Vacaciones!

Before the month ends, I have to pipe in and say what a great week we've had on vacation. We left town last Monday, a few days short of the end of the school year and just in time to get to Madrid and rest up for Amaia's wedding. It was a beautiful affair and the girls were so happy to be dressed up and twirling around the party.  Elisa danced til I thought we would have to carry her out.  And Carolina took off her shoes and rolled in the grass and played with her cousins like such a big girl. I was really proud of them both.  After a monster 12-hour sleep, we managed to spend a leisurely Sunday walking through Retiro with Abuela to get back on track.  There was accordion music in the air and the Palacio de Cristal full of rocking chairs which we took full advantage of. It was a lovely couple of hours.  Nacho will head back later this week and the girls will stay with me until the 9th. Then it's back home to enjoy the rest of what summer has to offer. Que bien. 

My little dancer

Just before Elisa's dance recital, I decided to take some nice photos of her in her costume. We'd promised not to wear it constantly before the big day, and in fact, this was the first time she'd put it on at home since receiving it a few weeks before. And still, I had to convince her it was okay. But once on, she really got into the spirit of the photos and was striking poses left and right. I couldn't get her to do much of the dance for me, but she had no trouble voguing her way through the session. It also helped that our friend Ella had just been over to do some ballet portraits with me and Elisa had watched her with stealthy admiration. Afterwards, I told Elisa I was very impressed with her poise. She really knows how to shine when she wants to. 

And that seems to be the key. Like every kid her age, stubborness is a requirement. If they aren't in the mood, don't even bother. But when Elisa commits to something, she goes all the way. And her eyes sparkle. She has the charisma I wish I had more of as a kid. It's kind of contagious. During the recital itself, she was a mix of nervous anticipation and calm aloofness. I couldn't get her to listen to me about hitting the bathroom before the big show and she wandered the hall alone as if she owned the place. And then I remembered how I felt all decked out and pacing the halls of the Music Hall in Kansas City before my yearly recitals. It was a way for me to discover myself and feel like I was in a big time show. I remember looking at all the Art Deco architectural frills and feeling like I belonged in another time. There was so much glamour all around me. I absolutely loved it. This theatre wasn't nearly as beautiful, but it was perfect for Elisa's first performance--just grand enough and not overwhelming. I was impressed with how well she took to the stage. The girl can move. Now the only question remaining is whether or not she'll continue with tap or branch out into ballet and jazz. She hasn't decided yet, but I'm hopeful we'll be back at it again come September. I think this kid can go far...as far as she wants. 

Recital Day!

Celebrating a wonderful recital performance with Italian ices in Corona and a little bocce...

Father's Day this year meant sleeping in til 8 a.m. throwing a few presents Nacho's way and then heading out for a whole day of dress rehearsals and a dance recital at 2 p.m. It might not have been exactly what Nacho had in mind, but then we couldn't let him stay inside and watch futbol 24/7 for the next three weeks could we? Yes, the World Cup is on and I do enjoy a match here and there. But the recital was a real highlight of the weekend for me. Elisa has not always loved going to dance on Tuesdays throughout the year. Most of the time, there's a slight groan when I mention that I'll be picking her up at the closer bus stop "because it's Tuesday and we have tap." But once there, she was always excited about learning and loved seeing her friend Bea. I steered her towards tap because I really felt it suited her and would be a good introduction to dance for a girl who likes to shake her thang. And after the performance I saw today, I was right.

It was such a thrill to see her onstage, smiling and hitting her routine with an ease and flair that makes me think this won't be her last recital. She looked around a bit and might have been a second off a few times, but overall, she nailed it. She wasn't overwhelmed by the lights of the big theatre and she took her direction in the dress rehearsal to move to her mark upstage flawlessly. Come showtime, she was right where she needed to be.  And man, the kid can move. The song was "I like to move it" which has a thumping beat that got the crowd whispering and ready for a great performance. And the kids really delivered. It meant so much to me to see her doing something that I loved as a girl, and to see her doing so well at it. She wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine all day long--the rehearsal was a lot of sitting around and she was starving by the lunch break--but man, when she danced you could forget all that. I wanted her to experience the stage and the thrill of the curtain parting and I could tell in her eyes and her smile that she loved it. I really couldn't have been prouder. She was in her element and it had nothing to do with me. It was all her. Which of course made me tear up even more. 

Being backstage and seeing all the dancers getting ready, applying make up and preening around in their new costumes was also a lot of fun for me as a parent. Our dance studio, Sunnyside Ballet Studio, is really a neighborhood spot and so the community we already know and love was all there for the show. I sat with other mom friends during the rehearsal since we were allowed to watch and take photos, and we were all so excited to see the kids bringing there hard work to the stage. Of course, Elisa is still crazy about taking ballet and even more so after seeing her friends perform. And I'm okay with that. I told Elisa many times that she didn't have to stick with tap forever, but I wanted her to try it. And she did. Now she might want to branch out and I think that would be great. What I wasn't expecting was that Carolina would be so gung ho to take dance after seeing her big sis perform. She could barely contain herself during the show saying "there's MORE?!" after every number and has since asked several times when she can go "to the elevators" to take ballet. Ah yes, this kid is growing up and too fast. Who knows, maybe by next year's recital, I will have two girls twirling up there. Without sounding too much like a dance mom, I kinda hope so. 

Happy Father's Day to Nacho, who brought Carolina to the show and gave Elisa her first bouquet. That's love.

Swimmer girls

Location scouting

What a gray, humid week it's been. Today was a repeat of the kind of heavy, cool dampness that descended on us Tuesday morning. Only that day I had the energy to still get up and try to beat back the oppressive air with a tour of Central Park. Nacho had been out for an early morning bike ride to Manhattan and back and declared it was a great, quiet day in the park. Since I also have a few photo shoots there coming up, I thought it would be a good idea to have a little walk through of the areas I'm interested in shooting. Never hurts to plan ahead. Even if the photos themselves are unplanned. Spontaneity is the key to good photography, I believe. But as I've been finding out, leading clients around aimlessly in the hopes of finding good seating and back drops takes a little more than luck. It takes good eyes and being quick to make adjustments to how people pose and stand. So with that in mind, we went on a little family adventure and I kept my cell phone handy to frame things and see what worked. It was a beautifully lush day in the park and there were no weekend crowds to beat back. Absolute heaven...

We climbed Belvedere Castle where Carolina promptly asked to see the princess. Of course, she must  have been sleeping. At least, I'm pretty sure that was the most satisfying explanation. It helped that on our way to the top of the tower, there was one more level sealed off with a ladder going nowhere. I pointed this out to Carolina and she bought the story completely. The princess does not want to be disturbed. And who could blame her? Such a damp and listless day. Except for the amazing blooms we inhaled at Shakespeare Garden, the colors were a muddle of greens and browns with few bright spots. But oh, those blooms. I couldn't stop myself from smelling them again and again. It was like being in a perfumeria. I can hardly believe it's taken me so long to check out that area of the park. You would think in 9 years of living here, I would have been there countless times, but honestly that day might have been my first. And it definitely left an impression. So yes, I'll be back. And if the weather cooperates as soon as the weekend. Time to shoot!