the nutcracker ballet

This afternoon I attended a Ballet West performance of The Nutcracker. The ballet is "the magical story of young Clara and her nutcracker-turned-prince." The performance featured the music of Tschaikovsky, choreography by Willam Christensen (the founder of Ballet West), and of course the wonderful dancers of the Ballet West company. My friend Denise is employed with the ballet company and was gracious enough to offer me tickets to the show. It had been many years since I'd attended a ballet and long enough ago that I don't remember ever having seen one.

My mother danced with Ballet West while she was attending the University of Utah. She studied with Willam Christensen and danced in performances of The Nutcracker. It was from the University that she graduated with a bachelor's degree in ballet.

So, I was very excited to attend the performance today and managed to coherence my lovely friend Sara into coming along (though to be honest I only needed to ask her). On a side-note, I met Sara through KRCL, our community radio station, where we both volunteer. She hosts a program early Sunday morning right before my show. But now to get back to the story at hand-- Sara and I managed to find our way to the Capitol Theater and took our seats. Denise choose great seats for us on the main floor, about a dozen rows back and dead center. We really couldn't have asked for better seats and had a perfect view of the whole spectacle.

The performance began shortly after we took our seats and it was delightful from the opening of the curtains until the close. Everything about the ballet was done so beautifully. The costumes and stage sets. The music of Tschaikovsky. And the performances of the many talented dancers. I'm pleased to have had the opportunity to attend The Nutcracker and look forward to seeing another ballet soon.