Posts tagged ‘holidays’
Weekly Pet Challenge – The Pee in Pink
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Sydnee Pee in Pink
“I told mommy I needed something to bring out my more feminine qualities…and it accentuates the unique pink spot on my shnooper!”
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“Mommy cannot leave my head alone, though I am digging the pinkly and sparkly stuff…Does she realize how goofy she looks with my cookie in her mouth??? “
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I decided to go less traditional – using a pink Santa hat, instead of red, though red certainly brings out Pee’s honey-colored features. In case you have not noticed, she was not too happy with me. With the exception of a turkey hat, I had given Sydnee Pee a break from head wear for the past few months. However, the weather is getting colder and her big ears need protection and, well, golly gee wiz, she is too darn cute NOT to decorate!
Oh, by the way, no body parts were harmed while being stuffed into the pink hat. However, the photographer almost swallowed the intended bribery when she lost her balance trying to adjust the costume and coaxing a stubborn model into a ‘happy’ pose.
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The Nutcracker Act II – The Finale
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The Finale
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soaring crescendos
all the dancers on the stage
Clara bids farewell
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me – Act I – center stage – before the tree starts to grow
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The photo above was taken from a special souvenir photo book which was created for the 1981 Nutcracker Season. After spending my Sunday afternoon digging through boxes, I found this gem amongst many, many other treasures. This photo was taken in 1979.
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I hope you have enjoyed my series of pieces inspired by The Nutcracker Ballet. As a child, the holidays were The Nutcracker. As an adult, they are very special memories – ones which I will never, ever forget. Just ask my boys….they hear the same stories year after year, after year, after year…..and it looks like y’all will be suffering the same fate!
The Nutcracker Act II – Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
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The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
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celesta keys strike
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dainty pink pointes enamor
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a charming classic
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The celesta, an instrument invented in 1886, gets its name for its “celestial,” tinkling sound. It provides the distinctive music that accompanies the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. It is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Tchaikovsky is considered to be the first major composer to utilize the celesta in a musical composition – his Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is the most well-known. (For the music buffs in the audience, Tchaikovsky first used the instrument in a symphonic poem – The Voyevoda in 1891 – The Nutcracker was written in 1892.)
The Nutcracker Act II Pas De Deux
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The Sugar Plum Fairy and Her Cavalier
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one
spotlight
on stage right.
they stand prepared.
he extends his arm –
she gently takes his hand
stepping onto perfect pointes.
gracefully and delicately
a majestic pas de deux unfolds…
dreams of sugar plums become her desire…..
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my first year as Clara – December 1978
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In 1974, the Cincinnati Ballet Company premiered The Nutcracker. For two years, I sat in the audience – mesmerized. In Summer of 1976, I changed ballet schools and that December I was cast as a party girl and bunny. Many little girls and boys see more than just a ballet while sitting in the audience of a production of The Nutcracker – they discover their heart’s true desire.
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On a separate note, this piece of music is my favorite piece of Tchaikovsky music – of any music, really. Each time I hear it, I cry. Incidentally, twenty years later my son Peyton would be born to this particular piece. (I made two ‘labor tapes’ and this was on cassette number 2). The words written above are based on the original Marius Petipa choreography, with the exception of the last line…of course.
