna. Anna is a very talented musician and is currently playing the oboe this season in the National Arts Center Orchestra’s productions of “The Nutcracker”. I was fortunate enough to accompany her to Canada’s capital city tonight so I could see a performance of the ballet.

It was the stuff dreams are made of. I was treated to the beautiful dance stylings of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. They did not disappoint. The young woman who played Clara danced with such poise and grace and her Nutcracker certainly seemed to come to life as her prince just like the story predicts.

But the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier stole my breath. As Anna’s three year daughter Sylvie would say, “She, was the prettiest of them all!” And boy was she ever. Her legs appeared to extend to the far corners of the stage and when she would leap into her cavalier’s arms and he’d masterfully catch her just breaths before she’d hit the stage, it made you feel as though maybe for a moment, you were not watching mere mortals up there, but in fact, fairies who could fly.

Tchaikovsky composed some of the most beautiful music of all time when he wrote “The Nutcracker”. The story of Clara and her Nutcracker and this magical adventure he takes her on is so much more than just a silly dream sequence. It’s a chance to see Christmas through the eyes of a child and to see how the many simple joys we often take for granted are so wonderful and beautiful in our day to day lives. The candies, coffee, sugary treats and beautiful decorations and even the guests at a Christmas party can inspire the most glorious dreams for each of us. It’s also a unique love story on so many different levels. You can get swept up in the music and just let it carry you away like the most intricate snowflake. If we’re lucky, we will each have our own Nutcracker come to life and show us all the GOOD things life has to offer. Happiest Holidays to all!

#attheballet

Thanks for an amazing night Anna!! Ttmab!