I was four-years-old the first time my mother took me to the ballet. It was in late November, and we went to see The Nutcracker. I've been smitten with the story ever since. Don't ask me who the dancers were because I have no idea, but the face of the Nutcracker Prince for me has always been and will always be Mikhail Baryshnikov. I had three heroes when I was a child: Macgyver, Luke Skywalker, and Mikhail. At least one of them was real.
Mikhail's Nutcracker warms my heart every time I see it. Every time I see a poster of him I wish I was the girl he lifted so tenderly into the air. I dreamed as a child and a young teenager that I was Clara. The ending to his Nutcracker is bitter-sweet, but that it makes all the more real.
So, join me now for Mikhail Baryshnikov's Nutcracker. May you love it as much as I do during this Christmas season.
P.s. If you can, find a DVD copy. I know our library has it, and I'm sure yours does to.