In the rare instance where the clickbait Tabs headline matches the gif, we’ve got a Boston Ballet performance of the Nutcracker. Did you know that (gasp!) Mother Ginger is usually danced by a man?
Ophelia, Desdemona, Portia- all the female roles in Shakespeare's plays were acted by men or boys until Charles II made it legal. Probably so his bit on the side Nell Gwynn could get more and better parts.
The most memorable performance of "The Nutcracker" is one my little sister performed in as a Sugar Plum Fairy.
It was particularly meaningful to me because she had been hit by a car only one week before, and I was standing at the end of the driveway straddling my own blue, sparkle-paint Stingray bicycle watching it happen in absolute horror. I remember the car hitting her on her bike, the bike flying out from beneath her, and my sister turning a cartwheel in midair before impacting on the street.
My mother fainted on the front porch. The neighbor lady and I picked my crying, scraped, bleeding little sister up, brought her inside of our house, and after I gathered the first aide supplies tended some of her wounds.
She was pretty banged up, but fortunately her bike suffered far worse damage than she sustained. And the poor young man who hit her was in even WORSE shape. She had ridden her bike right out in front of him and he was only going about twenty miles per hour up the residential street, but he was absolutely devastated. I wanted to do something to make him feel better as well.
While she was a tad stiff sneaking out from behind the tree on her cue, K**** danced her role beautifully regardless. The show must go on.
My wife and I took our granddaughter to see the NUTCRACKER years ago. Our sad little girl just had a nasty tooth ache (which was taken care of). She tried her best to pay attention but is was tragic for all of us.
As I have posted before, the Nutrcracker changed my daughter's life. When she was about three her Mom got us tickets to see the local-ish production in a small opera house, but her Mom was working that day so I took the kid. She was absolutely spellbound, and it put her on the path to a bachelor's in fine arts with dance, ballet concentration, and a year as a pro (which was roughly enough). She still dances, of course, and still enjoys it.
I bet some of the "male" roles are danced by whomever is available, accomplished enough, and fits in the costumes, too. I had a lot of fun seeing it this past weekend. I definitely wore a mask, the place was full of humans!
My friend's kid had one of the larger roles this year and she was fabulous. As a junior in HS it's close to her last time, after years of doing it. She loves dancing but isn't interested in doing it professionally. Like many things it will mostly live in her childhood. It was a treat to see her dance. A little bittersweet. I am so happy I went.
Bittersweet indeed. My daughter was at just that point when one of the visiting artists had The Talk with her, and said in his opinion she was good enough to give it a shot. She took the shot, got into a great conservatory, and made a short but satisfying career out of it.
Dancers are next level dedicated like pro athletes. I went to art college that had dance, ballet in particular. When I would get to work to open the library because I was a library clerk at the time the dancers would already be dancing and they had full course loads as well.
That's why mentorship is so important! My friend's kid has used dance to have community outside of school, a valuable asset as sometimes school will suck, no matter how good it is for you. She's done some programs in the summer but isn't interested in the hyper-competition, and has used summer programs to start dreaming about what she wants in a college. She's way more "on it" than I ever was.
I did know that. It's a function of trying to get a dancer who is as tall as possible and has the strength to hold up that damn cantilevered skirt that - I kid you not - weighs 25kg or more.
OMG, I totally should have read your thing first. you said ALL that stuff, except you used an example skirt that was 50 pounds instead of 25kg. I am mortified to have stollen your dessert thunder.
I've been a nurse forever. I want to believe the nurse that called 911 on the Ohio woman post-miscarriage was forced to by her/his hospital administration. There's the legal thing to, then there's the right thing to do. That may have been what was legally correct, but it sure as hell wasn't right. None of that woman's nightmare was.
"this year the combination of trying to get the house and large family ready to leave for three days in LA for my dad’s funeral (a day I’m working), to return in the wee hours of Christmas Eve, and mom’s Alzheimer’s"
My sincere condolences dear Queen Rebekah...My 93 yo Dad is still here, but Altzheimers is stealing his brain so I know this very tough to travel, he gets much worse when out of his routine. Sending love and hugs....
The Ohio abortion story is terrible but the way it's been reported is making it worse and some parts of it are troubling.
She went to the ER three times but was *not* sent home, she left against advice. One thing she said was she didn't want her mother to find out she was pregnant(!) and she said she put the fetus outside in a bucket while the coroner said it was in the toilet.
Mr. Hartmann's piece is truly terrifying. I have read other works regarding the slow move toward fascism by the right-wing. This is another exemplary explanation. Should it be read by those who think Dear Leader is this country's savior, it would be quickly dismissed as lies. I am scared to my core for the future of this country. Even if the Russian asset loses again in '24, he and his forces won't go away. They will continue their attacks on democracy, probably even more violently than before, continue the Big Lie, and continue to do whatever Putin and the American oligarchs want them to do to crush America. The only thing I have going for me is that I'm 77 years old and won't have to be part of this treasonous shit show for long. P.S. I've read each installment of The Split. It's a good read, but simply reinforces the fear I have for the future of this country.
Holy shirtballs y'all. Can you even imagine? Reagan really was the devil personified.
From Thom Hartmann:
Had Reagan not destroyed the nation’s unions, the median American income today would be well over $100,000 a year, 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦-𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 $𝟖𝟔,𝟎𝟎𝟎, and a single wage-earner would still be able to buy a house, a car, send the kids to college, and have a decent retirement (as my dad did, working a union job in a tool-and-die shop).
Im up for a 34 hour to see my Wonk friends, but Mrs. Bz&Bz will not give up the one car or go. Frowning emoji. Have fun my friends. And yes god dammit, we CAN do the things that need to be done in 2024.
Good morning! The only important thing I have to say here is I LOVE The Split, and I'm so grateful to Trix for bringing it to us. It's the kind of speculative fiction that colors most other news stories presented here. It sits with me all week and it's hard to wait for the next installation. As a woman with more than one unwanted pregnancy (and two very wanted children) I am sitting with Lorinda's panic and rage.
If you SUBSCRIBE to The Wonkette then you get a deal on subscribing to The Split too so that's a very smart move.
It's depressing AF. Or at least the first one was and that put me off even looking at the rest.
But on the plus side, the MIGOP is apparently a dumpster fire!
So that's nice!
And for Christmas I'd like SCOTUS to deny cert on the Colorado case and leave it to the states so we have a mess with Trump on some ballots but not others.
Or, the GOP could kick him off themselves and then he runs 3rd party.
There's other stuff I'd like as well but this is a family blog and you'd think less of me.
Oh, and my mini vacation before Christmas is a cabin in the mountains and not talking to people. So I have the mental energy to get through the big parties of Christmas. Cause lockdown broke my prior ability to be social.
Why is it that so much of the mystery surrounding the Trump machinations to destroy our democracy circle around one of the dumbest men to ever serve in either the House of Representatives or a Presidential administration, Mark Meadows? His light is so dim he could shine as brightly as he possibly can and hide in a coal mine. He is a donut with a black hole at its center.
In the rare instance where the clickbait Tabs headline matches the gif, we’ve got a Boston Ballet performance of the Nutcracker. Did you know that (gasp!) Mother Ginger is usually danced by a man?
https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/mother-ginger-and-the-polichinelles
I did Mother Ginger (I don't think we called her that? can't remember) ON ICE SKATES with eight 6&7yo's under the skirt ALSO ON ICE SKATES.
tl:dr-- I can take /you/ with one hand tied behind my back, never doubt it
Oh, I would not!
Ophelia, Desdemona, Portia- all the female roles in Shakespeare's plays were acted by men or boys until Charles II made it legal. Probably so his bit on the side Nell Gwynn could get more and better parts.
The most memorable performance of "The Nutcracker" is one my little sister performed in as a Sugar Plum Fairy.
It was particularly meaningful to me because she had been hit by a car only one week before, and I was standing at the end of the driveway straddling my own blue, sparkle-paint Stingray bicycle watching it happen in absolute horror. I remember the car hitting her on her bike, the bike flying out from beneath her, and my sister turning a cartwheel in midair before impacting on the street.
My mother fainted on the front porch. The neighbor lady and I picked my crying, scraped, bleeding little sister up, brought her inside of our house, and after I gathered the first aide supplies tended some of her wounds.
She was pretty banged up, but fortunately her bike suffered far worse damage than she sustained. And the poor young man who hit her was in even WORSE shape. She had ridden her bike right out in front of him and he was only going about twenty miles per hour up the residential street, but he was absolutely devastated. I wanted to do something to make him feel better as well.
While she was a tad stiff sneaking out from behind the tree on her cue, K**** danced her role beautifully regardless. The show must go on.
My little sister danced as a polichinelle for the NYC Ballet for a few years. She's still excited about that from fifty years ago!
My wife and I took our granddaughter to see the NUTCRACKER years ago. Our sad little girl just had a nasty tooth ache (which was taken care of). She tried her best to pay attention but is was tragic for all of us.
Rhizomes like ginger have a distinctly masculine look.
Fortunately it is hidden under the rather tent-like skirt.
Nuts must definitely be cracked!
The title itself demands it be so!
As it is written, so shall it be.
Be Deez?
As I have posted before, the Nutrcracker changed my daughter's life. When she was about three her Mom got us tickets to see the local-ish production in a small opera house, but her Mom was working that day so I took the kid. She was absolutely spellbound, and it put her on the path to a bachelor's in fine arts with dance, ballet concentration, and a year as a pro (which was roughly enough). She still dances, of course, and still enjoys it.
That is a great (Christmas) story!
I bet some of the "male" roles are danced by whomever is available, accomplished enough, and fits in the costumes, too. I had a lot of fun seeing it this past weekend. I definitely wore a mask, the place was full of humans!
My daughter and her partner went to our local version on Sunday. I’m so glad the kids like these things!
The NUT CRACKER enthralls everyone!
My friend's kid had one of the larger roles this year and she was fabulous. As a junior in HS it's close to her last time, after years of doing it. She loves dancing but isn't interested in doing it professionally. Like many things it will mostly live in her childhood. It was a treat to see her dance. A little bittersweet. I am so happy I went.
Bittersweet indeed. My daughter was at just that point when one of the visiting artists had The Talk with her, and said in his opinion she was good enough to give it a shot. She took the shot, got into a great conservatory, and made a short but satisfying career out of it.
Dancers are next level dedicated like pro athletes. I went to art college that had dance, ballet in particular. When I would get to work to open the library because I was a library clerk at the time the dancers would already be dancing and they had full course loads as well.
That's why mentorship is so important! My friend's kid has used dance to have community outside of school, a valuable asset as sometimes school will suck, no matter how good it is for you. She's done some programs in the summer but isn't interested in the hyper-competition, and has used summer programs to start dreaming about what she wants in a college. She's way more "on it" than I ever was.
I did know that. It's a function of trying to get a dancer who is as tall as possible and has the strength to hold up that damn cantilevered skirt that - I kid you not - weighs 25kg or more.
Many productions use a moveable raised platform for that.
Yup! I wrote about that in my associated post. 😁
OMG, I totally should have read your thing first. you said ALL that stuff, except you used an example skirt that was 50 pounds instead of 25kg. I am mortified to have stollen your dessert thunder.
Mmmm, stollen.
Oh, no worries at all. I know sometimes folks don’t have time to read my stuff.
Birthing hips, nothing, those are berthing hips!
berthing hips? is he a ship?
I've been a nurse forever. I want to believe the nurse that called 911 on the Ohio woman post-miscarriage was forced to by her/his hospital administration. There's the legal thing to, then there's the right thing to do. That may have been what was legally correct, but it sure as hell wasn't right. None of that woman's nightmare was.
"this year the combination of trying to get the house and large family ready to leave for three days in LA for my dad’s funeral (a day I’m working), to return in the wee hours of Christmas Eve, and mom’s Alzheimer’s"
My sincere condolences dear Queen Rebekah...My 93 yo Dad is still here, but Altzheimers is stealing his brain so I know this very tough to travel, he gets much worse when out of his routine. Sending love and hugs....
The Ohio abortion story is terrible but the way it's been reported is making it worse and some parts of it are troubling.
She went to the ER three times but was *not* sent home, she left against advice. One thing she said was she didn't want her mother to find out she was pregnant(!) and she said she put the fetus outside in a bucket while the coroner said it was in the toilet.
I'm waiting for the final installment of The Split so I can binge read the first season.
Ta poketa, ta poketa.
Mr. Hartmann's piece is truly terrifying. I have read other works regarding the slow move toward fascism by the right-wing. This is another exemplary explanation. Should it be read by those who think Dear Leader is this country's savior, it would be quickly dismissed as lies. I am scared to my core for the future of this country. Even if the Russian asset loses again in '24, he and his forces won't go away. They will continue their attacks on democracy, probably even more violently than before, continue the Big Lie, and continue to do whatever Putin and the American oligarchs want them to do to crush America. The only thing I have going for me is that I'm 77 years old and won't have to be part of this treasonous shit show for long. P.S. I've read each installment of The Split. It's a good read, but simply reinforces the fear I have for the future of this country.
I like The Split too!
Sincere condolences on the loss of your father... hope you are able to get a little down time.
Rebecca,
My condolences on your father's death. May his memory be forever a blessing.
Baruch dayan ha-emet.
Holy shirtballs y'all. Can you even imagine? Reagan really was the devil personified.
From Thom Hartmann:
Had Reagan not destroyed the nation’s unions, the median American income today would be well over $100,000 a year, 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦-𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 $𝟖𝟔,𝟎𝟎𝟎, and a single wage-earner would still be able to buy a house, a car, send the kids to college, and have a decent retirement (as my dad did, working a union job in a tool-and-die shop).
Im up for a 34 hour to see my Wonk friends, but Mrs. Bz&Bz will not give up the one car or go. Frowning emoji. Have fun my friends. And yes god dammit, we CAN do the things that need to be done in 2024.
Good morning! The only important thing I have to say here is I LOVE The Split, and I'm so grateful to Trix for bringing it to us. It's the kind of speculative fiction that colors most other news stories presented here. It sits with me all week and it's hard to wait for the next installation. As a woman with more than one unwanted pregnancy (and two very wanted children) I am sitting with Lorinda's panic and rage.
If you SUBSCRIBE to The Wonkette then you get a deal on subscribing to The Split too so that's a very smart move.
I assume for the same reason I'm not.
It's depressing AF. Or at least the first one was and that put me off even looking at the rest.
But on the plus side, the MIGOP is apparently a dumpster fire!
So that's nice!
And for Christmas I'd like SCOTUS to deny cert on the Colorado case and leave it to the states so we have a mess with Trump on some ballots but not others.
Or, the GOP could kick him off themselves and then he runs 3rd party.
There's other stuff I'd like as well but this is a family blog and you'd think less of me.
Oh, and my mini vacation before Christmas is a cabin in the mountains and not talking to people. So I have the mental energy to get through the big parties of Christmas. Cause lockdown broke my prior ability to be social.
I have been enjoying the Split. It has been fun every Monday to read a section.
Why is it that so much of the mystery surrounding the Trump machinations to destroy our democracy circle around one of the dumbest men to ever serve in either the House of Representatives or a Presidential administration, Mark Meadows? His light is so dim he could shine as brightly as he possibly can and hide in a coal mine. He is a donut with a black hole at its center.
OT: There are whole hidden Union units from the deep south hidden from history. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/20/howell-raines-alabama-civil-war-history/