A little girl and a Christmas classic

Okay, I know I'm a bit early, but I don't like leaving things until the last minute. So to all of my readers who celebrate the holiday, my best wishes for a very merry Christmas. Thank-you so much for stopping by and giving me the gift of your time. And if you're going to be traveling over the next few days, have a safe journey.

Of course, I have to leave you with something performance-related. One of the things I love about the Broadway musical Billy Elliot is the way it celebrates the joy of dance. Here's another wonderful example that seems perfect to share this holiday season.

Every year the Joffrey Ballet chooses a child with disabilities to take part in a production of that Christmastime classic, The Nutcracker. This year an 8-year-old Maryland girl, Mary Cassell, who has cerebral palsy, got picked for the production at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Katherine Shaver of The Washington Post wrote a sweet story about her. There's also a video where you can see Mary at rehearsal and hear her talk about how she wasn't sure she wanted to do it at first. Cute doesn't even begin to describe this little girl. And what a trouper. You can see her on stage here.

There's still time to catch the Joffrey's Chicago production of The Nutcracker. It runs through Sunday.