Day 7: Going Home.

The whole group posing for a shot on our last day in Anchorage.

Yesterday was our final day in Anchorage, Alaska. It was especially bizarre for me because I've been coming to Alaska with the company every year since I was an apprentice. Realizing that this was the last time was a little bitter-sweet. The tour has become a large part of my Nutcracker experience, and while I don't know that I'll really miss it next year, I think I'll notice it's absence.

We had two performances yesterday. In the matinee I did my first performance as Herr Drosselmeier in the party scene (photo below). I was pretty nervous before hand. I'm very used to relying on my dancing to make a performance good, but there is literally no dancing in this part. It's all acting, remembering all your props, and trying to figure out what comes next in the party scene. All in all, I had a blast, and I can't wait to do it again!

Me as Herr Drosselmeier.

After our final show we all did last minute packing and got some food. Our bus call was at 10 pm for our 1 am flight, which was on time for the first time since we've been coming to Alaska. We all arrived in Portland around 5:30 and after getting luggage and taking a bus back to OBT I promptly went home and went to bed.

It's always a little weird coming back to your normal life after being away, even if just for a week. Alaska can feel very confined compared to Portland. Everywhere you go is within a 6 block, so coming back to a full city where you have a car, a bike, or the bus... you can feel a little overwhelmed by all the freedom. :-).

Anyway, for those of you who followed us on our trip via this blog, thanks for reading!!

Steven