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December 24, 2020

The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, where we celebrate our hometown with Greenwich news, people, and events.

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Writing for His Children Changed the World What you might not know about the famous bedtime story that re-wrote Christmas Eve

By Beth Barhydt For ma ny i n Gr e enw ich a nd around the world, treasured holiday traditions include a bedtime story that begins, “’Twas the night before Christmas,” on Christmas Eve. We include it here in its entirety for you to read out loud this evening if you would like. While there is some slight disagreement over the authorship of this now famous poem, most believe it was penned by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863). Ac cor d i n g to t he L i bra r y of Congress American Memory project, Moore wrote the tale on Christmas Eve, 1822, while traveling to his Chelsea-district home from Greenwich Village, where he picked up the last of many turkeys that his family donated each holiday season. Moore created the poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas (now known as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas), to read to his ow n si x children that evening. His vision was likely inf luenced by the vivid description of St. Nicholas by his friend, Washington Irving, in A History of New York (1809). Irving, the son of a Presbyterian minister and author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle wrote a fanciful account of how St. Nicholas came in a dream to Dutch explorers who were scouting a location for New Amsterdam, now Manhattan. Yes, the founding of New York City, in Irving's account, was divinely inspired by St. Nicholas. Moore would have been inf luenced as well by his father, B e nja m i n Mo or e , who w a s t he E p i s c o p a l m i n i s t e r o f Tr i n i t y Church and would later serve as the Episcopal bishop of New York, taking part in the inauguration of George Washington as the nation’s first president. The poem was actua l ly f i rst published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel newspaper on Dec. 23, 1823. A graduate of Columbia University, Clement Moore was a scholar of Hebrew and a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at the General Theological Seminary in Manhattan. H is l ig ht-he a r te d p o em wa s originally not meant for publication which may be why it was published

anonymously, likely without Moore even knowing it was submitted. H is poem has come i nto t he homes and hearts of millions across the world. On Christmas eve, in our home, our holiday tradition will most certainly include this bedtime story. A f ter watch i ng ou r chu rch's Christmas eve service, virtually this year, everyone will open one present. The contents of these presents is never a surprise—always new Christmas pajamas, washed and ready to wear that very night. Then there will be hot cocoa while we sit by a fire and listen. One wife, two children, two dogs. Quiet. Then Peter will begin to read this brief but magical tale.

Twas

the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her ’kerchief, and

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When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave a lustre of midday to objects below, When what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name! “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

was as white as the snow;

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

The stump of a pipe he held As dry leaves that before tight in his teeth, And the smoke, it encircled the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and mount to the sky; a little round belly So up to the housetop the That shook when he laughed, coursers they flew, like a bowlful of jelly. With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too— He was chubby and plump,

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack. His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight— “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Magic and Joy

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I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,

By Icy Frantz There is magic and joy in the story of a young girl who falls asleep at the foot of her Christmas t ree w it h her a r ms w rapped around a new gift, a nutcracker, dreaming that the tree grows in massive proportion and that the nutcracker becomes a prince. Or maybe it’s the magic and joy in dance that is so mesmerizing this time of year in particular. A sma l l g roup of da ncers from Greenwich High School has found a way to offer that magic and joy to children and teenagers who typically miss out. The class, Adaptive Ballet, given on Sunday af ter noons at the Greenw ich Conservatory of Classical Ballet, was created to offer young people with disabilities the chance at dance. Mimi Citarella is the founder and Executive Director of G r e e nw i c h C o n s e r v a to r y o f Classical Ballet (GCCB). “I was thrilled to be approached by a young group of dancers about this and to offer the studio space and support where this program can be offered and can thrive. We have an outward community focus, and the Adaptive Dance program is central to our mission. It provides a vehicle for autistic children to learn new skills and experience t he joy of da nce, movement, and music, which is the heart of classical ballet.” Adaptive Ballet, started this fall, is made up of students with different disabilities, a variety

of needs, and a unique set of goa ls. Because of th is, there are challenges, and the lessons develop at their own pace. “The class has been a work in progress because autistic children often have diff iculty with new experiences. So, in building this Adaptive Dance program, the introduction and getting the kids acclimated is a significant part of the start-up process. That’s really where we are now, after eight classes, getting to know each of the students, how they learn, how they become comfortable in a new situation, and then teaching the actual ballet skills from there. We are starting to see the dancers b e g i n to le a r n s e q ue nc e s of instruction, and with one student, the girls are teaching her to skip. It is something that may come easily to most children, but it can be a huge achievement for a child with special needs,” says Citarella. Martina Phelan, a 17-year-

is 15-years-old and has taken ballet for over twelve years. Her brother has autism. “I am so proud that I have learned these communication skills from having an autistic brother and am now able to work well with kids with special needs,” says Reynolds. Phela n a nd Rey nold s a r e joined each week by Avery Byrne, Angelica Cilio, and Alexis Killeen, and together they give their time and experience to not only help teach skills that they know so well but ones that have given them such pleasure, in the hopes that it will do the same in the lives of their students with disabilities. “It's very difficult for autistic children to find classes, so to have these free Adaptive Ballet classes at GCCB, it's so important for them and their families,” says Reynolds Providing individuals with disabilities the chance to learn ballet also allows them to develop other important skills.

A small group of dancers from Greenwich High School has found a way to offer that magic and joy to children and teenagers who typically miss out. old and one of the cofounders of the class, spent a weekend last summer at Boston Ballet becoming a certif ied Adaptive Ballet Dance Instructor where she learned techniques for teaching dance and movement to individuals with disabilities and strategies for modifying dance instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. Katherine Reynolds, the other co-founder,

Many studies indicate that learning dance and movement helps w it h co ord i nat ion a nd balance, increases attention and concentration, strengthens the ability to understand and express emotion, and enhances social interaction for students w ith disabilities. “Ballet is an art form and a means of communication. For nonverbal autistic children especially, it can be a powerful tool

in communicating and expressing themselves,” says Phelan. In For Some Children with Autism , Dance Is a For m of Expression, a November 19, 2019, New York Times article, the author tells the story of a 14-year-old boy with autism who has limited speech and had recently enrolled in a dance program for children with disabilities. One afternoon, while dancing around his own liv ing room, he spun around and yelled “I love you” to his mother. She had been waiting fourteen long years to hear those three words from her son and his engagement with dance had sprung them loose. If you close your eyes, I bet you can feel the excitement of a young girl as she spins around t h e s t a g e w it h h e r n e w g i f t outstretched in her arms. For Clara, the nutcracker is indeed extraordinary, like the coveted presents a child finds under the tree on December 25th in the early morning. Santa has come. Miraculous. And yet, there is no gift more miraculous than one motivated by love and service like the one these young teachers are

offering a small class of aspiring dancers - not only at Christmas but throughout the year. “With every new step, I’m watching kids develop a love for dance that will follow them for their whole life,” says Phelan. There is magic and joy in the steps that each performer takes across the stage each holiday season as dancers execute the exquisite choreography of The Nutcracker. So too, there is magic and joy in a small dance studio right here in our own community, where young dedicated volunteers are teaching steps and sequences and even a sk ip, beautif ul groundwork that will impact and enhance the lives of their students not just for the duration of the class but for an entire lifetime. The Greenwich Conservatory o f C l a s s i c a l B a l l e t h o p e s to d e ve l o p p r o g r a m s fo r o t h e r diverse learners such as the aging adult population as well as giving all learners the opportunity to perform on stage. For more information about their programs, please visit www. greenwichconservatoryballet.com