Nutcracker Sweet

Every time December rolls around, I get all nostalgic and start hanging makeshift tutus and tiaras all over the studio. And I always think of my favorite childhood book, A Very Young Dancer by Jill Krementz. It's a day in the life of Stephanie, a young ballerina who snags the coveted role of Mary in the Nutcracker.

With all the ditching school for rehearsals, custom costumes, and quality time with the Sugar Plum Fairy, sometimes I still feel a twinge of jealousy.

Sigh.

Shimmying Sisters

Hailing from a shetl in the Old Country, these enterprising sisters sailed to the United States in the 1920s for a better life. They took their burlesque act as far as Shanghai with a trunk full of glittering handmade costumes in tow. Later they settled in the New Orleans Marigny where they continued their storied existence.  Read more about these ladies here.