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'Nutcracker' dancers bring holiday cheer to hospital

Members of Geneva's State Street Dance Studio spent some of their holiday break giving back to the community and putting smiles on children's faces in Winfield.

State Street Dancers and guests from the "Fox Valley Nutcracker" spent the day on Dec. 22 handing out gifts for the children in the pediatric unit at Central DuPage Hospital, as well as cooking dinner and dancing for the families at the Ronald McDonald House across the street.

When thinking of how to keep "The Nutcracker" alive the rest of the holiday season after their almost sold-out performances Thanksgiving weekend in Batavia, Ashlie Andersen, artistic director of the show, thought, "what better way than to visit children in the hospital as well as those children who have to stay away from home this holiday season?"

Andersen, who has some personal ties with both the Ronald McDonald House near Central DuPage Hospital and Central DuPage Hospital itself, brought the idea to Dora Castro of the Childlife service at the pediatric unit a couple months ago.

"I would love to have you and the dancers come by and visit the unit," said Castro, Childlife Therapy Coordinator at Central DuPage Hospital. "I remember seeing the show many year ago and love the ballet and would enjoy nothing better than having some of the dancers from the show visit the children."

Andersen, who spent a month in the hospital and had twins born prematurely who spent several more months in the hospital at CDH, felt she needed to give back in some way to the hospital and everyone who helped her family get through a difficult time.

"I had seen bigger ballet companies such as the Joffrey Ballet or Boston Ballet do things like this and visit nearby children's hospitals so I thought, why not us. We have an amazing show that is well-known in the community with beautiful dancers and CDH has a large pediatric unit that I had many close connections with."

Andersen took her Sugar Plum Fairy, the Snow Queen, Clara, Herr Drosselmeyer and the Nutcracker himself to visit not only the pediatric and Pediatric Intensive Care units but also the mother and baby floor, the pediatric ER and also the nurses and doctors in the NICU at CDH. The dancers had the opportunity to take a cart around the hospital and hand out gifts that were provided as donations to children who were sick.

"I had to stay back at many times as to not get emotional when seeing the smiles on some of these kids' faces. One little girl kept asking her mother, 'Is that really the Sugar Plum Fairy?' This is what the holidays are about and giving back to others," Andersen said.

On the same day, dancers went over to the almost one-year-old Ronald McDonald House in Winfield to dance for the children and families there as well as cook dinner that evening. State Street Dance Studio's Parent Guild helped sponsor the meal for the evening and State Street Dance Company members helped bake cookies, do some crafts and dance that evening as well.

"This was an evening not to forget and a joy to be able to spread some holiday cheer to these families with children who are sick and cannot be home these holidays," Andersen said. "I was one of those families a year ago when the house first opened and spent almost a total of three months there. It meant a lot to me to give back to the house and do something for these families I knew could use some holiday cheer."

Ashlie Andersen serves on the Ronald McDonald House Community Advisory Council as well as a mentor for its new Teen Advisory Board.

For information on State Street Dance Studio, visit www.statestreetdancestudio.com.

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