I grew up dancing ballet, and every year, my family goes to see The Nutcracker to start off our holiday season.
The Nutcracker is one of my favourite stories because there’s something so poignant about the magical dream of it all as a girl becomes a young woman. The alternative 1977 choreography of Sugar Plum Pas de Deux (plus one) danced by Gelsey Kirkland as Clara, opposite Baryshnikov as the Prince, and Alexander Minz as Drosselmeyer is a truly powerful version to me because of this, especially the in way that Uncle Drosselmeyer has woven this dream for her but we know that the dream is ending. If you haven’t seen it, you should: https://youtu.be/hnmbas-eOWI
Since there won’t be any ballet performances this year, and many of us are away from family, I decided to share a very special 5-part Instagram series of Nutcracker performances from my living room! It might not quite measure up to Gelsey Kirkland, but it’s definitely a lot of fun!