Keystone parent and Board of Trustees member Tim Vu participated in one of last week’s performances of The Nutcracker by Ballet San Antonio.

No, he didn’t go en pointe. He didn’t have to dance at all. Instead, he was one of seven people selected to play the role of Mother Ginger in the iconic work.

Mother Ginger is a larger-than-life dame, all decked out in makeup and a wig. In this production, the character sits perched atop a platform covered by Mother Ginger’s skirt, and children prance out from under the skirt to the delight of the audience.

This year, Ballet San Antonio chose seven frontline workers and other pandemic heroes to serve as Mother Ginger — and among them was our own Dr. Vu. On a different day, alumni parent Mike Osterhage donned the makeup for a performance.