The Nutcracker

What Ticks Me Off Growing up, I have become wiser. I have been exposed to so much stupidity, that it ticks me off. There are many things in this world that happens to tick me off. There has been one that has really gotten out of control lately. It would be racism. Racism has been a major focal point of the news these past few months. It is culturally degrading, disrespectful, and stereotypical. Racism is culturally degrading. Being an African American, I am always told by other races I am…

Music and How it Effects Our Learning Mark Churchill (2007) said "Every kid--and grownup--is affected by music. It 's part of what makes us human.” Most people enjoy listening to music. From early childhood we are taught songs, like the ABC 's, that help children grasp concepts that might be otherwise challenging. Many play the radio in their cars, shops play music to get us in better moods, and humans are drawn to this sound. Music allows us to form memories, become better listeners, increase…

moment I have been preparing for non-stop for months. I am dancing Swan Lake. My name is Odette. Alright, so my name isn’t actually Odette, it’s Annie. The boring, brunette, ballerina who likes to escape into fantasy lands such as the land of the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, or Cinderella. However, the only way I can do this is through my dancing. This is a good thing because years ago I had devoted my mind, body, and soul to ballet. It has become my life. In many ways it has become my career, my…

Lovingly referred to as Hell Week, the intense stage rehearsals leading up to the opening of The Nutcracker leave me completely exhausted. Add preparing for and taking college finals as a high school student and you have one worn out person. My first year of attempting to muddle through both of these individually stressful undertakings left me in a puddle of frustration and tears multiple times. Two years later, I finally have the system down and manage to strut through Hell Week like it’s a…

5) When he was 13, he played Travis Younger in A Raisin in the Sun. 6) He went to Baltimore School for the Arts, where he took artful dance classes. 7) He additionally Played the Mouse's role King in the Nutcracker. 8) Tupac composed his hit melody "Dear Mama" while in jail. 9) Jada Pinkett had a profound non-romantic association with Tupac. 10) While going to class…

I would like to say the production and the displays were magnificent. When I walked in even before the show began they gave the perfect lighting with the snowflakes projected on the closed curtains. They also projected a Christmas tree and sat nutcrackers on each side giving a great winter theme. As it began to fill up I noticed the diverse crowd, there were people from all ages and races attending the show. As the show started the lights went dim and the curtains opened showing the Santa Fe…

Take 30 seconds before reading this and think of what a dancer is to you. If you go by the Merriam Webster definition, a dancer is someone who “moves one's body rhythmically usually to music” or even worse “to move or seem to move up and down or about in a quick or lively manner.” Although the first definition isn’t wrong (the second definition is borderline insulting) a true dancer is much more complex. Definitions aside, when you think of a dancer you might think of the dance line at your…

How has Ballet influenced culture? Background information Ballet is an artistic movement that is performed by ballerinas wearing specific costumes. It can be telling a story which express feelings and thoughts. It was originally started in the 15th century, ballet was performed in the Italian Renaissance court. Noblemen and women learnt the steps and movements from the dancing masters, then they participate in the performance with the music in celebration events in the court. A century later, an…

continued to evolve, creating new looks and different theatrical illusions. The popularity of ballet increased in Russia, and, during the end of the 19th century, Russian choreographers including many composers went the extra mile. Marius Petipa’s The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, by Petipa and Lev Ivanov,are all beautiful representations of a classical ballet in its best complete art form. The main purpose was to display classical technique — pointe work, high extensions,…

After experiencing the The Nutcracker for my 8th birthday, I dreamed of being able to dance en pointe just like the graceful prima ballerina. Despite this, one too many classes had passed with me standing on the sidelines as my classmates, one by one, crossed one of the first finish…