Ever since we first performed the 'Contemporary Nutcracker' in 2008 the story of the homeless, unloved, helpless Klara touched my heart. We perform the Nutcracker when the holiday season is started and everybody is so busy with shopping and spending money. We need to remember the real spirit of Christmas Season: taking care of each other and seeing how important it is to have family and friends. Life means more than being popular and having the fanciest newest things. Let's think about friendship, kindness and more sensibility for the needs of everybody around us. This year I have been blessed with the honor of living the life of Klara by dancing her role in the Nutcracker. I'm practicing now already a couple of weeks and slowly combining my dancing personality with her emotional and magical changes in her life and surroundings. In this way, I am becoming Klara so I can best portray her and really make the audience believe that I am truly her living through the hardships and confusions of her homeless life, followed by spreading the powerful message everyone learns and understands in the end. We can change the world around us with little doings: a smile, a helping hand and more kindness. This year, I have been inspired to help out children living in the Center for the Homeless in a special way. My dancer friend Morgan and I are going to assist in teaching some of the children ballet and other forms of dance. We are also planning on teaching the kids a dance from the Nutcracker that they can perform with us when we come to the Center with the whole Company and perform excerpts of the production. My life is forever changed and I am thankful that I know I can make the lives of people better while doing what I love to do most, DANCE!


Julia