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79. ENCORE: Nutcracker Survival Guide for Dancers
149 Plays10 days ago
Nutcracker season is here - and it’s a doozy!
In this encore release of one of my most popular solo episodes, I’m sharing my practical tips and heartfelt advice for dancers to not just survive but thrive during this iconic ballet season. Whether you're a student navigating school and rehearsals, a seasoned professional, or somewhere in between, this episode will help you approach the season with joy, balance, and intention
And if you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please be sure to hit the 5-star review button and help me reach my goal of receiving 100 5-star reviews in 2025!
Links and Resources:
Find a specialist on Doctors for Dancers
Rachel Fine's To The Pointe Nutrition article for a balanced Nutcracker meal plan
1-1 Career Mentoring: book your complimentary career call
Gift Guides:
2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Dancers
2025 Nutcracker Gift Guide for Dancers
Related Episodes:
Episode 16: Realistic Time Management Strategies for Dancers
Book Recommendation:
The Nutcracker Chronicles: A Fairy Tale Memoir by Janine Kovac (affiliate link)
Let’s connect!
My WEBSITE: thebrainyballerina.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thebrainyballerina
Questions/comments? Email me at caitlin@thebrainyballerina.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Nutcracker Survival Guide
00:00:00
Speaker
Hi dancers, Caitlin here. Before we jump in, I wanted to give you a quick heads up that today's episode is a special encore of one of my most popular seasonal episodes, the Nutcracker Survival Guide for Dancers. This episode first released around this time last year. It was episode number 28, and today it's episode number 79. I am so grateful to still be doing this podcast over 50 episodes later, and I'm so happy you're still here with me.
00:00:27
Speaker
Every year around this time, I hear from dancers who are deep in the whirlwind of Nutcracker season, and the conversations I'm having this year sound very similar to the ones I was having when this episode first aired a year ago. which tells me we still really need to hear these messages. This episode is full of practical tools so you can thrive this Nutcracker season and not just survive.
00:00:49
Speaker
If you've joined the Brainy Ballerina community more recently, this might be a new episode for you. And even if you listen the first time, I guarantee you Nutcracker season is cyclical. It comes around every year. So this episode is definitely worth a revisit.
Podcast Growth Goal
00:01:03
Speaker
Before we get into the episode, I have a big favor I need to ask of you. I have set a goal for 2025 to reach 100 five-star reviews of the Brainy Ballerina podcast, and you can help me get there in less than 30 seconds. So if you've been enjoying the episodes, it would mean so much to me if you would head to Spotify or Apple Podcasts, go to the Brainy Ballerina show page, and tap the five-star review button.
00:01:30
Speaker
There is no typing required unless you want to leave a written review, which I really do love reading, and They mean so much to me to hear your thoughts and feelings about the podcast. So if you have a little bit more time, that would be incredible. But truly, 30 seconds just hit the five-star button is amazing. Your reviews help other dancers, dance parents, and educators find the show because they tell the podcast platforms that this content is worth sharing with more people. So besides tuning in each week,
00:02:00
Speaker
sharing your favorite episodes on social media or sending to a friend who you think would enjoy it. It's one of the most impactful ways to support the Brainy Ballerina podcast. And I'm genuinely so grateful for every single review I receive.
Holiday Gift Guides
00:02:13
Speaker
The other thing I wanted to share with you today is that my annual holiday gift guides are out. This year I have two gift guides, the holiday gift guide for dancers and then the Nutcracker themed gift guide, which each have 10 of my favorite gift ideas for dancers, lots of small dancer-owned businesses to support, lots of things that I have been loving and using in my life that I think other dancers need to know about. I know how time-consuming it can be to find the perfect gift for the person in your life.
00:02:44
Speaker
And keeping with the theme of this episode, I also know you don't have a lot of time right now during Nutcracker and holiday season. So I will link the gift guides in the show notes. Hopefully they will help you in your search for the perfect gift for your loved ones.
00:02:57
Speaker
All right, let's get into the
Caitlin's Dance Journey
00:02:58
Speaker
episode. I hope that this meets you exactly where you are and gives you what you need right now to really thrive and enjoy the magic of this Nutcracker season.
00:03:09
Speaker
I'm Kaitlin, a former professional ballerina turned dance educator and career mentor, and this is the Brand New Ballerina podcast. I am here for the aspiring professional ballerina who wants to learn what it really takes to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry.
00:03:25
Speaker
I'm peeling back the curtain of professional dance world with open and honest conversations about the realities of becoming a professional dancer. Come along to gain the knowledge and inspiration you need to succeed in a dance career on your terms.
00:03:43
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Brainy Ballerina podcast.
Nutcracker Experiences
00:03:46
Speaker
I'm your host, Caitlin Sloan. I am here today with a solo episode chatting all about surviving Nutcracker season. Nutcracker season is here.
00:03:55
Speaker
If you are in a Nutcracker this year, you may already be doing performances. You're definitely in the thick of rehearsals at this point. It's a really fun time of year, an amazing tradition, and it's also really tiring and really hard.
00:04:07
Speaker
Two things can be true. I remember as a student, I loved the Nutcracker My student company, Michigan Ballet Theater, would do four performances, which felt very manageable.
00:04:18
Speaker
We did one weekend of shows, a few days in the theater to tech. It wasn't even a full week, so it was like a very manageable amount of time, and it was a very exciting time to get in the theater. My very first role in the Nutcracker was one of the maids in Mother Ginger. We had maids and bakers. So I was one of the maids in Mother Ginger. That feeling of being under the skirt and getting to pop out on stage was one of my very first onstage memories, and I'll always really cherish that. As the years went on, I got the opportunity to perform a lot of really cool roles. I got to do Spanish, Chinese, doll.
00:04:51
Speaker
Of course, Snow and Flowers. My favorite role was Clara, which sounds cliche, but I really enjoyed that process. I did it for the first time as a freshman in high school and then again as a junior and a senior. There was a period of time where my school did Nutcracker every other year. So that sophomore year was an off year for the Nutcracker for us. But I did it every year that we had the Nutcracker.
00:05:12
Speaker
And it was really exciting to see how I was able to progress in that role. We didn't have a Snow King and Queen, so there was a Clara and Prince Pada Deux. And there were some things that like the very first time I did Clara, we had to kind of water down. Like there was a jumping shoulder set and I couldn't get that by the very first show i did as a freshman. So I ended up having just to do like Ron, Suits New and Plie into the shoulder set.
00:05:36
Speaker
But when my senior year, I was able to do that no problem. Clara also got to do a pretty big part in Waltz of the Flowers and dance with the two main flowers. We called them rosebuds in our version. And so in the finale of flowers, she was supposed to do footes. And my freshman year, I ended up doing um a menage of PK turns because I couldn't get the footes. But my senior year, again, I had them. So... There was a lot of cool progression and things I got to work toward that made that role really exciting, even though I did it three years. And obviously, getting to do a main role is a huge honor. And I just was like very grateful for the opportunity to do partnering, which was not a class we had at my school. We didn't have men in the school. So getting to have partnering experience through that pot of dough was huge for me.
00:06:18
Speaker
Getting to carry a ballet in that way was just like a very big honor. And I'll never forget those moments. I still cherish that so, so much. I really loved that season as a
Managing Burnout and Loneliness
00:06:28
Speaker
student. I only did Nutcracker two seasons as a professional, which is kind of crazy to say. But I danced as a training apprentice Ballet Tucson my first couple years out of college into the professional world. And then when I moved to Missouri Contemporary Ballet, we didn't do Nutcracker.
00:06:45
Speaker
And that was actually one of the selling points for me at that point because I was so burnt out of doing that show that when I heard that we got the whole month of December off, some dancers would go do guestings, but you didn't have anything within the company to do I was like, sign me up. This is incredible.
00:07:01
Speaker
As a student, my experience doing the Nutcracker was really baked into the entire holiday season, and I felt like it was just a bigger part of everything else me and my family were doing. My mom was always there backstage with me. She was the only person I trusted to change me from my party dress into my nightgown. I was Clara. like There was only one other mom who I would let do it, and so whenever mom would watch the show, I had to make sure that she was backstage to help me with it. My mom was always there for me for every show. My sister danced too, so it felt like a full family affair, and it was just a really exciting part of the holiday season.
00:07:31
Speaker
When I was dancing professionally in Arizona, I really struggled with it for a few reasons. One, because I'm from Michigan and it felt so strange doing the Nutcracker when it was hot out still. Like I just couldn't wrap my head around getting into the flow of the Nutcracker when it was like 80 degrees outside. It was also hard because we did our Nutcracker over Christmas. We had Christmas Eve show and then a December 26th show.
00:07:55
Speaker
So there was no way I could go home for the holidays. My first year there, and my family ended up renting a house in the area and came out for Christmas. And so they come see the show. I got to see them. That was a really cool experience.
00:08:07
Speaker
My second year, they couldn't do that. And I felt so, so lonely missing Christmas with my family. It was the first time in my entire life as a 21-year-old probably, 22-year-old, that I had not ever been with my family for Christmas. And that just really shook me to my core. And I know that's the norm for a lot of dancers, but I just could not wrap my head around that being every single year that I wouldn't get to see them.
00:08:31
Speaker
I remember just feeling really like, this is not fun anymore. I don't get to see my family. doesn't even feel like Christmas. I just felt like that was my least favorite part of the whole season. I loved doing all the other shows. I felt really excited, but that part of the season felt like something just to kind of get through.
00:08:47
Speaker
And Nutcracker can be such a well-oiled machine that you get to the point where you're feeling like less challenged artistically because you've done the part so many times. You know the music so well. There's always something to bring to it. And that is something to remember if you are feeling it's the same thing again, like There are definitely ways to bring more excitement and more growth into your roles, but it's challenging and it takes more effort. And I felt like at that point in the season, I was like, I'm ready for a break. And honestly, I was struggling. So i just want to normalize that. I feel like a lot of dancers really love Nutcracker season and so they get really excited about it and it's a big deal and I would see that around me and I would be like, I don't feel that way. And then I would feel badly about it. So
00:09:25
Speaker
If you're excited about it, that's incredible. And if you're feeling not excited about it, I just want to normalize that that's okay too. There's nothing wrong with you. It can be tedious. It can be long. And it's okay if it's not your favorite show that you do all year long.
00:09:38
Speaker
However, for most dancers, it comes back around every single year. As I said, it was very rare to find a company who didn't do the Nutcracker I ended up getting married on December 18th, which is so strange for a ballet dancer. Like that is normally our busy Nutcracker season. But that was actually the best time of year for me to get married because I was dancing year round except for December. And then I was a school director. So summer was really busy with our summer intensives and that kind of thing. So December actually worked out perfectly for us. But again, that's so, so rare for a dancer. So for most of you out there, you're probably doing a huge run of Nutcracker shows. You're in the thick of it right now. You might still be a student in school trying to balance.
00:10:16
Speaker
homework and finals around this time with all of your dance commitments. You might be a professional who's been doing this for many years and you're just kind of over it. However you feel, it can take a toll. So let's get into some of my tips for not just really surviving the season, but thriving.
Audition Preparations
00:10:31
Speaker
The first one, if you follow me on social media, on Instagram, you know I talk about this all the time.
00:10:36
Speaker
And this is very specific, but I want to get out of the way in case this doesn't apply to you, but it is incredibly important. I want you to prep for your auditions early. If you're attending especially professional auditions this year, you need to get stuff done before you get into the theater. For my clients that I work with one-on-one, our goal going into audition season is to get everything prepped before Nutcracker and the holidays comes around. So that means their resume is updated, their video is filmed and edited, pictures are taken, cover letters are written.
00:11:07
Speaker
Everything is ready to send out as soon as submissions open in January. And to be quite honest, I've seen some that are opening December 1st. So while they're not due that early, it's really nice to get your stuff in early and have that off of your plate. When you get everything done ahead of time, you can really focus on your performances, your holidays when you do get time off with your loved ones without the looming stress of getting your audition materials ready. So if you haven't already started, it's not too late.
00:11:34
Speaker
Anything you can get done early will make a difference and make you feel a little bit less stressed out as you head into that season and help you be more intentional about how you approach the season instead of just throwing things out there because it's last minute. When you do everything last minute, you don't always feel good about what you're sending out because you're just sending out whatever you're able to kind of throw together. When you do everything early, you'll feel really good about what you're sending out and that's going to read to the companies, to the directors. They're going to see that in you.
00:12:01
Speaker
It makes a difference. So if you haven't gotten started, it's not too late. i do recommend getting the ultimate audition guide. I'm going to link it in the show notes, but I break down exactly what to do and when to do it as you tackle your submissions. I know that the mental load of audit audition season is very, very real, and I cannot go to auditions for you. I cannot do all the prep for you, but I can help alleviate the overwhelm by helping you break it down into small, manageable tasks and giving you really tangible tools and templates to help you streamline the process. So that's the first thing if you are in that stage of your life as a dancer.
Health Tips During Nutcracker
00:12:34
Speaker
Number two, you need to be proactive about your health. It's no secret that Nutcracker season coincides with cold and flu season. First of all, if you are sick, please stay home. And I know you don't feel like you have that option always. So directors, teachers, if you're listening, if your dancers are sick, please encourage them to stay home. I remember one Nutcracker season, one of my friends had the flu. She was actively sick, called in to say, I can't come in. and I have the flu. And they said, you need to come in.
00:13:01
Speaker
And so she came in and she literally laid on the floor of the dressing room next to the bathroom because she was so sick for hours until they finally said, oh, it's clear that you really can't do anything. You can go home.
00:13:13
Speaker
But by that point, we'd all been in the dressing room together. This bug starts spreading. you We're in close quarters. One bug can take down an entire company of dancers. So everyone gets sick sometimes. I feel like sometimes we feel like it's a moral failing if we get sick. Yes, there are things we can do to take care of ourselves better. and We're going to talk about those. But sometimes you just get sick. It happens. It can be unavoidable. And then those times, please take care of yourself and everyone else in your company by staying away until you are better. Okay, on to things that you can proactively do to help yourself stay more healthy during this season. Number one, you need to get enough sleep. I talked about this extensively in episode number 16, Realistic Time Management Strategies for Dancers. So if you are feeling overwhelmed, unable to manage your time, and just generally... stressed out, go back and listen to episode number 16 because I have a lot of really good tips in there, tangible tips to help you manage this season. But truly, I cannot overstate the importance of getting sleep enough, especially during a busy performance run.
00:14:12
Speaker
Reminder that as an athlete, you're going need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep every single night, maybe more if you're younger, you're growing. Sleep is essential for muscle recovery. cognitive function, and emotional well-being.
00:14:25
Speaker
It also reduces the risk of injury and supports a strong immune system. So if you want to dance at your highest level this season, sleep needs to be prioritized. Second, I want you to make sure you're seeking help for injuries and not just the big things like a sprained ankle or something where you truly can't even walk. I mean the little things that are bothering you, but you still feel like you can dance through it. And maybe you can, but remember that small things turn into big things.
00:14:49
Speaker
So if there is something that has been nagging at you, that's just bothering you you just keep thinking, I'll get this checked out after Nutcracker season is over. i want you to go now and get checked out. work with a physical therapist, work with a strength trainer to address any areas of concerns and make sure that you are doing training that will help you be able to work through this. Because there are many things that we actually can work through as dancers if we have the proper tools. And the thing about nutcracker season is you're doing repetitive choreography.
00:15:18
Speaker
You might be doing it on one leg a lot of the time. you might be really overloading one side of your body and the other side's not getting as much. So anything like that that's going on or any kind of overuse compensating injuries can kind of pop up because of that. there's something that's going on don't wait for it to turn into a full-blown injury that takes you out. Go see someone early and get a plan in place. If you don't have someone to work with that you know of through your school or your company,
00:15:44
Speaker
I recommend checking out Doctors for Dancers. It's a really great platform to help you find a doctor, all kinds of doctors, any genre that understands dancers, understands your specific needs and what you need to perform your best and can help you be ready for the season. Next is make sure you're eating enough. Your busy schedules can really mess with your fueling plan, especially when you're in the theater for a long day. There's not always designated meal breaks necessarily, it might be like grab a snack real quick. Or even if you do have a meal break, may not be able to leave the theater and come back. So make sure you're bringing enough food, enough snacks, enough hydration with you to power you through a whole day. I'm going to link in the show notes a really great article from Rachel Fine of To The Points Nutrition.com.
00:16:30
Speaker
with some great tips to help dancers formulate a meal plan to stay nourished this season. So if you feel like you struggle to get adequate nutrition in a busy season, definitely
Preventing Burnout with Balance
00:16:40
Speaker
check that out. Finally, just be really aware of burnouts. If you're feeling tired and drained most of the time, you could be facing burnouts. And I know how busy the season is. I know that you're like,
00:16:53
Speaker
What am I supposed to do about it? And I get that. My best advice is to find pockets of time for activities you enjoy outside of dance. Even something so, so small like making cookies with your mom or driving around a neighborhood on the way home, just look at lights. Something really simple like that can help bring back your joy, help you feel rejuvenated, really look at your schedule and ask yourself what you really need right now to be able to show up to the theater and show up to your performances with the energy level you desire to have. Now let's talk about surviving those long days in the theater.
Surviving Long Theater Days
00:17:27
Speaker
Getting into the theater is super exciting. I love those first days in the theater when you just walk in there and you're like, I am home. But those days can be long. Tech can be tedious. There's a lot of stop and go while they figure out lights, music, all the other things that go into making a great show.
00:17:43
Speaker
So here's some of my best tips for staying sane on those really long days in the theater. First, Try to establish your personal routine. You might be someone who likes to get to the theater super early before everyone else is there and have some peace and quiet just to get acclimated, do your hair and makeup. Or maybe you like to get ready at home and arrive at call time to kind of minimize the number of hours that you are spending in the theater.
00:18:06
Speaker
Figure out what makes you feel most present and calm so you can set yourself up for success once you get into the theater. Try to get outside. Those long hours in a dark theater can really get to you. If you're in a warmer climate, you can maybe take your meal breaks outside or go for a quick walk. When I was in Arizona, I would always go eat my lunch outside and just get some sunshine and some warmth.
00:18:30
Speaker
If you're in the north or somewhere cold like me, I'm in Wisconsin, so eating outside for a meal break wouldn't be super comfortable. But even just going outside for five minutes of fresh air can help reinvigorate you. So just find pockets of time that you can just get a little bit of fresh air, get out of the theater, give yourself a moment.
00:18:48
Speaker
You might need to squeeze in some naps. We talked earlier about getting enough sleep and maybe you're finding that you don't have enough hours at night to get sleep. So maybe you need to squeeze in some extra naps. So like throw in a travel blanket, a pillow, and cozy up in the dressing room during a break. Just make sure you set an alarm or have a trusted friend wake you when you're needed back on stage. Give yourself some time to get warmed up again. Eat something.
00:19:11
Speaker
Don't cut it so close that you're running straight from a nap to the stage, but it's okay to have some rest time baked in there, especially on like a long 10, 12-hour day. Make sure you're staying warm. It's notoriously cold inside theaters. Always bring extra layers to keep your muscles warm during downtime.
00:19:28
Speaker
Pack extra socks, booties to keep your feet warm, your shoes clean. Really be aware of the toll it can take on your body going from hot to cold very quickly a bunch of times in a row. Make sure you warm yourself up again.
00:19:40
Speaker
before you go back on stage if you had a break, even if it's just like some quick plies and tendus and some leg swings. You don't have to do an entire bar every single time, but move your body around, do some jumping jacks, get back into the flow of things before you pop on stage. Finally, bring extra pointe shoes. I guarantee you will need more shoes than you think this season.
00:20:00
Speaker
Have a couple of backup pairs on hand so you aren't stuck dancing on dead shoes. That can lead to injury as well. Bring extra pairs to sew during your breaks. Just make sure you aren't really prepared and not scrambling at last second to try to get new
Creating Traditions
00:20:13
Speaker
shoes. Finally, let's talk about starting traditions. So some of my favorite Nutcracker memories. were the fun traditions we made as dancers. This kind of kept me going on those longer days and the tedious times when I was really not feeling a cracker season. One thing we always did as kids was have a secret Santa with the company. We'd draw names and then we would have four shows. So we'd give each other like a little present and
00:20:38
Speaker
for each of those four shows, something small like candy or socks or something. And then we would do a bigger present, not like huge, like $10, $20. ten twenty dollars And we would exchange those at the final meal break before our last show. It was just a really fun pick-me-up to get through the performances. We all had a lot of fun trying to sneak in and give each other our gifts without being seen and just thinking about what the person would like. And it just was a really nice way to add a little bit of excitement into the shows.
00:21:04
Speaker
If you have a really long run of shows and like a dedicated dressing room, it can be fun to decorate your space. You can put Christmas lights up around your mirror or put a small Christmas tree on your table. You can bring pictures of your family or people that you love. Just little things to help you feel a little more homey during this season. i put up a question box on Instagram asking the dancers for their favorite traditions as well. And a lot of dancers shared their favorite traditions around food and drink in the theater.
00:21:31
Speaker
One dancer said they always have a candy salad where everyone brings their favorite candy and you pour it all together to make one big candy salad. I remember distinctively my company always had Swedish fish. I think it was because they were one of the candies that we knew wouldn't stay in our costumes and we could just have a quick bite of that. But that was one that we always had as a tradition. My mom also used to always bring me smart water for shows. I don't know why this started. As most traditions go, she probably did it one time and then it just kind of stuck. But she always brought me smart water.
00:22:00
Speaker
And so even as a professional, I'd always go out and buy smart water for every single show I did. It was just part of my tradition and process and reminded me of my mom being there at my performances. One dancer shared with me that she buys a nutcracker at the gift shop.
00:22:13
Speaker
and has all the dancers in the cast sign it, which I thought was a really cute idea. i always do this with my program or my poster. so you can kind of just get a fun memento that way. one mom also shared with me that she buys her daughter a nutcracker to match her role each year, which I thought that was also such a fun idea.
00:22:30
Speaker
There are so different things you can do to add a little bit of joy into
Finding Magic in Nutcracker
00:22:34
Speaker
the season. You know, Nutcracker season can be so demanding, but it's also a great opportunity to create memories. I have these memories from when I was a young dancer. And it's funny because I was reading this month's Brainy Ballerina Book Club book. It's called The Nutcracker Chronicles, a fairy tale memoir by Janine Kovac. Highly recommend. and But it brought back so many memories for me from my time as a dancer doing the Nutcracker. Some really magical, some not so much.
00:22:58
Speaker
And that's just the reality of being a dancer. Not every moment is going to be amazing. But you can find the magic in the moment. If it's not there, create it for yourself. Find ways to grow as a performer. Like I said before, sometimes it can get a little bit tedious when you're doing the same roles each time.
00:23:13
Speaker
Find something new to bring to it. Maybe think about one correction you've been getting a lot in class and try to apply that. So if you're always getting corrections to work through your feet more, be like, this time when I run snow, I'm going to focus on my feet. or maybe create a new story in your head of what kind of feeling you want to bring to the character. So take responsibility for yourself to bring the joy back, to grow as a performer in this season, to embrace the magic of this holiday season. It truly is magical. And remember that while you may have done the Nutcracker hundreds of times, there is a little girl or a little boy out in the audience watching the Nutcracker who has never seen it before. This is their very first time.
00:23:52
Speaker
Think of the magic they feel when they see the Nutcracker come to life, when they see the tree grow, when they see a whole land of sweets, when they see snow fall from the ceiling. All of this is so, so magical for the audience. And as performers, it is our job to bring that magic to them.
00:24:10
Speaker
So put yourself in their shoes and think about that person out there who has maybe never seen a ballet before and this is their very first time. How do you want them to feel watching the show? bring that back to the forefront and it will really help you find the joy in this season and of course also take care of yourself it is a tough grueling season prioritize your health find some fun traditions make sure you're focusing on some small acts of self-care lean on your community of fellow dancers now cracker is such a fun show because there is such a huge cast and everyone is in it together. You have this ultimate goal of creating a great show and making people fall in love with ballet. i hope that something from this episode resonated with you that you can add to your tool belt as you go into the season to help you feel more joyful and just at peace.
Excitement for Upcoming Performances
00:25:00
Speaker
I'm linking so many great resources that I mentioned in this episode in the show notes. So please be sure to hop on over there and find anything that you need to help you have your most joyful and happiest Nutcracker season yet. I am so excited to take my son this year to Nutcracker. I took him a few years ago when he was almost three. It didn't go great.
00:25:20
Speaker
I think he did an amazing, amazing job for his age, and I kind of pushed him to stay a little longer than we should have probably because I wanted to see it even though I knew that he was about to melt down. He's a couple years older now, and I'm just so excited to take him to the performance and share this tradition with him and create a new tradition for the two of us now that I'm no longer longer dancing in the Nutcracker.
00:25:42
Speaker
It's really cool to share that with my kids and show them something that I found so magical as a kid myself. Mayred, for all of your performances, i am rooting for you. i know that you are going be beautiful out there, and I'm just so excited for you.
00:26:00
Speaker
Thank you for tuning into the Brainy Ballerina podcast. If you found this episode insightful, entertaining, or maybe a bit of both, I would so appreciate you taking a moment to leave a rating and hit subscribe.
00:26:12
Speaker
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00:26:26
Speaker
I'll be back with a new episode next week. In the meantime, be sure to follow along on Instagram at The Brainy Ballerina for your daily dose of dance career guidance.