Raising Maine

Always a family favorite when I was growing up.... I'd love to take my kids as they have never been - the music is fantastic :) December 5th would work for us!

We have never been to see The Nutcracker. My daughters are at perfect ages to start to enjoy the art of music and dance. They are 8 and 10. My older daughter has been taking ballet lessons for two years. This would be a wonderful holiday family event. We could go either day! Thanks.

I have never been to The Nutcracker.. My daughter is 6 and very much into dance and music. She would love to be able to go see The Nutcracker. This would be a great thing to do as a family. Thanks

I have lived in Portland for 25 years and have never seen the Maine State Ballet in any performance. I think the Nutcracker is a wonderful holiday story and would love to have the chance to see it with my family. Plus Dec. 5 is my 47th birthday! What a better way to celebrate!

Hi-would love to go. I used to take my now 8 year old daughter, my 5 year old would be just the right age to start taking her too. They absolutely love the music, the fantasy of it. I want to see that look of total immersion and magic on their face that I know I will see if I take them. A family day out would be just what we need to start the holiday off right.

When I was younger, we used to have a tradition of going into Boston and seeing the Nutcracker. I would love to start the same tradition with my two children; I think it would be a great opportunity to expose them to the arts.

I would love to see the show! and show my kids what I grew up doing.. I havent been to a show in a few years but i was a ballerina growing up and have done a piece in the nutcraker before (at my dance school nothing major) i think my kids would really enjoy it!

My Kids would love this show. My son (5) collects nutcrackers, and my daughter (3) is a tiny ballerina. Please consider us for this show. -stacey

What can I say...I have a three year old who walks around the house humming "Dun-da-da-da-dum...dum.dum.dum. Dun-da-da-da-dum...dum.dum.dum" and announces to the entire department store, "That's the Nutcracker!"

I have two granddaughters who have never been. They both love music and dance. I would love to start another new tradition with them.

We have never been to see the nutcracker. This would be a great experience!

Every year since I was about 5 years old I have attended the Nutcracker Ballet. No matter where my Mom and I lived, we went to see it; we moved around a lot. Now, I have a family and look so forward to continuing this tradition with them. It's such a wonderful story to share with friends and family - it truly adds to the spirit of the holidays.

Our children are ages 5 and 7 and have never seen the Nutcraker before. They see the commercials on tv and always talk about going. Our oldest has been dancing since she was 3 and this could be a great opportunity for her to see. Thank you for this opportunity. December 5th would work for us. Thanks again and good luck to everyone.

It's funny every year around November my mother and I both say that we would LOVE to go to the ballet to see The nutcracker. We have been saying it for about 5 years now and still haven't been able to. This would be the most precious gift I could give her, a trip to the ballet with her daughter and 2 granddaughters. I'm sure it would be a day to remember. Dec 5th would be lovely. Thank you so much for this oppurtunity!!

Would love to take the last two kids, 14 & 15, living at home before they stop wanting to be seen with me at all !!

Neither my husband nor I have seen the Nutcraker and I think all of us including my two daughters, ages 7 & 4 would love to see this ballet. It would be fun to watch their faces take it all in.

The Nutcracker has been an important holiday tradition in my own life since my elementary school took us to the Boston shows. My sister just moved to Maine from out of state, and this year I'd like to take my daughter (age 8) and my sister and neice (age 13) as a special girls-day out to kick off the holiday season. I cannot decide if the huge Christmas tree or the snowflake forest is my favorite part!

I have 2 daughters ages 6 & 8 who love ballet. I would be grateful for the opportunity to broaden their horizons and take them to see the Nutcracker. they love to get all dressed up and it would be wonderful to have a special day with my girls and we'll bring grammy along too!

there are four in our family my children are 13 and 15 and love to dance I remember as a child going to see the Maine State Ballet with my dance class I would love my children to have the wonderful memeories of it as I do the Nov date would be best for us but could arrange for the Dec date if needed. Thankyou for this oppertunity

My daughter is performing with the Musica di Filia girls choir in this performance, but we'll still have to purchase tickets for the rest of the family to be able to be in the audience. We would hate to miss it!

My daughter (now 22) was in the Nutcracker for years in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Even when she was not performing we would go to see the Nutcracker as often as we could or at least watch an old tape of it each Christmas season. I have recently relocated to Portland and she is in town visiting and we would love to see it again. Since each ballet company casts and stages the Nutcracker their own way, you can see a performance of it year after year and never tire of it. The use of local children makes each production of it unique. We would like to go to the November 28th performance since my daughter will be leaving a few days later.

I would love to take my boys ( and their dad ) to see this ! We have never been before and it would be a great experience to do this as a family ! We would be truly grateful:) Thank you.... And either day would work for us!

This is a show I would love to take my daughter to! She is just starting balet lessons and her dance class is her life!

My daughter Grace says that this is her favorite show because it is magic. We would love to go. November 28th would work best for us but if we won we would be happy to go either day.

I have never seen the Nutcracker and my 3 kids and I have watched it every year on t.v. We would really appreciate the opportunity to bring this experience to life. December 5th would be perfect.

Our daughter is in her first year of ballet. Both she and our son have enjoyed Nutcracker DVDs we've rented in the past, but we have not yet had the opportunity to see it live. We would be thrilled to attend the performance by the Maine State Ballet, and we, like everyone else, would be grateful to receive free tickets during the delightful but expensive holiday season. Thanks for the contest opportunity. December 5th is our preferred date.

My kids (4 and 6) adore any live show, and this would be one that their grandmother could come to with us. She and I went to the Boston Ballet when I was younger, so I would love to share this with all of them! Either date works great!

My 4-year old is taking ballet and my 10-year is into Tchaikovsky, so this is the perfect family event to celebrate the Christmas season. I have been waiting for the right opportunity to share this wonderful classic with my family and we are excited to be able to enjoy such performances so close to home! We hope to be able to go on December 5th. Thanks for the opportunity!

I am a mom of two Crystal (5) and Kylie (3) who absolutley love watching musicals. My mom and I used to get to go every year as tradition and I would luv to start a tradition with my kids as they have not been able to go yet. We would prefer the 28th but the 5th would be fine also. Thank you for considering us.

My daughters are in high school, and we would love to go! We had tickets for the Boston Ballet Nutcracker, when they were young, but one of them got pnemonia a few days before we were to go, and we were unable to attend the performance. It would be great to go before they go off to college! December 5th would be perfect. Thank you!

I saw this performance with my daughter when she was 7. I could only afford 2 tickets at the time, and my son could not attend. It would be wonderful to go now, that they are 17 and 18 years old. And to go as a family.

We have never taken our 7 year old daughter to the Nutcracker and would love to go Nov.28.

What little girl doesn't dream of being a ballerina......... Well this one ( I did and still have two left feet). However I have a recently-turned-6 year old little girl that I would luv luv luv to share 'The Nutcracker' with. 'The Nutcracker' brings such magical warmth before the holiday and makes all of the other holiday craziness seem distant........

The nutcracker is an amazing ballet, I would love to be able to offer these tickets as a donation to the kids I work with. Saturday December 5th would work perfectly. These kids would benefit I think from having a chance to go and see this.

I have never seen a ballet, and have dreamed of vringing my girls someday!

We would love to attend the November 28th 2pm performance of the Nutcracker. My daughter attended the same ballet when she was 6 when her greatgrandmother was still alive. She is now 13 and it would be such a lovely reminder to attend the same ballet in remembrance of such a wonderful woman. Holiday Events always bring families together and create joy throughout the holiday season. What a thoughtful idea to have a contest for such a beautiful ballet. Thank you.

MY TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS WOULD LOVE TO GO TO THE BALLET. THEY ARE IN THE NUTCRACKER IN WALDBORO ON DECEMBER 4,5 AND 6. SO THE 28 WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THEM. THEY ARE 12 AND 10 AND HAVE BEEN DOING DANCE SINCE THEY WERE 3 YEARS OLD. THE OLDEST IS TEACHING THE LITTLE ONES WITH HELP FROM A HIGH SCHOOLER. AS GRANDPARENTS WE WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THEM TO THIS AND WATCH THE EYES GLEAM AND BE MISTIFIED AND BE AS BIG AS SAUCERS. THANK YOU

First of all I would just like to say that I have never in my life been to a ballet. I would love to be able to share this with my oldest daughters. I have been having someissue with not spending enough time with them due to doing alot of things that my youngest can go to. BUt I really think this would be a great thing to take them too, and for me to. I have always wanted to see what it is like to go to the ballet.

Either date is great for us, thanks!

We've made a holiday tradition of going to the Nutcracker; winning tickets would be wonderful. We'd prefer the Dec. 5 performance, but wouldn't turn down tickets to the Nov. 28th one - Thank you!

My mother wanted to take my sister and me to the Nutcracker this year anyway but if we won the four pack we could take my younger brother too. He's never seen the ballet. The only exposure he's had is an old vhs of it that I used to watch over and over (and over and over). If we won tickets for the 28th it'd be really nice to see the ballet again (or for the first time in my brother's case) as a family.

As a child my parents brought me to see the nutcracker and now that I'm a mom myself I would like to be able to give my children the opportunity to see the nutcracker as well. I have a 12, 10 and 5 year old, all girls, who have not had the chance yet to enjoy the nutcracker. I think this would be the best gift to start off the holiday season. Saturday December 5th would work out best for us, but we definitely would not turn down tickets for the performance on the 28th.

My family would love to see this performance because we need a night out and deserve a distraction. My husband and I have been guardians of our 4 year old niece for 2 years, she is currently having to transition back home with her mother. My niece uses music and dance as therapy and recently just finished a dance performance of her own. She would love to see the nutcracker...We also recently had a baby (8 weeks ago) and would love to have a night out with our niece where the focus could be all on her. December 5th would be great, although we could do the 28th as well. Thanks

My wife and I are very fortunate to have our daughter and her family live only 30 minutes away and would love to take our two granddaughters , ages 11 and 13 to see the Nutcraker ballet in Portland. When our daughter was their age, we took her to see it and we all enjoyed the show. If their are tickets available on Nov. 28th, we would make good use of them.

Oh how we fondly remember taking our young granddaughters to see The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center in New York. Well, after living in Maine for 18 years and our dear children moving to California, we have no little ones to take and enjoy this very wonderful ballet. I have watched it on t.v., but that is just not the same as seeing it in the wonderful Merrill Auditorium. Since we are getting older, and know all the music by heart (I especially love to watch the lovely lady playing the harp on the left side of the stage) it surely would be wondeerful to get these tickets, and perhaps we could take 2 little girls from our Church to enjoy it with us. Also love to see how everyone gets dressed up for the occasion, so rare now a days.

My 12 year old daughter dances at a very close knit dance studio. The girls at the studio are all very supportive of each other. One of her dearest dance friends recently left the studio to dance at the Maine State School of Ballet to pursue her biggest dream of actually becoming a ballerina some day. It was very sad to see her leave and all the girls miss her. Needless to say, her Mom informed us that she, indeed, got a part in the Nutcracker and that she will be performing in this season's featured performance of the Nutcracker!!! Everyone is so excited for her. I would love to be able to bring my daughter and a few other dancers from the studio to watch her perform her part in the Nutcracker and witness her beaming face on that stage. She is a true ballerina in everyone's eyes!

After telling my daughters that we couldn't go this year due to ticket expenses...they were sad to hear our tradition of going would be on hold this year. Within an hour, they left for school and I read the paper from 2 days ago this morning and saw the add for this holiday celebration. Surprising them with tickets would be a gift for me and for them! Tis the season and thank you for providing this experience for whichever lucky families this may be!

I mentioned going to see The Nutcracker to my daughter (9 yrs. old) and she amazingly seems quite interested. I say this because she is very much the tomboy and would rather watch and/or play any sport with the boys rather than do anything "girlie". We have The Nutcracker Christmas CD and she enjoys listening to it, so I think being able to get tickets to this show would be an awesome experience for her. The December 5th show would be perfect, as we'll be away over the prior weekend for Thanksgiving. Thank you for the opportunity. merme1

I took my eldest daughter when she was 11 yrs old. She is now 15 yrs old. I would love to take her again along with her younger sister who is now 11 yrs old. My 11 yr old takes ballet lessons & I she has been asking about going. My office closed in August & because of our situation I told the girls we will not be able to go this year. I told them we will try to go next year. What a nice surprise it would be if I could tell them that we are going to be able to go this year after all. November 28th would work better for us. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

My 6 soon to be 7 year old daughter has loved the nutcracker since she was about 2 years old. She watches the DVD year round. WE went to the show last year and she loved it. I would like to make it an annual event. I am unsure if I will be able to afford tickets this year. Either date works for us.

I would love to attend with my husband and sons, ages 5 & 8. We have enjoyed holiday shows like the Magic of Christmas in the past. Although I am working very hard, and extra when I can, my husband is not at this time so money is tight for extras like this. We love listening to the music of the Nutcracker, and it just elicits such wonderful holiday feelings. Either date would be fine if we were winners of a family pack of tickets.

My family and I would like to go because my grandma used to go as a tradition when she was younger and it would mean the world to her to go to The Nutcracker. My mom would also love to go, and I as well. I know my grandma would like to go at least once more in her lifetime, and it would be great if you gave us the chance. December 5th would be the best day.

My 9 year old daughter has never seen the Nutcracker and would love to see it in Portland!

My mom, 15 yr old daughter and I would love to attend the nutcracker. This is a wonderful memory for all generations to share together. Our preference would be on Dec 5th. Many thanks!

I have been waiting for my little girls to be old enough to take them to the ballet - especially The Nutcracker! They are 4 and 5 and there is nothing they like better than to dance around the house dressed up in their ballerina outfits! This would be a magical experience for them and for me as I work very long days with a long commute, so trying to find special things to do together on the weekend is so important to me. They are only little once and it is hard to know my time with them is slipping away while I am at work during the week. Thanks for the chance to win tickets to what I am sure is an amazing (yet expensive!) event!

Whoops - either date would work fine for our family - thanks!

The brightest part of a difficult last year for my teenage daughter has been her second job being a help to a young mother with a 4yo & 2 new twins. That relationship has been constuctive and rewarding for both & gotten use through to her first and more settling year at college. I'd like her to be able to offer her friend and little girl a special christ treat of the Nutcracker. Slight preference for the later date.

When my children were small we went to the Nutcracker on several occasions. They are older now and I would love for us to have a day together to enjoy the show.

My mom has wanted to attend the Nutcracker for years, but hasn't been able to go because my dad hates stage productions. In addition, my sister and I have been in college during show dates, so my mom has had no one with which to attend the show. This year I will be home for the holiday season, and it may well be the last for a while since I am getting married and moving away next year. I'm a student so I am not well off financially, and I would love to win tickets to take my mother and my fiancee (who is also a student with limited finances) to see the Nutcracker. It would mean a lot to her and a lot to me as well since I could not provide this for her by my own means. The date at the end of November would be best, but December would work just as well!

My new husband and I would love to take some friends who are going through a hard time to this performance. It would give them a fun evening in a very hard fall. Also, one of my students is performing this year, but due to my husband's unemployment and our limited resources, it is difficult to afford the tickets.

Oops! If we are blessed to get a ticket, Dec. 5 would be the best for us.

To see the Nutcracker through the eyes of my seven year old daughter would not only make my day but make the 2009 year. My daughter has been dancing since the age of three. She enjoys tap, hip hop, jazz, musical theater, lyric and of course ballet. Not a day goes by that she is not creating her own dances or just practicing her steps. This year she will start her first year being on a competition team, being one of the youngest on the team. Bringing her to a performance like the Nutcracker would open her eyes to a brand new world of incredible talent, music and dreams of becomming a dancer. I bring the four generations of my family to this event, my grandmother whom has never seen this and to see it with her great granddaughter would be so memorbale for her, my mother whom loves to share any adventure and whom is my daughter's biggest dance fan, myself whom takes great pride in the little things of life that are sure to make lasting memories, and my daugher whom has such big dreams in her heart to dance, this would sure add to the already magic of the season. Thank you for considering me and my family for such a wonderful event. If we are choosen we would wish to attend the December 5th event. Thank you Crystal

My 6 year old has been dancing since she was 3 and she absolutely loves it. She has done ballet, tap and Spanish for the past 2 years. This year she wanted to join a competition team, so she did and is doing Lyrical and Tap. We always purchase the DVD of the dance recitals and Emily will watch them over and over again, she learns all the dances, and is always putting on dance recitals for us. She would have a smile from ear to ear if she got to see the Nutcracker! Either date would work for us. Thank-you.

The Nutcracker is always a wonderful experience, which is why we are all entering this contest! I took my son to a performance of Nutcracker in Portsmouth NH at the Music Hall when he was about 4 or 5. Halfway through the performance, the fire alarms went off, and we had to evacuate the Music Hall by going on one of those outside metal fire escapes - and we had been all the way up in the balcony! We stood outside, without our coats, freezing, and watched the fire trucks pull up, and the firefighters with all their protective gear, and oxygen tanks on their backs went rushing into the building. About 45 minutes later, all was well and we returned to see the rest of the performance. Now, the really cool part of this story is that my son went home and told everyone all about the Nutcracker and the Rat King - with never a mention of the fire trucks. The next day at pre-school - the same thing. He went on and on about the Nutcracker so that his teacher mentioned to me how much he seemed to enjoy it. SO I asked her if he told her about the fire trucks, and the evacuation - Nope! Not a word! He is older now, and I think he and his little sister would really enjoy the bigger and better Portland performance. Let's hope we get to go, and that there is no fire!

The Nutcracker was a tradition for my ten year old daughter and I up until a few years ago we when had to tighten out belts re-allocated entertainment funds to living expenses. It was hard to tell her "not this year". Now that she's old, she understands. I would be so grateful to enjoy that mother/daughter moment again when we hold hands and look at each other with excitement as the lights go down. We are free November 28th!

I danced in the Nutcracker for several years, when I was young. This production has changed sooo much over the years. I would love to take my family to see it and remember all the great times I had dancing in it!!

I remember going to the Nutcracker as a little girl....it was a Christmas tradition for me. Now I'm a mother of two beautiful girls, who love Christmas and all of our family traditions. I would love to go with my girls and enjoy this lovely ballet with them. The Nutcracker brings back so many wonderful memories for me and I would love to have that for my girls.....memories of going to the ballet. Thank you :)

I would love to see the Nutcracker ballet with my mother again. She ttok me when I was little and it was so magical. either day would be great!

Our family has been split up with my daughter living thousands of miles and most of a world away. This year, however, my daughter and her children are home from the Middle East with me in Maine. It has been years since we celebrated Christmas together. For me the Nutcracker represents the magic and excitement of Christmas. It would be a wonderful treat if we could attend the Nutcracker and experience that thrill together as a family.Thank you.

My mom used to take me every year & I would love to do the same with my kids.

Oh, either date would be good!

I remember going as a child and it was such a wonderful experience I would love to share this with my son. This is a wonderful way to enjoy music and dance!