The Time has Come

Nutcracker performance week is upon us. Skoshi A has several rehearsals in the coming days before the first performance on Tuesday night. I'm going to be busy chauffeuring her to and from rehearsals, chaperoning at the Kennedy Center, and making tasty food for Thanksgiving, so I may not be posting much in the coming days.

I'm incredibly excited to chaperone this year, as this means I will definitely get photos of her in her gorgeous, handmade, soldiers costume. I'll be posting those along with any interesting happenings before the experience is finished.

Merde*, Skoshi A! We're so proud of you!

*In the theater and dance worlds one would never wish a performer "good luck", as it is considered bad luck. Obviously, one would not wish a dancer to "break a leg," either. Dancers wish each other "merde", a French word for "dung".

Prior to the invention of the automobile, Parisian streets were filled with horse drawn carriages and therefore filled with a good deal of horse doo-doo. Pedestrians needed to step gingerly and would caution each other to "not step in the merde". For evening performances it was considered to be a good thing to have masses of merde outside the theater as that meant an abundance of audience in attendance for a performance. Dancers began wishing each other "merde" before going onstage as a way of saying, "Watch your step."