A Nutcracker Christmas

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1

(Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker)

(woman):
They say in dance,

the things that look

the most effortless,

the most beautiful,

require the most amount of work,

but they're worth it.

The same can be said of love.

- Let's go.

- I grew up

in Marietta, Georgia,

home of peanuts and football.

(all shouting)

Only I hated peanuts,

and the big game

never really captured

my attention.

My passion was ballet.

Oh! Oh my goodness!

For heaven sakes, Lily Jamison!

Look at this mess!

Here are your peanuts, boys.

Half of them are on the floor.

Don't worry, Lily.

- I'll take care of this.

- Thanks, Beth.

- That's my older sister, Beth.

- It's OK. You just keep

practicing. And don't forget,

just one pli at a time.

Right from the start, she knew

how important ballet was to me.

(Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker)

(applause)

For as long as I could remember,

my dream was to dance

The Nutcracker's

Sugar Plum Fairy.

(applause)

Only this wasn't exactly

what I had in mind.

As I got older, I became

consumed by ballet.

It was my entire world.

Hey, hey, hey. Lily,

you've got this, OK?

You are a wonderful dancer.

Just remember, one pli--

One pli at a time.

I know, I know.

Now go get a seat, or you'll be

standing in the back the entire show.

Well, it wouldn't be

the first time.

- I love you, Beth.

- I love you too.

(breathing deeply)

Up to that point, Beth had

always been my biggest fan.

(squealing)

And then there was

my littlest fan.

Beth's daughter,

my niece Sadie.

Christmas was always

my family's favorite time

of year-- delicious food,

new ballet outfits

under the tree,

and our traditional family Christmas

song, The Twelve Days of Ad Lib.

Three digital cameras

Two Falcons tickets

And a part in

the New York Ballet

Every time I put on

my pointe shoes,

I knew I wanted a career

as a professional ballet dancer.

But I wasn't the only girl

who felt that way.

If you haven't heard

of the American Ballet

Invitational, it's sort of like the

World Series, but for non-professional

ballet dancers. I didn't realize there

was gonna be so many great dancers.

Lily, relax, OK?

You can do it.

Remember, just one--

Pli at a time.

(applause)

(announcer):
Next, from

Marietta, Georgia, number 129,

Lily Jamison.

(Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker)

(applause)

And the winner of the 2003

American Ballet

Invitational is...

- from Marietta, Georgia: Lily Jamison!

- Whoo!

(applause)

Two weeks later,

I got even bigger news.

I was offered a spot

at the New York Ballet,

home of the world's most

famous Nutcracker.

I wasn't in Marietta anymore, and this

wasn't another dance competition.

Alright, boys,

go to this corner.

That is where you will begin.

Grand allegro, ready, and...

This was the New York Ballet,

and they were even

better than I imagined.

Into position for the adage.

But I wasn't gonna let that

stop me from achieving my dream.

Ready, and...

Remember, keep

your legs high. Higher!

- Higher!

- First, I just needed

to start breathing again.

Uh...

Oh! I'm so sorry!

It's OK. It's OK. I'm Mark.

Hi. I'm Ellie--

Lily! I'm new.

- Hi, new Lily.

- Hi.

Come on, Mark.

Let's warm up.

(Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker)

[You have no idea, Beth.

I have never worked so hard. ]

Well, you knew that was coming.

- [So, what part did you get?]

- Well, right now I'm a snowflake.

And what about

the Sugar Plum Fairy?

[Yeah, that's kind of

a big prize around here.]

Honestly, I'm not sure

I'll ever get it.

Fortunately, I had one thing

to look forward to that year:

Beth and Sadie's

Christmas visit.

Alright, you two, which one of

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