The Po Show

Nutcracker Sweet

I went with Tessa's class on a field trip to see The Nutcracker at our nearby state university this morning. I admire the ambition of the teachers at school SO much, that they would endeavor to take every first grader, four classes worth, to the THEE-AH-TAH. It was quite a production, both on and off stage.

As Nutcrackers go, it was okay. The principals were all from the university's dance corps, and of varying levels of talent. Some were very good. The kids were all from the community (over 150 kids involved!) and they were mostly bumbling and adorable. They introduced some of the kids during intermission, including little four year old mice. Other kids were on stage to give a shout out to their schools, all of whom were in attendance. One of the little Blue Cavaliers was a little girl from our school, who had Tessa's teacher last year.

Our kids were amazingly good, if a bit fidgety late in the second act. Tessa felt a little overwhelmed before the show even began, due to the crowd noise. She's still very sensitive to noise. But she enjoyed most of the show, though by the end she kept leaning in to tell me, "This is longer than I had expected." I think the dad sitting in front of me felt the same way, judging by his own fidgeting. But all in all I think it was a wonderful experience for the kids, and I'm glad I got to come along.

It still blows me away, all the wonderful field trips they give the kids at our school. It's a level of enrichment that I think we're fortunate to have. And that's pretty sweet.