The Nutcracker

I'm an extremely proud father. Isn't it a marvelous feeling when your kid accomplishes something you never did or would have at their age? This isn't an attempt to live vicariously through my child type of thing. It's sheer awe for their accomplishments and reflecting on how they live so differently than I did. My children were in The Nutcracker this weekend. My oldest, Katelyn who is 9, danced as a Candy Flute in the Kingdom of Sweets. She also sang as part of the chorus. She had never danced before. Her only "performances" in front of people were in the church children's choir and Christmas program. She practiced diligently and when show time came, she got up with grace and seemingly very little self consciousness about her ability. My second oldest, Carter who is 7, was The Nutcracker. He and "Marie" were the lead actors of the show and had numerous lines to memorize and places to be on the stage. He has no more stage experience than Katelyn. He gave a great performance and was so poised. I marveled at how he took direction and correction and paid attention to details. For his audition he sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with gusto and the director saw some potential. The play director was Kim Middlestadt, who I really admire. She was so positive with the kids and really low maintenance as the director. She included kids from pre-school age through teens and helped them experience theater without stressing them out about perfection. Here are two short clips from the show: Carter, The Nutcracker Katelyn's Dance