Tonight we went to see "Schneekonigin" or the Snow Queen, and of course being the cultural boob that I am I was completely unsure of what exactly we were going to see .
*Will it be a play??*
*Will it be theater??*
*Will it be opera???*
I had no idea...turns out the Snow Queen is a ballet.
The story goes something like this; A young girl has a playmate with whom she cavorts and plays through the seasons until the ice queen snatches away the young boys heart and carries him off... far far off, up to the frozen north . The young girl plaintively searches everywhere for her playmate all the while dancing through spring, through summer, and then through fall . Her journey causes her to cross paths with common village folk harvesting in the fields,and entire troupe of gold digging dwarfs, a troll, a flock of ravens or vultures (we were not quite sure) and a royal court including a gilded King and his queen. Finally she is reunited with her long lost playmate, she overcomes the icy queen with her sweetness, rapidly melts her playmates iced over heart and they dance off into the distance.
I must describe to you the opening scene with the ice queen. It was quite magical.
The stage is dark when suddenly the images of snowflakes begin to fall slowly at first and then furiously-flying and flurrying projected onto the frosty front silk screen separating the dancers from the audience. The stage is dark except for the whirling snow, and silent except for a low and threatening roll of drums.
The screen slides silently up and the lights intensify to reveal a bright and shining pillar in the center of the stage. The pillar is very very tall and swathed in mounds of glittering shining silk which is wrapped and spun around and around in a great spiral down from the magnificent head and shoulders of the regal Snow Queen. As the drums increase her gown shimmers and the flecked shards of green ice and silvery blue snowflakes painted there flutter in the air.
The Snow Queen cuts a statuesque and imposing figure with silver tumbling waist length hair, she is enveloped in a sea of underwater green light and her arms are writhing in satiny green gloves. Slowly the fabric at the feet of the ice queen begins to stir and the ice fairies who hidden there begin to emerge swathed in white. The fairies with glittering tulle skirts and sparkling crowns slowly begin to move their twinkling feet and softly sway the snowflakes that rest lightly at the tips of their silver wands as they begin to swirl and twirl at the feet of the ice queen. The music increases and the fairies continue their dance spinning and twirling the great frosted silk skirt of the Snow Queen until it is a frothing and billowing pool of cold spinning silk...,
As we slowly let out our pent up breath the show begins... *sigh*
The moment Lily laid her sweet 4 year old eyes on those ballerinas she turned reverently to me with her great big brown eyes reflecting the lustre of the Snow Queen and the fairies on the stage and said breathlessly to me...
*Mommy...I will be a Ballerina when I grow up big...okay Mommy??*
*Sweet!*
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The kids Grandparents were here last week and we took them to see this castle. It is very pretty with a wonderfully restored interior, and pretty grounds. 
This is a lovely old windmill very near to our house, it is gorgeous and 
An 
The kids and I love the bright red colour of the train as it snakes its way through the green country side. We 
I love it. An image of the 
Why don't we have them at home? 
And the boys all giddy and excited out side the church before the concert... (Imagine??!!)
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The interior is paved with multi textured mirrors and dotted with more colorful figures...
She plays with light and incorporates reflections of exterior landscape features. 
You can find some background information here about her here is her 
Once the jelly had passed the freezer test, 
My personal favorite... 7 children ; 4 boys (if you look closely...) and 3 girls playing ball with a "big"person...
Wow.
