Do you know how much dance means to your child?

As a young girl I was in love with ballet. I wanted to grow up and be a ballerina. The first time I ever saw a ballet live was in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ballet West was doing their annual performance of The Nutcracker. I was so excited to see the beautiful ballerinas dancing around the stage. As the lights went down, the Capitol Theatre was filled with the amazing sound of Tchaikovsky’s score. I was completely mesmerized. The scenery was complete with a tree that grew. My brother kept exclaiming “look at the tree mom, its growing”. The dancing was the prettiest thing I had ever laid my eyes on. 
Now as an adult I look back at the experience and realize that The Nutcracker will always remain my favorite ballet. It is not due to the amazing choreography, talented dancers, wonderful music or terrific scenery. It is because the first time I saw it live I realized the magic of live performance on a stage. Every single person involved with putting together a show is invested in giving the audience a new experience. The dancers, actors and musicians have a passion that they are willing to share. It is not for the sound of applause or the money. It is a love for their art that they wish to share even for just a short amount of time.
As we come back from our holiday break and start working toward the year end recital on June 2nd I hope that you take a moment to realize how much your dancer enjoys their art. Some may only dance for one season. Some will dance for a lifetime. But no matter what, they want to share it with you.

​Masina Berry