The Nutcracker

Somehow, I had acquired a parrot and a chinchilla, and I was looking after them from my car. I couldn’t keep my eyes on them at all times because I was helping out at my old ballet teacher’s Nutcracker rehearsals. For some reason, we were working outside in the snow (perhaps to capture the essence of winter). Guest teachers had been brought in to work with the kids, and my job was to oversee them and ensure everyone was on task. It ended up being really fun, and then we showed the teacher what we had put together. Then, it was time for dress rehearsal. Many old friends were there to assist with the production. I was cast as Soldier Captain and a member of the party scene. I remember sitting in the audience to watch scenes I was not in. My grandma had come, and she was in a very whimsical, transported state as she watched the show. She had a hard time seeing, so I pointed some things out to her. However, I felt a loss of connection from her. I knew this was the life she had wanted for me, and I didn’t give that to her. I couldn’t help but feel isolated. When it was the battle scene, the mouse king was Prince Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender. We had to battle. He was wearing the attire he wears at the end of the tv series. At one point, we had to run offstage and go outside to make it to the other side of the stage. We had agreed that we needed to practice to make the battle more aggressive. At first, Zuko was played by a young man, but then he was older.