Sorry (again) for the lag time, folks... life has once again been a LOT of what happens while I made other plans. I figure that at this rate I'll finish catching up on 2018 sometime late in 2023 or thereabouts... So here's an attempt at trying to finish a bit earlier than that...!
As Miri has reminded Mommy from time to time, she goes to school 7 days a week -- with Saturdays being occupied by the CLAPS (Cultural Language Arts Programs and Services) classes from the CCACC.[1] That program closes down for the summer a little earlier than the public school system, and they mark the end of each term with a (very) large public performance at a local college's performing arts center. The performance is actually comprised mainly of classes from another unaffiliated Chinese dance & culture school, but the CLAPS performances are often a highlight and we (the "MIT" group) make a point of being there to cheer on our girls in the crowd of families from the other school.
There is no photography or videography allowed during the performances -- they are professionally recorded & DVDs are then made available for purchase -- but there are no restrictions on photography up to the opening curtain or after the last curtain call, so here are some of the less blurred, obscured, or rushed photos I managed to capture. (I say that because the lighting is often a bit wonky, slowing my camera's AI to the point where it won't actually take a photo until after what I'm trying to photograph has come & gone... not to mention the incredible mob scene at the stage door after the show in which it's every man for himself and it's sometimes physically impossible to aim a camera, or even lift it up to take a picture.)
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| Pre-show... "There are HOW MANY dances before our girls...?!?!" |
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| Post-show: Our dancing stars finally emerge from backstage! |
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| One of the calmer(!) moments in the lobby as dancers & families reunite... |
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| All our girls got kitten ear headbands -- here's the Pipsqueak rockin' hers... |
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| Just your typical "Uncle Brian and His Camera" pose... :-) |
The weather was nice, so as soon as we were sure we'd gathered everyone & everything there was to gather, we stepped outside for a little breathing space and -- of course -- group photos. After much of the usual cat herding (the girls were all running on high adrenaline at this point) the four sets of parental units were finally able to get them seated on a convenient nearby wall for a nice group photo.
Or so we thought. (The following text is an approximation of joint utterances by several parental units, not just yours truly.)
"Okay, girls, everyone look at the cameras and smile... C'mon... Um, can you please all look in the same direction...?"
"Okay, let's try that again. Everyone smile and look here... that's right... No, I meant smile NICELY and look here... argh..."
"Can we please get some NORMAL faces, girls? Girls...? GIRLS....?"
"Okay, everybody calm down... that's better... Okay, girls, now look over here... One... two... thr- ...Okay, very funny, we get it... <sigh>"
Finally, the girls' dance instructor, Laura, was able to join us for a few minutes and we finally(!) got a presentable group photo to commemorate the event:
Needless to say, Miri & Co. were in high spirits for the rest of the evening, but all that adrenaline took its toll and the Pipsqueak slept for the last 15 minutes of the ride home... a well-deserved rest for the family's terpsichorean star!
[1] Miri's still involved with the CLAPS dance program, but the time she had been spending in language classes -- with unfortunately diminishing results due to some program & staff changes -- is now spent in rehearsals with the SBA Junior Dance Team. On the down side, that means my sister is driving all over the map for much of Saturday, every Saturday, but it's something the Pipsqueak really wanted & is working hard for so it's not as much of a bother as it might seem. We're proud of her taking the risk & working hard to make the team!
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