The Nutcracker Suite

Who knew that 7 little boys between the ages of 4 and 9 could have so much fun watching ballet?! Last night Kristen and I took Alec & Braden (9), Spencer (8), Jacob (7), Tyler (6), Peter (5) and Dallin (4) to see the Nutcracker Suite. It was the dress rehearsal/kids night (all kids got in free with a canned good when they would otherwise cost $15 each; adult tickets were $20). Nathan and Dave had a meeting to attend, and Christopher and Jonathan stayed home to watch Eric and Brennan (who went to bed right after we left), and do homework. Plus they didn't think the ballet sounded too cool - teenagers!

I debated all day about whether I should take Dallin, because let's face it, he doesn't exactly hold still too well. But as soon as he heard we were going, he REALLY wanted to go. I told him it was just dancing and he would have to sit quietly and not tell me he wanted to go home at all during the show. He promised me over and over that he would be good. He exceeded my expecatations and loved it! He had a lot of questions and comments in the beginning, which I had to keep shushing, but he learned to whisper and was totally mesmerized by the show, until he fell asleep halfway through the 2nd act. Tyler also fell asleep towards the end (it was 2 hours past their bedtime, afterall), but they all really enjoyed it.

I was quite impressed with the costumes, sets, and overall quality of the performance. Spencer's favorite part was the Arabian dance, although he thought the costumes were too immodest. Tyler liked the fighting scene between the toy soldiers and the rat king, and Dallin liked the snow falling and the cannon, which made us all jump. We were in the second row, and I think we had the best seats in the house. It was a really fun night and I'm so glad we went.