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DWC's Best Nutcracker Gifts

Everyone’s favorite time of the year is finally upon us: Nutcracker season! Around the Seattle area, hundreds of dancers are preparing for their annual performances of The Nutcracker, getting ready to entertain audiences of all sizes and make unforgettable memories. To get in the spirit, we’ve put together a list of our favorite Nutcracker-themed products being sold at Dancewear Center. From fun scrunchies and storybooks, to ornate leotards and ornaments, any of the items on this list would make superb holiday or performance gifts for your favorite Nutcracker performers.

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How to do a Ballet Bun with Braids

Dancers come in all different shapes and sizes, and hair is no exception. All different types of hair from textured to straight are thrown into ballet buns every single day, but sometimes it can be a struggle to find the right way to put up your hair. Former DWC Ambassador Niyah Pratt is here to show you just how you can do it! Here is how to do a ballet bun with braids:

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Tips for Preparing for Nutcracker Season

Growing up, Nutcracker season was one of the most magical and exciting times of the year. The giggles backstage with my friends, the swelling of my heart as I’d listen to the beloved music, and the adrenaline in my chest as I graced the stage were truly unbeatable sensations. While performing in a production of The Nutcracker is undoubtedly an exhilarating experience, it can also be an incredibly stressful one. Not to mention, this is many dancers’ first time performing in front of a live audience in a while, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s understandable if people are feeling a little extra overwhelmed and nervous this time of the year! From organizing costumes, managing your time, taking care of your body amid numerous performances, and staying mentally healthy, there is certainly a lot to oversee. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to ensure we’re putting our best foot forward this Nutcracker season.

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O-Jak Bridge Art and Dance Festival 2023, A Non-Traditional Swan Lake

In Korean Folklore, the “O-Jak Bridge” refers to a bridge made by crows and magpies that spans across the Milky Way allowing two distant lovers to reunite one night each year.

In 2022, Korean Artist MiYoung Seul Margolis, founded the O-Jak Bridge Art and Dance Festival, showcasing Korean creative culture through a one-night-only performance that nearly sold out the 300-seat capacity of the Broadway Performance Hall in Seattle, WA.  This inaugural performance featured the MMDC (MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective), Adage Ballet Academy, Eurasia Academy and Ensemble and KOSMIX.  Altogether more than 60 dancers took the stage to share their performance art with the audience.  Each group brought its own unique style and cultural influence which created an incredible juxtaposition of traditional and modern styles blending across the diverse cultures of the dance companies.

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Local Nutcrackers Performances to Check Out This Holiday Season!

The almost comprehensive local Nutcracker performance list! Nutcracker season is a thrilling time of the year, a time when some of the best dance memories are made. Making sure you’re organized and effectively taking care of your body and mind makes it that much more magical and enjoyable. Happy Nutcracker season to all! If you would like to be featured on our list email us at info@dancewearcenter.net

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Elise Beers on Healing Community and Acknowledging Land Through Dance

In the age of commercialized dance, it can be easy for many to lose sight of the true origins of dance in many communities. Before the era of dance competitions, dance mainly served as a source of expression and community building. Whether it’s to express celebration or grief, movement has the power to unite and heal people in ways that other modes of communication can’t. Indigenous dance artist Elise Beers is harnessing this idea of using dance to connect to the land and community and alleviate pain in her latest project Earth Works Dance.

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Celebrating Indigenous Dancers Past & Present

Many people in western culture generally feel comfortable with a binary kind of thinking because it's a way of processing information that we’ve grown up with. Things are either black or white, day or night, right or wrong. But when we make binary statements about people and art, we can create a rather limiting perspective for ourselves. I’ve found that such generalizations are often made about certain genres of dance or dance unique to specific cultural communities or regions.

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