Nutcracker

Those of us who could manage to stay awake past 7:30 hopped on the busses for a trip downtown to see The Nutcracker Suite ballet. It was like no other nutcracker I have ever seen. That is one of the joys of living in a major arts centre. The music was beautiful even though the scorekeeper carefully disguised many of the familiar tunes.

FYI, ballet is all about rotating and leaping. The cast was so large they are able to use rotating casts for the multiple performances. Some were rotating on stage and some were rotated back home.

They kept messing with our perspectives. Both the children and the adult dancers wore identical costumes in the first act. It threw our brains off just enough that we could not tell the difference between Carmen and Cohan.

Only in the South can one wear a full-length fur coat for an “occasion”. Purely for the warmth, I am sure. Or, just in case the temperature dropped below 60.

Also, we were honored with a couple of the Vanderbilt frat boys in top hats and tails. The rest of us appeared to be normal although sheath dresses are not recommended if you are largely pregnant.

I looked for that great dancer, Sara Evans, but did not see her. However, I did see Darrell Waltrip in his NASCAR dress. If you clink on the link below, you can see it, too.

www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/darrell-waltrip-to-perform-in-nutcracker/63806.htm

Nashville Ballet's Nutcracker: Boogity, Boogity, Ballet features Darrell Waltrip as 'Mother Ginger'

Gentlemen: Start your Engines! Darrell Waltrip is racing to Nashville Ballet's holiday favorite this year as "Mother Ginger" in Nutcracker. This scene-stealing role accelerates quickly and will leave folks begging for more! Darrell will don a LARGER-than-LIFE dress and prepare to maneuver across the stage at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Friday December 15, 2006 at 7:00 pm. Once onstage, eight children magically appear from his voluminous skirts, dancing for joy and "Mother Ginger" will move with speed of light to capture these children in less than 10 laps!

AsA

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.