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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Spirit of Christmas

 


A couple of weeks ago Jim and I got the chance to see "The Spirit of Christmas" put on by the Christian Dance Company from the Tempe Dance Academy. This is a full-blown production with over 25 dance numbers. The children are in full costume and range in age from 3 to 18 years. My friends Rachel and Don have two grandchildren who dance with this academy and are in the show each year. The show is held at the Chandler Center for the Arts and is quite spectacular. This is our third year in attendance, and we have NOT been disappointed. These two large nutcrackers are in the lobby.

Here is a photo of just the women who went to see the recital.



It is amazing how many dance routines these kids have to learn; even the little ones. Here are some of the photos from the dances. No flashes were allowed, so these photos are the best I could do. Please click on all the photos to enlarge them.







These little girls were about 3 or 4 years old. They danced to "Santa Baby" and those are their fathers in the background.



These elves were just adorable!






Santa's sleigh was pulled by one large reindeer and a whole lot of small, dancing reindeer.



This man is a professional ballet dancer with the Washington DC Ballet Company. He is dancing with his daughter. His wife is a former Rockette and a choreographer for the Tempe Dance Company.


You can see visions of Rockettes here.


Here is another famous Rockette move. The falling toy soldier. First the rabbit comes out and shoots them with the cannon.



Then they start to fall.



And fall some more.






Until they are completely down.


Here are some more dancers



This short video clip is from a couple of years ago, but it's still the same routine. It shows off the kids acrobatic talent.




One of the special guests was a Hoop Dancer. He was fascinating to watch.




And finally, I was able to grab a quick photo of me and the big guy.






Christmas joke-of-the-day:



Q. What do you call a snowman party?
A. A Snowball!

11 comments:

Sunny said...

I would love to see that in person. Cute picture of you and Santa :)
☼ Sunny

Donna B. said...

Spectacular!! Thanks for sharing the pics and the video...and of course, those Santa jokes!
Merry Christmas you too...

Valerie said...

A very entertaining post. Love the little dancers. Hope you asked Santa for something nice for Christmas.

Gail said...

Beautiful...you do know how lucky you are, right??

I have to say that is the biggest nutcracker I have ever seen!

Brian Miller said...

very cool...love going to see the dances esp around the holidays...of course i danced in them before...a long time ago...those nutcrackers would fit in nice around here and all the hundreds we have around the house...

Unknown said...

Looks like a wonderful program. Your photos are excellent!

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

The Ponderosa is only 90 miles away from Branson where the shows are a'plenty. I love a good musical, especially at Christmastime.

You are so lucky to have seen this great programs with good friends. Your pictures say it all!!!

God bless ya sweetie and have a very Merry and blessed Christmas sweetie!!!! :o)

Lynda said...

That was FABULOUS! What a wonderful treat you all had. I am impressed with all the costumes,too. They really put on a spectacular production. You are definitely making the most of your retirement years - - - and we get the added bonus of it, too until it is our turn to retire.

Furry Bottoms said...

I love watching anything synchronized! Like all those rockette moves! Looks like you all had a wonderful time!

Rae said...

I love watching dance routines and this one looks fantastic. It would be mesmerizing to see. Looks like you had a wonderful time. The photos turned out nice even without a flash - such pretty colors and lighting.

SquirrelQueen said...

That video was fun to watch, those kids are really talented. Great photos Pat, it must have been fun to see this show in person.

Love the photo of you and Santa!

Merry Christmas,
Judy