Madly in Love - Ballet Edition

We all get the warm fuzzies when we conjure images of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker in our minds.  The beautiful costumes, the stunning music, and the athleticism of the dancers all culminate in a timeless and beloved balletic masterpiece.   

My Momma took me to see The Nutcracker when I was very young.  I have fond memories of that very first experience and I have seen the show 3 times since and still, I am enamored with it.

Yes, I do have a favorite part (thanks for asking) and it is the Arabian Dance.  No matter the company or the choreography, that particular dance is, in my opinion, the show-stopper.

I was very fortunate to receive 2 complimentary tickets as an US Family Guide Blogger to the Moscow Ballet's production in Houston this past weekend.  We purchased two more tickets so that we could go as a family and Diva could bring a friend.  This was the first time either Diva or Engineer had seen it and as expected, they loved it.

This production was not just full of great dancers, elaborate sets, and fabulous costumes, it was also a charity event.  Houston is a major worldwide hub for human trafficking.  Sad, but unfortunately, true.  That is why Houston Baptist University hosted the Moscow Ballet in aid of the Houston based charity Free the Captives.  

Prior to the performance I was surrounded by families bringing in their little girls dressed in beautiful Christmas dresses and sweet ballerina costumes.  I watched as my own daughter and her friend safely wandered the theatre's lobby under our watchful eyes.  All the while, I was thinking of the girls we were supporting through our tickets.  Girls who were ripped from their homes and sold.  
Sold.
Think about that a moment.

I cannot fathom the devastation.

The target ages of trafficked girls are between 12 and 14; that puts Diva squarely in the range of the horrific ordeal.  This isn't a problem that is in a far away land, this is happening in our backyards all over our great nation - the land of the free.

What a juxtaposition to watch a show about a little girl protected by her soldier with an audience full of safe and secure little girls while somewhere in the shadows of the city, girls were being trafficked.

I applaud the Moscow Ballet, HBU, and Free the Captives for bringing such a darkness into the light.  Those of us in attendance were moved because we have daughters or are daughters or love someone's daughter.  Through this production and charity, we were also able to love and support those who were captives.  They are, after all, somebody's daughter.

Please consider donating to Free the Captives and/or supporting the Moscow Ballet when they come to a city near you.

Here is a link to their schedule.

1-4-3 EM for willingly taking your girls to see this production and DM for being my little girl.