Der Nussknacker
I finally did it! All this time as a mom I have wanted to take my family to see the Nutcracker as it was such a big memory of mine growing up. Some places we’ve lived it has been too far away to do, or too expensive, or the kids were not the right ages to brave it alone with Matt away working. But this year! I was determined and it was perfect!
When I told the kids and Matt I had bought tickets they looked at me like I had lost my mind, “Um, mom. You do realize that it’s probably going to be in German and we won’t understand it, right?” I laughed and laughed and laughed. “You’re totally right! Actually the music is Russian so you may be totally lost 😂.”
I was so sad that their only experience with The Nutcracker thus far was a book of the story and the Disney movie. They knew the music but without the association of what it went with and how it fits the story. When I shared with them what to expect they groaned about how “borrrring” this was going to be and that they didn’t want to go, and “why was I forcing them to do this?”
I stopped all of this complaining right away.
“Look,” I said. “I don’t care if you hate it or you’re bored or it’s not your thing. This is a cultural experience you need to have. I want you to be curious; to notice how amazing the dancers are; how much practice goes into it; the costumes and the sets, the lighting and the real orchestra there. Notice all the details and let yourself feel the wonder of it all. You might not care for it but that doesn’t matter. Let yourself experience something new. You just might love it!”
They knew I was serious and wasn’t going to entertain any complaints whatsoever, and they seemed to look forward to the evening as it came closer.
It was an absolute rush to get down there on the night of the performance. We had to figure out parking in downtown Stuttgart which was only more complicated with the Christmas Market happening. We were extremely bundled up for the cold temps and tried to quickly grab something to eat at the market on our way to the Opera House just behind the new Palace. Brian and Nola opted for crêpes, and Matt and I and Emme grabbed different Reibkuchens (potato pancakes with different toppings).
I bought the cheapest seats in the house at the advice of a friend here and it actually turned out great! They were about $8 each while other seats were up to $200 each. We could see the orchestra and the entire stage perfectly, except Matt had a pillar he had to lean to one side to see around.
The Stuttgart Ballet did a beautiful job with a very modern interpretation of The Nutcracker. It was charming although I missed some of the more familiar transitions and scenes. I was in The Nutcracker as a child with my family and it caught me off guard to have those memories flood over me as the music started and throughout. It was fun to tell my kids, “this was my song! This was my dance!”
Baby Dayna! I was six years old. I still remember the smell of the stage makeup and being so careful under Mother Ginger’s skirt so that I didn’t get stepped on by the stilts. And feeling absolutely mortified when I rolled to the right instead of to the left on one of the performance nights. Also, I was so bummed I had to wear the orange costume rather than the pretty pink or purple or blue ones 😆.
In the end, my family loved it! There were no complaints or asking, “when is it over?” They were fascinated and delighted. I giggled and cried and was so happy through the whole performance. And I loved looking over at everyone’s faces all lit up with wonder. We are already looking forward to going again next year.
