Gracing with their Presence

The little girl with the gauzy bandages covering the wires on her head looked up from her epilepsy test as a vision of a sugar plum fairy danced before her bed.

It was like a dream come true for the young patient, one of dozens at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital who were treated to a special visit by members of the Grand Rapids Ballet Junior Company.

The dancers were dressed in full costume for their roles in the upcoming performance by the Grand Rapids Ballet of “The Nutcracker” with the Grand Rapids Symphony, at DeVos Performance Hall.

Child Life staff guided the dancers along hallways outside patient rooms, the dancers twirling in the doorway as kids watched from their beds.

The dancers, including a real trooper of a larger than life Nutcracker with an outsized head also toured the outpatient cancer clinic conducted by Giselle Sholler, MD.

Later, as the dancers performed on stage in the Children’s Hospital Balk Café, Dr. Sholler beamed with pleasure. “This brings together my love of ballet and trying to brighten the day for my patients.” Her daughters dance in the Junior Company but were not able to attend the performance at the children’s  hospital.

Children’s hospital patients visited by Nutcracker characters | MLive.com has a nice story and pictures of the performance.