Intermission at the Nutcracker

These are Evan’s hand (above) and his father’s (below) playing a game of Slap during intermission. Their mom is doing makeup and hair for the production, so she got some free passes. I took Bella to her first Nutcracker in 2015, her second in 2016. Four years later, we all went to a Hiphop Nutcracker. Each time was a different energy. 

This time I asked both kids what aspect of the production was most interesting to them. Bella said set, said she wouldn’t mind designing a production herself, had some ideas about what she’d do differently. Evan said music, and for much of the production he bent over in his seat so he could listen and not be distracted by the dancers. Seth and I both enjoyed watching them and the fact that the company has made efforts to eliminate the cultural and racial stereotyping Hoffmann and Balanchine had built in.  

After the show we met their mom at the stage door and went out for some ramen. She gets a two-hour break between shows. I made a quick traditional family portrait (Extra) on the way to the restaurant, but I forgot I’d set the shutter speed to 60 inside the theatre, so there’s some blur.

As we were eating ramen, Bella asked if the Ukraine war has stopped. Seth told her no it hasn’t, it has just been eclipsed by another war. “Palestine?” she asked. 

“Yes, and the Israeli government has killed as many people in two months, most of them children, as the Russians killed in two years.” Evan turned away and laid his head on the table, humming a little Tchaikovsky.