I’ve loved ballet, in the way you love something that you don’t fully understand and are sometimes mystified and occasionally bored by—since I was maybe eight; my mom used to take me to the Nutcracker at Macky Auditorium in Boulder back in the day.

Then, my first love, in Vermont, when I was 15, was a dedicated ballerina. She lived and breathed it. She was lovely except for permanently scrunched-up feet—a vivid reflection of her dedication. She knew all the great ballerinas and choreographers, and I got to go to a few performances—that, as per usual, I loved, didn’t fully get, and was mystified and occasionally bored by.

This year, for the first time in years, I’ll go to the Nutcracker, which elephantjournal.com is proud to sponsor here in Boulder (see ad at left).

A few random inspiring videos, and a few from the Boulder production of the Nutcracker: