When the Columbus Ballet invited me to be their Mother Ginger in their 2019 Nutcracker Ballet, I wasn't fully prepared for what I was getting into.
I was expecting a chance to get on stage and ham it up, sure. But I wasn't prepared for how incredible the Columbus Ballet students would be.
Over the course of a few weeks, I learned to walk on stilts (something I had never done before). I then had to learn to walk on stilts in a big heavy dress. Next I had to learn to walk on stilts six inches taller while wearing the big heavy dress.
Rehearsing with the kids in the play showed me that I needed to step up (get it?) my game and do a little more to make sure I was on par with this dance school in the performance. So I decided that I would do something that would resemble a dance while on stage... on stilts, in the dress. I was in a ballet, I had to dance.
The girls who played my Polichinelles (I collectively named them all Tabitha to make it easier to remember their names) were absolutely amazing to work with. I wanted to do my best for them and I am really happy with what we were able to do.