We Return to Nutcracker on Saturday night

Alex and I had invited Shih-Huai to dinner after Friday night's Nutcracker. There was a cast party so he had to refuse our invitation. We asked if he'd like to go the next night. He seemed thrilled. Alex decided that he'd simply see the entire show again.

I had gone to me studio after our return from Charleston and wasn't willing to give up that much of my creative time. I had my meeting with Janet Kozachek in my studio at 5:30 PM. We discussed our collaborations, digital images, and exchanged a few more found objects. It had been fun. The Midland Clay Arts Society was just wrapping up their weekend holiday sale in the gallery. I even won a door prize (third year in a row that I won something!) It was a nice vessel again. Thus, I have all handmade pottery for my paint brushes.

Alex walked from home to the studio. He tried to tempt me to go to the theater early. Finally, I gave in--half way. I would come for the second act. He would silently send me a telephone call at the beginning of the Snow Scene. I would not answer it but know this was my signal to come. Alex walked the rest of the way to the Koger Center. I gave him $5 for the cheapest ticket but Jack Sloan, one of the company's board members, gave him a much, much better ticket for free. Alex was elated.

I estimated the time for me to go home to change, got the call, and met Alex in the theater just as intermission was ending. We sat with Willie Moore and Jose Serrano and one of the soloists from City Ballet as well as some of Alex's friends from CMFA. We all clapped for Shih-Huai because he really was the best part of the production. The cast was different. Again, I wished the program had been more informative. The costume was completely different for the girl dancing Arabian. It had to have been someone else but there was only one name. Who was this? She did a good job, whoever she was. The Sugar Plum Fairy was Reka Gyulai, who was quite good too though I preferred Talin Kenar.

Leonid Flegmatov was the Cavalier. It wasn't good. He acted as if he'd forgotten his variation. Much of the time he seemed in preparation for a movement. He started his grand pirouttes after the music and ended them before it completed. His menage was laughable. On a diagonal sequence across the large stage, he performed a series of small inconsequential steps and then did one jete that wasn't even parallel to the floor. It was all very odd. I didn't like his dancing at all. Yet, the second act, overall was even more enjoyable with the second viewing.

Alex and I took Shih-Huai to dinner for steak at Longhorns. We learned that UCLA upset USC and laughed about football, ballet, life in Columbia, etc.