Well Grace, since you asked...I am always prepared to talk about my kids!<P>Older daughter has Nutcracker performances starting tonight. There have been many late nights this week, but I think the show is ready!<P>She is in 5 performances and has the following roles (though obviously not all things in all shows - that would be a trick!): party girl, mouse, soldier, and Fritz. She is still one of the younger ones, and I suppose it is good that she was given 4 roles; others have only one or two.<P>I will be very glad when she is beyond the mouse and soldier stage. She has very fair skin and the stage make-up is quite hard on her! Last year it took weeks and weeks for the skin to get back to normal!<P>Younger daughter is not in a seasonal performance, which is just as well because the older one keeps me busy enough.<P>Thanks for asking!<P>mom2

I wish her lots of luck, Mom - after she takes off the stage makeup - do you cream her face? Do you have a really gentle make-up remover? Caring for the face is really a learning process, too.

i was thinking along the same lines, basheva. what i was about to say is: have you tried a very thin layer of cold cream underneath the make-up (VERY thin). this allows it to go on easier - and come off easier (it'll come off WAY too much easier AND sooner if you use too much!) might help.....<P>i think you should take it as a good sign that your daughter has more roles - if i was casting it - that would mean she was reliable (and/or better than others). reliability counts for a very great deal in performance work.<P>i can certainly understand your keeness to move on to a more sophisticated stage of work - i bet SHE can't wait either! will she get a performance of fritz? (does she want one?) <P>look forward to hearing how it went first night.... <P>

hello all,<P>Am back from a very busy weekend! The performances went quite well; I was very proud of all the dancers! It was especially heartwarming to see the boy cast as the prince do such an amazing job (I think even he was happy with his performance!!!). They have done some very amusing things with the party scene, and it's quite fun to watch! My daughter has very little parts, but at least she has a few of them.<P>With regard to daughter's makeup, I had thought of cold cream or something like that, but am leary of anything lately - so much has perfume in it, I can never predict. So, it's hit and miss. Hopefully by the time she is ready to do the bigger roles we'll have a handle on the makeup. There is a baby oil now that comes in a gel sort of format. She is trying that and we'll see.

There are some drugstores - and health shops - that have products without perfumes in them. You can also ask your local druggist. I also found that I had to be careful not to rub the makeup off - but to blot it off. There are also some very gentle eye makeup removers.<P>And of course regular moisturizing - everyday helps and a sun screen. I wear sun screen every day - helps protect the skin against drying as well as the sun. Also for everyday cleansing - a gentle hypo-allergenic liquid cleanser keeps fragile skin in good health. So that when makeup is used - the skin is already in good shape.<P>Glad to hear that everything went well in the performance - tell your daughter "Congratulations!!" from me.<P>------------------<BR>Approach life as a dancer approaches the barre, with grace and purpose.

my daughter has eczema so i know about dry sore skin. Aveeno has a very nice liquid soap with oil in it that moisturies the skin when you wash. before bed tell her to put just plain vaseline jelly the gooey stuff on her face there is no perfum in it.<BR>charlene