Come see The Nutcracker!

Since September, I have been a rehearsal coach for the clowns in Tuscaloosa Community Dancers' (TCD) production of The Nutcracker.  I am also a member of the Board of Directors for TCD, a nonprofit organization.  This is the second year I have rehearsed the clowns, though last year Melissa Verzino, who choreographed the dance, actually taught them the dance and I just ran their practices after they finished learning.  This year, I taught them the dance and even had to make a few creative decisions because there is one more clown than usual; because there are so many partner sections, we had to make a few changes to accommodate the extra person.  I really have a lot of fun rehearsing them; I love The Nutcracker and the girls are always so sweet and eager to please.

On Saturday, we moved into the Bama Theatre, and the girls are finally getting to practice coming out from under Mother Ginger's skirt.  It's a little bit scary, because the contraption weighs several hundred pounds and has wheels that can easily crush little toes and fingers that get in the way.  It is basically a rolling platform with giant hoops that are covered with a massive skirt.  Someone stands on the platform and wears a big head and a blouse with built-in, basketball-sized boobs! The little clowns get underneath the skirt and push Mother Ginger onto the stage, one tiny step at a time, and then they pop out of the skirt in twos and begin a high-energy dance that is always a crowd pleaser.

The show is this week, with performances at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 8 and Friday, December 9, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 10, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 11.  I encourage you to come see the show, even if you have seen it before.  It is especially enjoyable if you bring a little girl with you, because they are absolutely enthralled by the magic of it.  This year, TCD partnered with the University of Alabama dance department, so you will see a lot of changes in the choreography and a few changes in the telling of the story.  For tickets, call the TCD box office at 205-752-4220.

p.s.  I will be playing the maid in the party scene!  I agreed to do it because I'm not particularly busy at the moment (ahem), and I thought it would be fun.  It's a tiny part, but you will get to see me dance a little bit!