M had two performances yesterday in The Nutcracker. As an Angel. I've blogged and facebook'ed about M and the Oregon Ballet Theater's Nutcracker already this season. But the evening show last night just happened to be the one for which the Typhoon got tickets -- something like 10 months ago. Before M was even the inkling of an idea of a candidate for the cast. But, as luck sometimes has a way of panning out, we all had seats for M's first evening performance.
On hand in the audience were:
C did the chauffeur thing for the afternoon matinee. C and M came back home between shows. While they were gone for the matinee, the Grandmas put together a nice salmon dinner, perfectly timed so the ballet dancer could sit down and eat as soon as she got home. It wasn't a strictly formal family dinner, but we were all dressed up, and we did use the dining room.
And, we were all right on schedule to make the jump downtown for M's scheduled time at the stage door, and for the rest of us to settle in to our seats.
Now, those of you who know my dad, Grandpa J, the ballet is definitely NOT his thing. We're lucky to get him into a movie theater, let alone the opera house. Remember, he went duck hunting in the sub-freezing weather the day before. Of the two choices, hunting frozen ducks in the marshes is much more fun than watching a holiday dance extravaganza. BUT... his granddaughter is up there... so he's there too.
We had a couple benefits for Grandpa, though. Through good fortune, our seats were in a box along the side of the auditorium. Box seats have a private lobby, restricted access, and a quiet hallway to the seats. So, while it was a mad crush and pandemonium in the lobby, we had a quiet and peaceful view from the side. Perfect for the ladies in the party who were all nervous wrecks. The free-standing chairs in the box meant that we could stretch out a bit, without feeling crowded or crushed...a very different feeling than the orchestra level, to be sure. The sacrafice, however, is that the sight lines from the box are a little limited, but for Grandpa J, the tradeoff was undoubtedly a good thing. Much less pressure and crush from other people, and two shows to watch: the one on stage and the one down in the orchestra level!
Act I was great. Now, I must confess. Back in time, I thought of the OBT prtoduction as the epitome (See? Here I am, showing my west coast redneck roots!) In the past few years, M has had parts in a Nutcracker highlights Christmas program from her old dance studio. I'd go to those shows, and I'd know all the kids in the cast. It felt just a little like a high school play in which everyone knows everyone else and the back stories from the school cafeteria that overlay the play being delivered on stage. I had NONE of that awareness for OBT's Nutcracker, so I was always just a blissfully-ignorant audience member and, as a result, even the children in the cast struck me as amazingly proficient and gifted dancers. I still feel that way about OBT, but after last night, I see a whole new level. Let me explain a bit.
See, the young blonde boy who plays the 'prince' (who later becomes the hero in the girl's dream sequence) was played last night by a young man who just happens to be in the same third grade class with M. He also happens to be in MY beginning fencing class. His Mom is one of my fencing tutors. There are other cast members with whom we are now acquainted. M is being taught by some of the dancers who have major parts in Act II. C has been a chaperone and stage hand on a couple occasions. So now, when I sit in the audience, I feel fully acquainted with some of the cast, and pasingly acquainted with a handful of others. I watch the Prince pantomime the battle scene, and when he culminates the dance with a fencing lunge, I think to myself, "Oh! Z (the instructor at fencing) will be so pleased with the form!"
It was about that moment that I realized that - for me - OBT's Nutcracker had become a lot more like the old high school play filled with classmates. Portland got a lot smaller there for a few minutes, and felt more like Mayberry RFD than 'the second biggest city in the Pacific Northwest.'
During the intermission, the grandparents commented on how nice it was to be in the box. They also commented on R, who - at twelve - could easily be a behavior problem at a stuffy thing like a ballet. But he wasn't. And he hardly ever is. The dance starts and he's immediately plugged in. He knows the story and even more, he knows some of the cast. We're on the fringes, but these are becoming our 'people'. Afterall, R is the real fencer. The fencing connection is because of him.
After the break, Act II starts with the curtain rising to reveal a stage full of Angels.
BOOM!!!
Just like that. There's a wave of "ahhhh, oooohhhhh" contentment from the audience, and the Angels perform their gliding number that makes them seem to float over the stage.
There she was. M. Right there. Hard to pick her out because they all wear identical costumes and wigs. But we knew where to look. Didn't even have the chance to get nervous - no time to cry or get worked up. That was great, for a nervous, overwhelmingly proud Dad like me.
The Angels did wonderfully. The show moved on. Everyone performed well. Everything went smoothly.
We picked M up at the stage door after the show. We had roses for her. And cheesecake & cocoa at home for dessert, with family all around her.
Not a bad way to have a debut in the family.
On hand in the audience were:
- Grandma G
- Grandpa J
- Grandma M-A
- C, Mom
- Brother R
- me, N, Dad
C did the chauffeur thing for the afternoon matinee. C and M came back home between shows. While they were gone for the matinee, the Grandmas put together a nice salmon dinner, perfectly timed so the ballet dancer could sit down and eat as soon as she got home. It wasn't a strictly formal family dinner, but we were all dressed up, and we did use the dining room.
And, we were all right on schedule to make the jump downtown for M's scheduled time at the stage door, and for the rest of us to settle in to our seats.
Now, those of you who know my dad, Grandpa J, the ballet is definitely NOT his thing. We're lucky to get him into a movie theater, let alone the opera house. Remember, he went duck hunting in the sub-freezing weather the day before. Of the two choices, hunting frozen ducks in the marshes is much more fun than watching a holiday dance extravaganza. BUT... his granddaughter is up there... so he's there too.
We had a couple benefits for Grandpa, though. Through good fortune, our seats were in a box along the side of the auditorium. Box seats have a private lobby, restricted access, and a quiet hallway to the seats. So, while it was a mad crush and pandemonium in the lobby, we had a quiet and peaceful view from the side. Perfect for the ladies in the party who were all nervous wrecks. The free-standing chairs in the box meant that we could stretch out a bit, without feeling crowded or crushed...a very different feeling than the orchestra level, to be sure. The sacrafice, however, is that the sight lines from the box are a little limited, but for Grandpa J, the tradeoff was undoubtedly a good thing. Much less pressure and crush from other people, and two shows to watch: the one on stage and the one down in the orchestra level!
Act I was great. Now, I must confess. Back in time, I thought of the OBT prtoduction as the epitome (See? Here I am, showing my west coast redneck roots!) In the past few years, M has had parts in a Nutcracker highlights Christmas program from her old dance studio. I'd go to those shows, and I'd know all the kids in the cast. It felt just a little like a high school play in which everyone knows everyone else and the back stories from the school cafeteria that overlay the play being delivered on stage. I had NONE of that awareness for OBT's Nutcracker, so I was always just a blissfully-ignorant audience member and, as a result, even the children in the cast struck me as amazingly proficient and gifted dancers. I still feel that way about OBT, but after last night, I see a whole new level. Let me explain a bit.
See, the young blonde boy who plays the 'prince' (who later becomes the hero in the girl's dream sequence) was played last night by a young man who just happens to be in the same third grade class with M. He also happens to be in MY beginning fencing class. His Mom is one of my fencing tutors. There are other cast members with whom we are now acquainted. M is being taught by some of the dancers who have major parts in Act II. C has been a chaperone and stage hand on a couple occasions. So now, when I sit in the audience, I feel fully acquainted with some of the cast, and pasingly acquainted with a handful of others. I watch the Prince pantomime the battle scene, and when he culminates the dance with a fencing lunge, I think to myself, "Oh! Z (the instructor at fencing) will be so pleased with the form!"
It was about that moment that I realized that - for me - OBT's Nutcracker had become a lot more like the old high school play filled with classmates. Portland got a lot smaller there for a few minutes, and felt more like Mayberry RFD than 'the second biggest city in the Pacific Northwest.'
During the intermission, the grandparents commented on how nice it was to be in the box. They also commented on R, who - at twelve - could easily be a behavior problem at a stuffy thing like a ballet. But he wasn't. And he hardly ever is. The dance starts and he's immediately plugged in. He knows the story and even more, he knows some of the cast. We're on the fringes, but these are becoming our 'people'. Afterall, R is the real fencer. The fencing connection is because of him.
After the break, Act II starts with the curtain rising to reveal a stage full of Angels.
BOOM!!!
Just like that. There's a wave of "ahhhh, oooohhhhh" contentment from the audience, and the Angels perform their gliding number that makes them seem to float over the stage.
There she was. M. Right there. Hard to pick her out because they all wear identical costumes and wigs. But we knew where to look. Didn't even have the chance to get nervous - no time to cry or get worked up. That was great, for a nervous, overwhelmingly proud Dad like me.
The Angels did wonderfully. The show moved on. Everyone performed well. Everything went smoothly.
We picked M up at the stage door after the show. We had roses for her. And cheesecake & cocoa at home for dessert, with family all around her.
Not a bad way to have a debut in the family.
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