Moscow's Nutcracker in Knoxville

I ventured to Knoxville today intending to shop the Farmer's Market and have a beer at the brewpub. I didn't do either. When I got to Knox I went straight to the Historic Tennessee Theatre located downtown on Gay Street. Downtown Knox, including the Theater, is decorated for the holidays and is buzzing with Christmas spirit, albeit a fraction of how NYC is this time of year. When I walked into the Tennessee Theater it WAS Christmas. A single woman, whose husband stood her up to watch other men-in-tights (NCAA football), handed me a free ticket to see the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker. It was a wonderful performance and I had orcheastra seating. Those men ballerinas have some tight butts and the women ballerinas are so dainty, they kind off look like 'an orange on a toothpick'. Orange is to ballerina head as toothpick is to ballerina body. There were so many children in the ballet - little mice, harlequins, snowflakes, angels, butterflies; and many more in attendence throughout the Theatre. It was as exciting to watch the children ballerinas as it was to watch the children next to me. The children next to me had jubilant faces and mimicked the ballerinas. They seemed to enjoy the Rat King the most - especially the scene when the Nutcracker defeated the Rat King and the Nutcracker became a Prince. The ballet continued with the Prince and Masha embarking on a magical journey to an enchanted Snow Forest where they, of course, fell in love. Enter dancing children snowflakes. The snow fell, and Prince and Masha continued their journey on the wings of an ethereal white dove. They ended up in a Land of Peace and Harmony - a dreamscape of butterflies, birds, flowers, and animals. The ballet ended with Masha and the Nutcracker in the beautiful Waltz of the Flowers. I felt like waltzing too.