5 Year Old Going to See Nutcracker???

It really depends on the attention span of the five year old.
My oldest two (boy, girl) would have loved it.
But my youngest?
Not so much.
Aren't you due to deliver twins in December?
I hope you have someone else ready to take them, in case you can't make it.
And how long is the train ride from NH?

I took my daughter at that age. She loved it. It helped to research the story before hand so she could follow what was going on, and we watched a couple of versions so she could look for similarities and differences when she saw the real thing -- for example, the Barbie version is engaging and includes themes and music, but it's very different from the actual story. We watched the Kirov ballet on line and we watched the nutcracker so she could hear the music with a very different interpretation. We also talked about Tchaikovskii and read the story in a children's book. By the time we got there, she was able to follow it, had lots of things to think about when she heard the music, and was thoroughly engaged.

I took my daughter for the first time at age 5, and I don't think she even blinked untl intermission, she was so into it!

You know her best. Is she captivated by music and dance or does she become easily bored?

I think she'll just enjoy being out and about together with the girls and the Nutcracker story will be way over her head. Kids don't understand dreams on stage, from my experience.

I would have taken my girls at 5, but my girls were pretty well behaved. Make sure you pack a snack.

And A., you are not letting the expecting twins pregnancy slow you down at all. Are you sure about planning all of this right now? I somehow think you are going through an early nesting phase that includes organizing family events, rather than organizing, let' say, the pantry or the baby room.

Good luck and happy pushing!!

I took my (usually quite fidgety) daughter to the Nutcracker ballet last year (when she was 4), and she just loved it! She was captivated by the whole experience, so she sat still during the entire ballet. Each child is different, though. Does your daughter sit through an entire theater movie? Is she very interested in watching the ballet? Before we went last year, my daughter watched "Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker" on television (PBS). We talked about the story of The Nutcracker (as did the show), so she was familiar with it before we went. I think that helped her 'get into it' more during the live show. Good luck!

You know your daughter and her ability to sit still, but I'd err on the side of taking her -- it will immerse her in a wonderful art form, and it will build her capacity to focus and sit still.

What I'd recommend ahead of time is that you read her a book that tells the Nutcracker story, so she can follow along during the performance. I also think it's fine to carry on a whispered (truly whispered, in ears) conversation with a 5-year-old during a performance. If you help her follow the plot, she'll have a wonderful time.

Joyeaux Noel (sp?),

Mira

At that age my dad took us to some Broadway plays in NYC, I remember loving it. I would take her.

It depends on your kid I suppose. But the Nutcracker is so magical and the toys comming to live dancing she might be enthralled by it.

I think it depends on your child. I took my almost 5 year old to see the nutcracker and she did great and loved it. She got a little restless the last little bit, but definitely not disruptive at all and she was still able to sit quietly. I took my 3 1/2 year old along to to see the Sleeping Beauty ballet - her dad was out of town and I wanted to take her older sisters so I gave it a shot, prepared to possibly leave the auditorium if necessary. However she did wonderful and was very well behaved during the whole production and watched most of it with interest. I always bring along a little bag with small (non crumbly) treats and water and that always helps, as well.
(Although from reading the other responses on here I may just have unusually obedient children with long attention spans, LOL.) So if you think she's able to sit quietly, even if she gets a little restless, then by all means include her. It sounds like a fun girls outing. :)

The Nutcracker ballet is approximately 2 hours long. It's in 2 acts and generally has an intermission between the two. The intermission will probably run around 15 minutes or so.

IF you think she'll be able to handle that then take her. If not then don't.

I will say that The Nutcracker is for the most part a very "busy" ballet. With LOTS of movement and bright colors and can be very enthralling.

Good luck with your decision ... I don't envy you trying to make it :) Although I do envy you getting to go the NYCB and see it. LOL

My five year old girls would LOVE LOVE LOVE to go see the Nutcracker, but the only performance I'll be taking them to is one geared towards small children. The real Nutcracker is L.O.N.G. And there are no words (of course) so unless you know the story perfectly it can be hard to follow and a bit boring. It's not like a movie that would be in your face and engaging for the entire time. It's asking a lot of her to sit still for two to three hours and follow a full ballet. You run the risk of having to explain every scene to her, remind her to sit still, have her complain/fidget, etc... and that might be disruptive for the people around you. I vote that you save it for when she's a bit older.

So - why can't your son see the ballet?

Leave the 5 year old at home unless she shows the desire to go. I go every year and the younger they are, the quicker they are bored and asleep or they carry on to the point that those in your family that do want to enjoy it can't. It is a beautiful but long ballet, and my girls went for the first time when they were 11. It also depends on where you sit. If you are front and center it capyures their attention a bit better, if you are in the mezzanine or somewhere the ballet is not clear, boredom sets in quicker for the little ones.

I think it's a little long for a five year old....she will have more fun with dad that day.

Although it is a bit long, your 5 yo will be fine. Especially since she takes dance. I took my 4yo last year, and she did fine. Frankly, we were both bored by the end of it. That said, she still talks about the peacock.

The ballet company expects there will be young kids there. Don't deny your older kids the chance to see this just because your younger one has to come along. If she doesn't have to come, and you can leave her at home, then do that. If you truly have to take her, sit with her and be prepared to leave the theatre and take her into the lobby if she gets restless (and if your older girls are OK with sitting nicely and paying attention while you are gone).

I personally would leave the five-year-old at home and have the girls' day out with the two older ones. They may resent it if the younger one is restless or noisy during the ballet. And you wont' get to enjoy it as much.

Seek out a shorter production for her. MANY ballet schools and local ballet companies do Nutcracker at the holidays and you will pay less for her to see it and feel better about it if you have to leave with her. Many schools/companies also do shortened versions aimed especially at younger kids! Our dance school does just that -- a 70-minute version so that younger kids can enjoy it. Have a special time out with the younger girl going to see a local production --there are LOTS this time of year. Someone posted "is it longer than the average movie" but it's not comparable to a movie -- it's dance and has no singing or talking or even a clear "story" and she is likely to say out loud, "Who's that? What's happening? Why is she doing that?" unless she has seen ballet before. Of course everyone needs a first time but if you have concerns, leave her at home.

But whatever you do -- don't miss the NYC Ballet show yourself or deny your 11- and 8-year-olds the chance to see it.

Encourage your daughters to see as much live dance as they can, if they are dancers! (From the mom of a ballet dancer who will be in Nutty again this year...school productions are fun, so I hope your girls get to be in one someday!! Have a great time.)

My 9 year old granddaughter is in it this fall and I am taking our 5 year old ADHD kid to see it. If he acts up I will take him out to the lobby. He sat through Cinderella and a couple of other shows but they did have dialog and action. Of course Nutcracker is full of kids at the beginning and they are all having fun.

I get bored with the 2nd half myself. If this little one doesn't want to sit through it then it's not time for them to go see it yet. It is long and a small child has an attention span of the length of a Pixar/Disney movie.

I'd take her. She'll be mesmerized! I loved watching the children in the Nutcracker, even as an adult! And though she may not remember seeing it once she grows up, it may actually spur her to keep dancing as a child.

Have a marvelous time!
Dawn

Take her! She'll be so enthralled she will have a wonderful "big girl" day.

I took my son at age 6 and he had no problems sitting thru it, I've taken many students on class trips and most loved it. I usually tell them the story read them a book, so they can follow the story better. Enjoy!

you know your kid best, and some are too wiggly to sit for that long. but the nutcracker is so vivid, and splendid, and entrancing. if your child doesn't have wiggle issues, i think it would be a marvelous treat.
it does have scary aspects but that's not the end of the world. all kids used to be raised on fairy tales with dark twists. one of the main reasons to HAVE fairy tales is to introduce children to dark themes in an age-appropriate manner. many kids today are so sheltered they can't handle them, but most kids can.
i think all of your kids are lucky to have a mama giving them this wonderful treat.
:) khairete
S.

My daughters were going to the Nutcracker at TWO. Five is plenty old enough, lots to see and one of the few fine art shows appropriate for little kids. Enjoy!

Noooooo. Those nutcrackers came to life in my dream when I was a kid. They all came marching after me.

Show her the dvd at home first show that she can know the story and anticipate the scenes.

We've been going for 2 years now, and started when my youngest was 2.5. She had no problem sitting through it. The older two are boys and they were four and six the first time they saw it. Also had no problem sitting through it.

If you do take your little girl, A., she will really enjoy some of it, and other parts will go over her head.

If she's sensitive, tell her in advance about the Christmas tree that grows, and also about the mice, which are always scary but sometimes funny, too. You may even need to explain what a nutcracker is and why it looks the way it does, with that big mouth and all.

It's essential to tell her the story in advance a few times, so she'll know what is happening and what to look for. People who are used to films and TV sometimes don't know what to do with a story that isn't spoken. That includes grownups!

For the second act, pique her interest by explaining that it's actually a ballet within a ballet, as the court performs for the nutcracker prince and his rescuer. (And it gives the dancers an opportunity to show what they can do!)

She may get a little squirmy and a little distracted, and might want to sit on your lap (such as it is), but she'll probably enjoy being there.

THE NUTCRACKER isn't longer than a movie; it's often the first live ballet a child sees, so you could say it's kid-friendly. When we took our granddaughters to a production here, there were many children there who were even younger than five.

What I'm wondering is how YOU will do. That's a long day.

How long is it? Longer than the average movie? My 5 year old will sit through a movie at the movie theater, if we go to the bathroom before hand.

Things like this, are a few hours.
She might not be able to sit there, for that long, nor be able to just wait and watch the whole thing. So you might end up, having to leave earlier and not see the whole thing. Are you okay, with that????

I don't know of any 5 year old, that will sit through that whole thing.
My kids at that age, saw plays and ballet... but it was for kids, and kid length and even at that, they had a hard time sitting through even a 2 hour production.

It can be hard, for even an adult... to sit through an entire Nutcracker production. I have been to those, but I don't like to go anymore because even I get bored... after awhile and don't want to sit through it for that long. That is me. And I'm a grown up.

Then per bathroom breaks, you will need to take all of them, even if only 1 of them has to go.

My eldest daughter is 10... she has taken dance before. But even for her, she can't sit through the ENTIRE Nutcracker production for that long.
Her Aunty took her to one last year.

How long, is the production that you will all be attending? If it is an abridged production, it is usually shorter.