We just had our annual winter recital last weekend. This time I sewed myself two new costumes!
Kevin, Beth, and Emma were kind enough to show up to our dress rehearsal to take some video for me. I have several videos of past performances and I use them to see where I'm in need of improvement, but thanks to Kevin's camera skills this one's good enough to share! Keep in mind that this is intermediate level dancing. It's not meant to be an example of great flamenco dancing (for those of you "aficionados" who find my blog through an internet search and want to make a snarky comment about the quality of the dancing). But for my family and friends who want to see what I'm up to, have at it.
Oh, and Kevin IS allowed to make snarky comments. That's part of our arrangement.
We call it a project because there are lots of things going on here. We are a family of four living semi-rurally in our owner-built off-grid straw bale home, attachment parenting, homeschooling, farming and homesteading with two other family members on 10 acres. Our goals are self-sufficiency and sustainability as we prepare for the future while living joyfully in the present.
Showing posts with label flamenco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flamenco. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Summer recital
Last weekend we had our annual summer flamenco recital at Civic Plaza. It was brutally hot but fun nonetheless. I was truly touched by my friends and family who came out to endure the heat and help watch my kids while I danced. I only get to perform twice a year and it means a lot to me.
Thanks also to the Fullers for taking and sharing some great photos.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Mom's Night Out
OK, all the other gals have got their MNO photos on their blogs already so here are mine too. You will all be disappointed though because I only took four pictures the entire evening and none of them are all that interesting.
Still, we had a really great time. We ate well, laughed, had a million things to talk about, and they even made me dance. I was pleased to see how much fun we had together. We are all different in many ways but we are all homeschoolers, which is a deep and common thread that ties us together. And the real evidence that we like each other is that we didn't just talk about our kids the entire night! Afterwards, Sylvia, Beth, and I went to see Blades of Glory at the theater. What a treat--and who knew Beth had such an infectious laugh? I haven't laughed so much in a long time.
For much better photos see Beth's blog here Sylvia's blog here, or Crystal's blog here
Still, we had a really great time. We ate well, laughed, had a million things to talk about, and they even made me dance. I was pleased to see how much fun we had together. We are all different in many ways but we are all homeschoolers, which is a deep and common thread that ties us together. And the real evidence that we like each other is that we didn't just talk about our kids the entire night! Afterwards, Sylvia, Beth, and I went to see Blades of Glory at the theater. What a treat--and who knew Beth had such an infectious laugh? I haven't laughed so much in a long time.
For much better photos see Beth's blog here Sylvia's blog here, or Crystal's blog here
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Two big goals achieved
Last weekend was my big flamenco recital. Two years ago I attended this very same recital and, having never danced flamenco before but always wanting to, decided that it was time for me to start. I hoped that someday I could perform flamenco in a recital like that and it finally happened for me!
The other fun thing that I did related to this was making a dress to wear. I have been fortunate enough to inherit some sewing supplies from my late grandmother and I have been feeling very connected to her lately as I have taught myself to use a sewing machine. True to form, rather than starting with something simple I decided that my first project would be modifying the wedding dress that Grandma had made me to make a flamenco costume. It turned out pretty well only because the design of the dress cleverly hid all my crooked seams! Here I am in my dress.
And here's the view of the stage from Chris and Eliza's seats on the third day. I'm the tallest one on the stage, male or female. Can you find me? Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Eliza wore her fancy skirt to the performance. Scotty decided that it wasn't for him so he didn't come. Here is Eliza outside the theater with a statue by a famous local artist.
The other fun thing that I did related to this was making a dress to wear. I have been fortunate enough to inherit some sewing supplies from my late grandmother and I have been feeling very connected to her lately as I have taught myself to use a sewing machine. True to form, rather than starting with something simple I decided that my first project would be modifying the wedding dress that Grandma had made me to make a flamenco costume. It turned out pretty well only because the design of the dress cleverly hid all my crooked seams! Here I am in my dress.
And here's the view of the stage from Chris and Eliza's seats on the third day. I'm the tallest one on the stage, male or female. Can you find me? Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Eliza wore her fancy skirt to the performance. Scotty decided that it wasn't for him so he didn't come. Here is Eliza outside the theater with a statue by a famous local artist.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Finally on the road
After a long week at the Flamenco Festival in ABQ (taking one class every morning and attending three performances) we finally left for our summer road trip right after my last class Saturday morning. We had an easy drive to Flagstaff and the kids were great thanks to the DVD player and They Might Be Giants. We really enjoyed the hotel pool in Flagstaff, where Eliza is proving to be quite the water rat already. She absolutely loves diving under the water and does so over and over again. Scotty on the other hand still won't put his whole head under, but he's been inspired by Eliza and is starting to practice putting his face in the water. At this point I think Eliza is probably a greater risk for drowning though, because while neither can swim at least Scotty exhibits some caution!
Sunday we spent the day riding the Grand Canyon Train from Williams, AZ to the Canyon. We rode the 2.5 hours each way in a restored Pullman Club Car (which had a bar--yahoo!) where we listened to live music on the way out and were entertained by bandits on horseback who borded the train and "robbed" us (for tips) on the way back. It was loads of fun for all three of us. The canyon itself is as gorgeous as ever but we didn't spend much time at the rim during our 3 hour layover because we had lunch and then watched them switch the engines on the trains. There are two trains per day and each one gets pulled by a diesel engine in one direction and a steam engine in the other. So at the Canyon they switch engines. We waited about an hour in the hot sun to see the big steam engine get coupled to our train. It was totally worth the wait. Scotty got to see the eccentric move in slow motion during the switching and then while on the train we were able to see the engine at full speed when we turned. The car we were in had windows that opened too so we got the whole experience with the sounds and smells of the engine and even the occasional spray of mist. Very fun.
Today we had a very long haul from Williams to Bakersfield, CA. It was about 450 miles and took an entire tank of fuel, which is more than we usually use for that distance. I think it was because we crossed the Mojave in a raging headwind so with the AC running the whole time plus a few climbs into that wind we burned through it fast. Most of the scenery was hot dry desert, and it was neat to see some Joshua trees and some giant wind farms in the mountains west of Bakersfield. The kids were great again though and we only stopped twice during the 6.5 hour drive. Turns out they were saving it all up for the hotel though, because once in our room they went nuts. Some good food, a swim, and a movie saved the evening.
Tomorrow we head to Monterey to see the Aquarium and, finally, the Ocean!
Sunday we spent the day riding the Grand Canyon Train from Williams, AZ to the Canyon. We rode the 2.5 hours each way in a restored Pullman Club Car (which had a bar--yahoo!) where we listened to live music on the way out and were entertained by bandits on horseback who borded the train and "robbed" us (for tips) on the way back. It was loads of fun for all three of us. The canyon itself is as gorgeous as ever but we didn't spend much time at the rim during our 3 hour layover because we had lunch and then watched them switch the engines on the trains. There are two trains per day and each one gets pulled by a diesel engine in one direction and a steam engine in the other. So at the Canyon they switch engines. We waited about an hour in the hot sun to see the big steam engine get coupled to our train. It was totally worth the wait. Scotty got to see the eccentric move in slow motion during the switching and then while on the train we were able to see the engine at full speed when we turned. The car we were in had windows that opened too so we got the whole experience with the sounds and smells of the engine and even the occasional spray of mist. Very fun.
Today we had a very long haul from Williams to Bakersfield, CA. It was about 450 miles and took an entire tank of fuel, which is more than we usually use for that distance. I think it was because we crossed the Mojave in a raging headwind so with the AC running the whole time plus a few climbs into that wind we burned through it fast. Most of the scenery was hot dry desert, and it was neat to see some Joshua trees and some giant wind farms in the mountains west of Bakersfield. The kids were great again though and we only stopped twice during the 6.5 hour drive. Turns out they were saving it all up for the hotel though, because once in our room they went nuts. Some good food, a swim, and a movie saved the evening.
Tomorrow we head to Monterey to see the Aquarium and, finally, the Ocean!
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