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!