Meeting the Sugar Plum Fairy

We headed to Lolli and Pop's this past weekend because my alma mater ballet company was having a Sugar Plum Fairy party for little girls on Saturday. I knew Juliana wouldn't sit through a 2 hour performance of the Nutcracker (as much as I would like for her to), so I called SAB (Staunton Academy of Ballet) in October and asked if there was something for her, or a rehearsal we could attend for her to see ballerinas and costumes, etc. So, leading up to this weekend event, I've been asking Juliana if she wanted to go see a ballerina (she has a picture of a ballerina in her bedroom which she periodically points out, and we have a couple of ballerina books she likes to read). She enthusiastically said yes.

When we would drive to day care, I put on the music to the Nutcracker, and would describe what was happening in the music, often while holding back tears (good memories!). I would say something like, "And this is when Clara and the prince go into the snow!" And she would say "Yeah! Yeah!" like she was remembering with me, it was hilarious. Sometimes I would look in my mirror and she would be dancing or bopping around in her car seat along to the music.

So on Saturday, Lolli, Juliana and I headed to Staunton for the sugar plum party. We made a brief stop to see Mrs. Newman in Bridgewater, and then arrived at the party. When we walked in the door, we met up with my dance teacher, Miss Pam, and her daughter Miss Shanda. Juliana, meanwhile, spotted a Sugar Plum Fairy attendant at the door in a lilac tutu (the same one that I wore for 4 years in the same role, and also wore as the Lilac Fairy in our production of Sleeping Beauty when I was a senior in high school). She was entranced. The girl got down on her knees so Juliana could look at it. Juliana patted the tutu, felt all the sequins, touched her tiara, then examined her pointe shoes. When the girl stood back up, Juliana patted and embraced her legs (it is kind of funny, I suppose, to stand under a girl's tutu and not be able to see her face since Juliana was so tiny). Then Juliana threw her arms up in the universal gesture for "UP!" but the girl would just get down again so Juliana could get a closer look. She absolutely loved it! There were two sugar plum fairy attendants there (so the same costume), but Juliana gravitated toward this girl only.

There were all sorts of sweets set up in the middle of the room, so Juliana was thrilled by the candy and cookies and cupcakes. There was a craft area where Juliana got to put foam stickers together to make a door hanging. The Rose and Snow Queen were on the stage for pictures to be taken, and then there was another area for coloring pictures. Then, Miss Pam told the story of the Nutcracker and a few of the special characters came out and danced their parts. Juliana was entranced. When the sugar plum fair attendants came out, Juliana pointed and exclaimed at the girl she recognized. Then when the Rose danced, she did the same thing, I assume because she remembered her tutu before (she examined it closely, it has flower shaped sequins on it). When the Sugar Plum Fairy came out, Juliana got so excited I put her down so she could dance. It was so precious. After the Sugar Plum Fairy danced, all the girls came out and "taught" a dance to the little girls attending. Juliana jumped right in to dance with them. Of course it was her own little dance that she did before, but she did follow some of their moves! Then the little girls went up on the stage and the big girls stayed on the floor. It was so cute to see Juliana sit on the stage with her feet under her, kneeling just like the big girls, so the Mommies in the audience could take a picture of all the little girls up on the stage! Then the Sugar Plum had a makeup brush and a small bucket of glitter, her fairy dust, which she put on each of the girl's chins. Juliana did great with it.

It was such a great time, and great memories for Lolli and me! I hope we get a chance to go back next year and see what difference a year makes!

Petting the Mirliton Shepherdess' lamb, Lulu. Her Nutcracker craft is on her arm. It didn't survive the weekend though, as Juliana pulled off and stuck the stickers together.