“They should call this show ‘The Muttcracker!’” exclaimed one young dancer when he saw two adorable canine guest company members waiting in the wings prior to Saturday’s matinee. In a unique partnership, the Richmond SPCA is providing three lucky dogs who will appear in four performances of The Richmond Ballet's The Nutcracker. The dogs will then be available to “meet and mingle” with patrons during intermission and after each show, and hopefully find their permanent homes. As a bonus, Priority Automotive generously offered to pay the adoption fee for any dog adopted during these shows, an extension of the dealership’s sponsorship of pets adopted from the Robins-Starr Humane Center through Dec. 31.
The Nutcracker is a beloved holiday tradition for generations of Richmonders and for volunteers Beth, Christina, Jann, Laurel, and Lindsey, a chance to delight in Tchaikovsky’s magical score while giving our homeless pups a little extra TLC and experience a behind-the-scenes glimpse at a gorgeous production, an assignment too hard to pass up. Linley is the awesome adoption counselor in charge and with a theater background, she was the perfect person for the job!
Thursday, Dec. 15 was our dress rehearsal day so we were off to the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage to discover the wonderful world of ballet and for introductions to cast and crew. Company Manager Alice Gordon-Hardy was our point of contact and did a terrific job of helping us navigate the unfamiliar environment backstage with three dogs and their crates in tow. We were settled in a comfortable spot where the canine co-stars could relax and enjoy a short nap or belly rub in between being in the spotlight. Managing Director Brett Bonda checked in regularly to pass on potential adoption leads and visit with his buddy Emilio, a good-natured white poodle mix. Brett told us that he and his furry friend had appeared together for a television interview to promote the event, and it was clear they had bonded well! In fact, the entire company and crew were overwhelmingly supportive of our presence and genuinely enjoyed having some four-legged guest stars around as they doted on the dogs backstage.
Saturday, Dec. 17 was our first performance and a very exciting day for Emilio and his co-stars Beatrice, a diminutive Chihuahua, and Mabel, a most unusual mix of the same breed. Mabel is a small dog with a BIG personality. Beatrice and Mabel are two of the most recent arrivals from Pasadena, California, and Bea was appropriately attired to help her adjust to Richmond’s chillier climate. Her soft, off-white, cable sweater perfectly complimented her tan coat and enormous brown eyes. The Pasadena girls had the head shot routine down to a fine art, and posed like pros for photos when the lovely Sugar Plum Fairy and other dancers came backstage to meet them. (Note from Mabel: Pasadena IS practically Hollywood, you know). Emilio and Beatrice appeared in the opening scene, sailing across the stage in the dancers’ arms as the Richmond SPCA crew waited in the wings to collect our little starlets. It was a magical moment, the dogs looked incredible and even more importantly, behaved impeccably throughout their big scene. During intermission we set up shop in a prominent area in the vestibule and were endlessly impressed with the dogs’ behavior as they reacted calmly when hundreds of people of all ages stopped to pet and visit with them. By the end of the event, their stellar performances had paid off; both Emilio and Beatrice had been adopted!
Sunday, Dec. 18 was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and when Ms. Mabel stepped out she was no longer the understudy, she was ready for her chance to shine! Our two new dogs were Harley, a handsome 6-year-old Dachshund, and Marilyn (who we felt was in serious need of a name change; he’s male for one thing, and he looks exactly like Toto, for another). Toto’s also a Pasadena pup, a delightful Chihuahua and terrier mix, who reminded us of a tiny bear cub. Harley had spent most of his life with a family until his circumstances changed and he arrived at the Richmond SPCA in search of a new home. We marveled at the little guy’s resilience and sweet disposition. He had experienced so many changes in such a short time and now he was stepping out (literally!) on stage with a very elegant dancer in a top hat and looking every bit like a bona fide member of The Richmond Ballet.
In another exciting development, Artistic Director Stoner Winslett took Toto under her wing and made an impromptu announcement about the collaboration. She made a point of noting that she and several family members had adopted their pets from the Richmond SPCA. We love people who do things like that! Tiny Toto looked absolutely adorable perched in Stoner’s arms in the spotlight center stage and an audible exclamation of delight was heard from the audience when the little guy first appeared. We all felt that this would be a great boost for the Richmond SPCA and were eager to see how the additional publicity would affect adoptions.
We didn’t have to wait long, out of the crush of the intermission crowd emerged a family that was interested in meeting Harley! They wanted to introduce him to their dog and planned to bring her to the Robins-Starr Humane Center the following day for a meeting. We had high hopes our little trooper would be living with a family again very soon! At the end of the evening, the performing pooches and their entourage headed back to the humane center for some well-earned beauty sleep, visions of Sugar Plum Fairies with delicious doggy treats dancing in their heads.
In addition to last weekend’s performances, our canine guest stars will appear today at 7 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. Buy tickets online!
Christina Woodson is a foster care provider and Green Team volunteer at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.
SOOOOOOO WONDERFUL---and, just marvelous
Many thanks to the Ballet for including the
Richmond SPCA and the deserving dogs---incredible.
also, a wonderful story about the entire
program.
bravo to all
Posted by: Pat Manning | December 23, 2011 at 01:44 PM