RNZB The Nutcracker

Last night Alison and I were in Palmerston North to see The Royal New Zealand Ballet's The Nutcracker. The show was extra special for us as two of the senior ballet students were dancing with the company in Act I. A huge congratulations to Amber and Sydney for their performance last night - you were both stunning, and we're very proud of you!! It was good to see fellow students Maya, Amelie and Bella in the audience, as well as the girls' families, so they had an awesome support crew. I hope everyone enjoyed the show, whether they were watching the stage or on it.

Amber outside The Regent Theatre prior to dress rehearsal on Tuesday

Sydney (above) and Amber (below) in their RNZB Nutcracker cast shirts - they're only ever given out to company members, so it's a pretty special keepsake!

The girls' mothers organised a little get together after the show to celebrate - including cake, of course

The show itself was just as magical the second time around (I saw it a few weeks ago in Wellington as well - a big thanks to my uncle for shouting me the ticket!). There's only a few places left on the tour, but if you have a chance to see it, do go - this new version of The Nutcracker is tied with San Francisco Ballet's for my all-time favourite, and the Waltz of the Snowflakes piece is the best version I've ever seen (including the Bolshoi's...). I won't write a full review here, as I could go on for weeks, and frankly I don't have the time. We're moving straight on to final rehearsals for our annual concert on Sunday, so it's last minute costume fittings and final run-throughs for my senior repertoire girls tonight. Can't wait to see all that hard work pay off on Sunday!

- Selene