During the month of December, Ms. Wendy from American Ballet Theater came to visit us and taught us the parts of The Nutcracker Ballet! Before Ms. Wendy came to Barrow, we read the story of The Nutcracker, listened to the music, and watched a video of the ballet.
The children acted out different parts of the story and practiced balancing the crown on their heads just as Clara did in the ballet. When Ms. Wendy arrived, we were prepared!
All classes and rehearsals begin with a warm-up.
Through her stories, it felt as though Ms. Wendy transformed our school into a winter wonderland! During our warm-up, we pretended we were snowflakes; our feet slid on the ice, we made snowmen, and then we curled up small to sleep, just like Clara in the story of the Nutcracker.
Learning the Choreography.
Our dancing began with Clara waking up to see that something magical had happened. (Or was it a dream?) A gift from her Uncle Drosselmeyer, the Nutcracker, came to life! We pretended that we were characters in the story, like the toy soldiers and mice engaged in a fierce battle, and Fritz when he grabbed the Nutcracker from Clara and broke it. We jumped over castles and learned dances from the Party Scene!
Going to ABT!
When We Arrived…
We learned about the tools Dancers use to perform.
We had a snack.
We learned about Stage, Scenery, and Costume Design.
We watched ABT students dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of The Flowers.
Finally, we performed for our parents.
We had fun dancing and learning about the Nutcracker with Ms. Wendy and Kyleigh. Everyone was engaged and followed the choreography as if they were professional dancers, and who knows, they might be one day!
A special THANK YOU to ABT, Kyleigh, and our wonderful grown-ups for all their help! ❤️
