Nutcracker

This year, Maddi got to take part in her dance studio's first ever production of the Nutcracker!

There were two shows, each about an hour long, with a silent auction in between.

Each show had the girls perform excerpts of the original ballet, and needed to be of small enough stature that it could be held at the dance studio. The owner of the studio put it on as a fundraiser for a place called *The Spot* in Iowa City, which is a place where high risk youth can come and hang out in a Christ centered atmosphere. It serves kids in grades K-12, most of whom are economically challenged. All proceeds went to buy Christmas gifts for these kids. It raised several thousand dollars which is amazing!

Maddi debuted as a mouse, and thoroughly enjoyed her role. Her favorite part was dragging the Mouse Queen off the stage at the end of the Battle Scene. Not sure if they are going to be doing this every year or not, but what a great way to start off the holiday season!

trying to show off the tail