Jenna McKerrow Wilson dancing the role of the Sugar Plum fairy with the Alabama Ballet in 2009.
Micah doesn't walk from room to room- she dances. And if I dare put on music- any music- she always gets up and finds her captivated into dancing to it, seeking the beat. So you can imagine her joy when Jenna offered us tickets to the Tucsaloosa Community Dancers' performance of "The Nutcracker".
If any knows "The Nutcracker", it is Jenna. At the age of 11, she danced a role as one of the children in the Washington Ballet's performance. Rumor has it then-President Bill Clinton and his wife were in the audience. Before giving birth to her son, Tobias, who watched the show from the balcony with us, Jenna played the coveted role of the Sugar Plum fairy in the Alabama Ballet's performance.
We were thrilled to see this performance for which Jenna served as Resident Guest Artist and Choreographer. My only regret is that we forgot to bring a bouquet.
B. takes a seat in Max's lap at the Bama Theatre.
We couldn't take any photos of the performance, but it was beautiful and impressive. Micah could not take her eyes from the stage. B. enjoyed the first act, but found herself feeling squirmy in the second act. Once she moved from the theatre seat to my lap, however, the squirms revealed their underlying source- a need to nap.
The King had never seen "The Nutcracker". I was surprised by how much he enjoyed it.
Micah and Aurora, her puppy- their final photograph together.
Against all reccomendations by the king and myself, Micah insisted on bringing her purse pet, Aurora, along to see the show. Unfortunately for Micah, Aurora got lost in all the shuffle. She remains somewhere in the aisles or seats of the Bama Theatre, watching rehearsals, overhearing whispered conversations, and falling asleep under the lovely ever-twinkling stars inset in the theatre's ceiling.
B. and Milla get a photo with the nutcracker.
Jenna currently teaches at Knollwood Ballet in Sylacauga, Alabama. When she is not teaching, dancing, or spending time with her handsome toddler, Tobias, Jenna serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Alabama Dance Council. We are so grateful to her and Scott for our memorable ballet experience. And we are also grateful to the ushers at the door, who did not remove us from the theatre for lack of those enormous hair bows which appeared to serve as uniforms.
