The Future

No sooner had the final curtain fallen on Nutcracker 2009 than Ruby was in tears over Nutcracker 2010. She was crying because Araceli, who will be old enough to try out next year, is tall for her age. Maybe too tall to go up against other 8-year-olds. Tender little Ruby is already worried, thinking of the heartbreak of not being a part of this. Next fall, I'm sure Golda and Ruby will be there in the alley with me, waiting anxiously for Araceli to come out of her audition. If Ruby could keep her fingers crossed for Ari for a year, she would. In the intervening months, Xanthe and Esmae will be working on their Baby Mouse dance, coached by Araceli, in hopes of someday following in the big girls' footsteps. In their Clytie Adams sweats, they look the part, even though they aren't even old enough to be in the audience yet! Xanthe did go with me Friday night and watched from the lobby. She had the foggiest idea that there were people somewhere who were watching it on a stage rather than a TV monitor, but she didn't care because she got to go backstage and see her teacher, Lisa, and hand out thank-yous to all my Chinese dancers. She's not thinking about next year yet. She's just trying to make it until Tuesday, when it's finally her turn to dance again.