The holidays are a joyous time, but, for many people, they can be very difficult. This holds true for some of our nation’s dedicated military families who must frequently move from one tour of duty to the next. During a season meant for celebration, they can find themselves recently relocated to a new area with few established friendships, or, even worse, separated from each other by great distances. As maintaining family customs during such difficult times is very important, Classical Ballet Theatre feels privileged that Colonel Thomas Steffens, U.S. Army (Retired) included its Nutcracker production in his family’s holiday tradition.
Having served in the U.S. Army for twenty-seven years, Colonel Steffens understands the importance of establishing and maintaining family traditions. For nearly ten years, he has taken his daughter, Sarah, to see a Nutcracker performance during the holidays. They have seen performances in Seattle, WA; Providence, RI; and Washington, DC. This year, they decided to kick off their holidays with Classical Ballet Theatre’s performances, held over the Thanksgiving Weekend at the Ernst Theater, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus. As Sarah is now fifteen, Colonel Steffens doesn’t know how many more times they will be able to share this special father-daughter practice. He, however, does know that he “…will cherish the times…” that they did and that he looks forward to passing on the ritual to future family members.
Classical Ballet Theatre is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit performing arts organization located in Herndon, VA. For more information about Classical Ballet Theatre, please visit http://www.cbtnva.org.
