There are many beloved holiday traditions, none more recognized in the dance world than the Nutcracker ballet. Each December our Troupe + Company dancers perform in Nutcracker Suites & Sweets, a special event for children and adults alike. We knew this year that an indoor show would not be possible during the current pandemic, so we embarked on the journey of coordinating our very first outdoor performance.
To our delight “Nutcracker Under the Stars” was a huge success! We held two shows at 4pm and 7pm on Saturday, December 12th. SMSD Troupe Directors, Ms. Teresa and Ms. Kristin, did an outstanding job of costuming, choreographing, and preparing our Troupe members to perform. A mobile stage truck set up in the front parking lot of the shopping center, and it legitimately looked like one of the stages at Austin City limits! Our Troupe parent volunteers decorated the stage and made it look beautiful and festive. The father of one of our senior Troupe members even joined in on the fun performing as Mother Ginger in the shows! Each family brought lawn chairs from home and sat socially distanced in their own “pods” in the parking spaces. We literally stopped traffic a few times on Mesa Drive! The weather was perfect (thank you Texas winter)! We even used the playground at the YPW daycare as dressing areas for the older dancers.
We are so grateful we were able to keep this holiday tradition alive despite how different it looked this year. We truly could not have done it without the support of all our Troupe parents, Troupe Directors Teresa and Kristin, SMSD Director Edwina, and the rest of the SMSD staff.
