Nutcracker Offers

PNB's 12 Days of Nutcracker

Are you nuts about Nutcracker? Tell us about it and you could be one of twelve lucky writers to win two free tickets to an opening weekend performance of PNB’s renowned holiday extravaganza, Nutcracker!

Pacific Northwest Ballet is holding an essay contest, so take pen to paper—well, fingers to keypad—and send us your notes about Nutcracker. Get cracking: For twelve days—November 12 through 23—we will be scanning our Nutcracker@pnb.org mailbox for outstanding anecdotes and essays, be they funny or far-out, touching or treacly, and picking a dozen to be showcased on our website. Winners will receive two free tickets to an opening weekend performance of Nutcracker, a Nutcracker poster, a collectible Nutcracker bobble-head, and a selection of Nutcracker flair pins!

There are no restrictions on what to write—Nutty or nice, fact or fiction, homily or haiku—but please keep it to no more than 500 words. (And less would be nice: Remember, brevity is the soul of wit.) Entries must include your full name, e-mail and daytime phone number. Extra credit will be given for creative use of the words “Maurice,” “Mice” or “Maestro.” And be forewarned: Demerits will be doled out to entries that use the words “Ginger,” Sugar Plum” or “Rockette.”

The Fine Print: All entries become the property of Pacific Northwest Ballet which may use them for any purpose without payment to the author. Winners may pick up their tickets at the PNB Box Office on November 20, 21 and 23, at which time we may take your photo or a short video to post on our Nutcracker website. If you are unable to pick up your tickets in advance, arrangements can be made to have tickets at will-call on the night of your chosen performance.

Winner Day 12 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 22, 2009

HerFirst Ballet

She was only six and the tickets were dear
The tree looked so empty, just one present there
A nutcracker standing so proud and tall
He was holding the tickets she bought at the Mall…

Later that night, asleep on my shoulder
We rode the bus home, and I got to hold her
So sleepy, so sweet, as she smiled and she said
“Mommy, That was the best Christmas I ever had.”

-Kathryn Henne

Winner Day 11 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 21, 2009

Even as a child I loved the music from the Nutcracker and make no apologies for listening to it all year long. It was the first music I put onto a memory stick to play in my van. I had to stop listening to it because the other drivers just did not seem to appreciate my van swaying to the beat of the music. Imagine my delight when my husband's Aunt Judy took pity on poor newlyweds in 1991 and gave us tickets to see the show in Everett. I was so excited to finally see it live instead of on PBS on a 24 inch screen. I was actually going to see the faces of the dancers! We got all dressed up, I even put on pantyhose, and headed to the theater in the rain. I waddled my way up the stairs (so much for seeing any faces) and my heart stopped when I saw our seats. They were in the last row, up against a wall, under the balcony, in the middle of the row. I did not think we would make it through the entire ballet. Marc is 6'4" and all legs and I was pregnant, VERY pregnant, (beached whale pregnant according to my chiropractor) and due on Christmas day. The maestro did a great job, but every time the music grew louder, I thought I was going into labor as my son showed his approval of the music. Even the dancers in those hot mice costumes were more comfortable than I was. I have never been so relieved to get out of a show in my life.

Eighteen years later I have not had the opportunity to see another live performance. Instead I am graced with the Barbie cinematic version that my 8 year old daughter loves to watch every month. Don't get me wrong, those mind numbing Barbie films have created a love for the ballet in my daughter so that she now watches the PBS version on a 60 inch screen. However, it would be so wonderful to take her to see what Maurice can do to a set compared to the computer generated ones she sees in that movie.

-Kristine Howard

Winner Day 10 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 20, 2009

Hello, Nutcracker Reader Peoples!
My name is Heather, and I thought I'd share my thoughts about my favorite part of The Nutcracker. Bear with me; this is completely stream-of-consciousness, so it may be a little weird.

There's something hypnotic about watching a beautiful exotic bird step delicately about on a tiled floor, tossing its magnificent tasseled tail around with its feet as it dances to a strange lulling melody. The Peacock Dance is my favorite part of The Nutcracker. From the moment she's brought out on stage in her cage to the moment Clara flings the cage door open and gestures her away, The Peacock has your full attention whenever she has the stage. As a young child, I was entranced by the swirls and flashes of color as she danced; as an adult, I am fascinated by the subtle sensualness and the precise, deliberate care of her steps. The dream-scape of Clara's mind views the peacock as mysterious, unfamiliar but enticing, and beautiful in her strangeness. I know that feeling of wonder, the not knowing but curious to know, and whenever I think of that feeling the peacock inevitably comes to my mind's eye. I still love the look of The Peacock (and peacocks themselves). The Peacock struts about the stage with pride, confident in its beauty, as well it should be.

Hope you guys are getting a lot of these little essays! Take care and happy holidays!
Sincerely,
Heather Shadell

Winner Day 9 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 19, 2009

"I like when the Christmas Tree grows.
I like the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.
I have watched the ballet video and the ballet ever since I was 2 years old. I love the ballet!”
-Ava Grosjean

From Ava's mom: Ava has spent a good part of every December dressing up as and pretending to be Clara – dancing around the house to the Nutcracker music, throwing a pretend slipper at an invisible Mouse King, and even collapsing on the floor in anticipation of her rescue by the Nutcracker. We have attended the Nutcracker several times, and she has come to think of it as part of Christmas.

Winner Day 8 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 18, 2009

It’s been several years since our wild adventure to that memorable Nutcracker performance.

My co-worker Pam and I had talked for several years about how much we loved ballet and how long it had been since either on of us had seen the Nutcracker (15-20 years) and how much we loved the Maurice Sendak sets. We finally decided to just do it and ordered a pair of lovely seats.

Our plan was to leave work early to head down to Seattle, park in the garage and walk to one of the lovely restaurants in the area for a leisurely dinner before catching the performance. Well, those were our plans; it just didn’t work out that way.

First off we were a bit late leaving work and it had been pouring cats and dogs all day. We go on the freeway heading south and got caught in a traffic jam from Northgate on. We decided to cut off the freeway and head over via Ballard to make up some time. We took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up heading for the Fremont Bridge. Well, they were doing construction on the bridge and the traffic down to it and across it was slow and painful. By now we had given up on dinner and were just trying to make it before curtain time.

We finally got across the bridge and headed toward the Seattle Center via Westlake. At this point we were sweating bullets, afraid of not making it in time. Our plan was to head west on Mercer* to the parking garage. Well, what can I say about our plans . . . It was still raining heavily (as it had been all day) and the Mercer underpass was flooded; we could see the roof of a car down there. Now we had to find another way around. By this time we had given up on the first act and were just hoping to get there in time to dance in the lobby to the Dance of the Snowflakes (which would have been a sight to see!).

We got to the garage, along with many others, about 5 minutes after the performance was to start. As we hurried across the skybridge we were informed that even some of the performers had arrived late so the maestro had just started the overture and they would allow everyone in until the curtain went up. Full speed ahead, we flew up the stairs to our seats; dropping into them just as the curtain rose and in time to be transported away by the magic of the music and glorious dancing.

And as for dinner, we stopped at Dick’s in Wallingford on the way home; talking between bites about our favorite parts of the ballet!

Linda Emerson

*Judges’ Note: Since this story happened several years ago, we will allow that the author might have her street names wrong. We do not recommend driving west on the east-bound Mercer Street!

Winner Day 7 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 17, 2009

For me, PNB’s The Nutcracker is both a giant holiday tradition, and very intimate and personal connection with my youngest daughter, Chloe. For years the entire family has turned out for the ballet year after year. Chloe “saw” her first PNB Nutcracker when she was just 5 days old.* As I grappled with fatigue and still-difficult nursing, Chloe ate, slept, and lay there quietly, her blue eyes open, seemingly watching and listening. A few years later, at the Nutcracker yet again, Chloe, now 4, sat ramrod-straight in her chair, eyes riveted on the stage. She had begun pre-ballet at a nearby community center the year before, and it had been love at first position. That year, at age 4, when the peacock strutted and fluttered during her brief uncaged reprieve, Chloe leaned over to me, her eyes never leaving the stage, and whispered, “I love her. She’s the very best dancer in the show.” Two years ago Chloe moved from the community center to PNB. She donned her white leotard, we slowly mastered the ballet bun, and she outgrew one pair of ballet slippers after another—ballet slippers that she now knew to tighten, cut the strings, and tuck the remnants inside. When the holiday approached, we were there in our seats, watching that year’s Clara, the Uncle, the mice and soldiers. We continued to ooh and aah when the grown Clara & her prince waved from their ship with its rocking, revolving wooden waves. Chloe continued to love the peacock, but she also began to notice other details which had previously escaped her: certain positions-- “Those are fun but hard,” she’d sometimes whisper, as she leaned over to me in the theater darkness. She noticed when the whirling dervishes didn’t quite capture like they had the year before, or when the pas de deux between Clara and the Prince was especially exquisite. Sometimes she would become almost somber with wonder (“The snowflake scene is so, so beautiful. They are snowflakes. They are dancing the dance of snow.”) Now, at 8 ½ years of age, Chloe tried out for the Nutcracker for the first time—and made it. She gets to be in the big fight scene, and—joy of joys—she gets to fire the cannon! The very cannon that made us jump out of our seats year after year, then giggle together afterwards because it had “surprised us again!” To me, as Chloe’s mom, the joy, wonder, education and true passion that PNB’s Nutcracker has brought to my daughter cannot be overrated. I feel extremely grateful, and extraordinarily awed by the power of ballet and the power of PNB’s rendition of The Nutcracker—to feed my daughter’s true love, her joy; to give her a reliable, annual tradition that speaks to her very sense of self. This year I will cry when I watch The Nutcracker, because Chloe will be up there on the stage. But between my tears I will have the biggest, goofiest grin on my face, because I’ll be feeling that ghostly weight of that five day old infant on my arm, her eyes wide open, as I watch my daughter now, up there under those lights, my new “very best dancer in the show.”

-By Kim Bryan-Brown

*JUDGES’ NOTE: The Nutcracker does not recommend his ballet for five-day-old infants, and the PNB Box Office would like to remind readers that tickets are required for all children ages 0-12.

Winner Day 6 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 16, 2009

"Behold! Maurice Sendak's Heir Drosselmeyer has appeared on the western skyline, heralding the arrival of the Merry Season, and transforming my dreary commute on the Mercer Street exit! Oh Maestro, how thankful am I for the fanciful dreams and girlhood memories conjured by your towering figure!"

-Jennifer Knutson

Winner Day 5 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 15, 2009

It is not easy having a birthday on Thanksgiving weekend…days of cleaning, shopping and cooking are not the ideal combination for a magical birthday. To treat myself, I take my two sons to the Nutcracker on the Sunday after Thanksgiving every year. Once a year, I see my boys in navy blazers, ties and penny loafers riding the ferry, seeing the holiday sights in downtown Seattle and arriving in style at Seattle Center via a Metro bus. We enjoy a picnic in the lobby and take our pictures by the Maurice Sendak characters (it is my birthday…). The boys delight in the opening boys vs. girls skirmish and thrill to the warrior mice battle scene. We are enchanted by the falling snowflakes, and at intermission, the boys speak wistfully over cocoa of one day attending a performance when all the snow falls at once. The second act’s whirling dervishes and giant puppet captivate, but as the fairies in pink frothy skirts take the stage, my boys start to fade, lulled by the Maestro’s magnificent music. Lids get heavy and heads nod; soon red curls rest on my shoulder, and another year’s memories are complete.

-Christine Brown

Winner Day 4 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 14, 2009

Many years ago, my daughter, Melanie Loop, had the wonderful privilege of performing in PNB's Nutcracker. She was in rehearsals every day to prepare for the show. We planned her 10th birthday slumber party on Friday, December 11, 1987 the only night there was no rehearsal on the schedule. She and her eight friends were sooo excited!! We had the new PNB Nutcracker Video to watch and her friends hadn't seen her all thru' the rehearsal time. My daughter called me from her rehearsal, on Thursday night, in tears, explaining to me that they had added a friday dress rehearsal after all. I calmed her down and let her know it just meant her friends would be waiting for her when she was done. Later that evening, I received a call from PNB's Francia Russell. She explained that someone had overheard my daughter on the phone and that they decided I should bring all the girls to the Dress Rehearsal with Melanie!!! My daughter was ecstatic!! The girls had a wonderful time, watched the whole rehearsal and met the lead Dancers as well as my daughter's ballet classmates. When we watched the PNB movie the next day the girls were pretty excited that they were able to spot the dancers they had met the night before. I wanted to thank everyone at PNB who made that birthday slumber party so special for both my daughter and for her friends. Although these girls are all in their early 30's now, they still talk of that every year on her birthday, making it one of their all time favorite birthday parties ever. She loved dancing in the Nutcracker both years she was selected, as well as her classes from age 4 to age 12. PNB makes more memories that just the Nutcracker Show itself, it changes lives for the many children who are able to be a part of it as well.

Thanks for wonderful memories and such a special treat!!!
-Kris Ohanu

Winner Day 3 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 13, 2009

The Night Before Opening
'Twas the night before opening, when all through McCaw,
Not a creature was stirring, but me and my pa.
Christmas trimmings were hung in the lobby with care,
To enchant the first audience, soon to be there.

The dancers were nestled at home in their beds,
While visions of accolades swum in their heads.
But for dear pa and I there would be no such rest,
For on one night a year, it’s we mice who are guests.

We crept through the gallery and weren’t waiting long,
When down every aisle streamed a furry mouse throng.
The back of each seat in the elegant hall
Was soon topped with a mouse, who from there could see all.

The squeaking was hushed as the lights were brought low,
And a spotlight appeared on our rodent maestro.
At the flick of his matchstick, the orchestra sounded,
With precision that left every mouse ear astounded.

The overture ended, the stage was alit,
And the PNB Mouse Corps was dancing on it!
By watching the PNB dancers rehearse,
They’d learned every movement front-ways and reverse.

In sequins and tutus they leaped and they spun,
As Drosselmeyer’s presents performed one by one.
Thunderous applause made the theater sing,
But loudest of all for the fearless Mouse King!

The battle ensued between soldier and mouse,
With paw-biting action that brought down the house.
But this version strayed from the usual tale,
For the nutcracker fell and the mouse king prevailed!

His army victorious, he took to the seas,
To show lovely Clarat a kingdom of dreams.
They danced an unparalleled grand pas de deux,
And were feted by flowers and sweets in toe shoes.

But like every good thing, the night came to an end,
With Clarat retiring at last to her bed.
We applauded and squeaked 'til the last curtain fell,
Entranced by the evening as if by a spell.

We hated to leave but knew we must go,
For a new ballet troupe would soon open their show.
But I heard as we left, a soft squeak in my ear,
“Merry Christmouse to all, and please come back next year!”

By Jessica Arnold

Winner Day 2 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 12, 2009

There once was a mouse named Maurice
who drew illustrations with ease.
With the Stowells as his backer
he designed a Nutcracker
and was paid back in champagne and cheese.

-Patty Cannon

Winner Day 1 of the 12 Days of Nutcracker

November 11, 2009

In the Autumn of '92, when we moved to Moses Lake, Washington from Gainesville, Florida, we promised our 6-year-old ballet-loving daughter, Naomi, that we would see a Nutcracker ballet that Christmas. So her zealous dad bought nice seats to see PNB's performance for the whole family, including a 7 month old baby brother! Crazy! What was he thinking? He thought baby Daniel would fall asleep in the car on the way over the pass and sleep through the entire performance! On the contrary, Daniel lasted about 5 minutes in the theater and then for the rest of the evening, while listening to the Maestro's magnificent music coming from inside the theater, I chased him around the lobby and the ladies' lounge, which is very beautiful by my recollection. Daniel had a delightful time. But, I had a "memorable" time. Even though Daniel is now 17 and Naomi has recently graduated with a BFA in ballet from Belhaven in Jackson, MS, we have never been back to see Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker in Seattle. I think two free tickets would be a great incentive (kind of make up for the two tickets spent to play like Maurice's mischievous mice in the lobby 17 years ago).       -Gayle Talbot