Albuquerque Day 4: First Day of School

Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for: The Festival begins!

Nick and I were at breakfast before 6:30 a.m. I didn’t sleep well and I’m not sure Nick did either. Poor baby was nervous this morning. Not bad nervous (stop worrying, Mommy), just excited nervous. We loaded up on carbs and protein (caffeine for me!) and took the first shuttle to UNM.

Good to see familiar faces! Saw Mia, the very sweet 13-year-old phenom I hid behind in Pastora’s class last year. She’s here with her sister, and actually raised the money to get here because it was that important to her. That’s dedication! This young lady has quite a career ahead of her, I’m convinced.

Nick and I tried the Stretching class at 8 a.m. I did it last year and I warned him it’s intense if you aren’t used to it. But he insisted on trying and sure enough, he struggled a bit (so did I!). At one point while lying on my back with my legs in the air, facing away from him, I hear a “Thunk!!” followed by his own laughter. He was cracking himself up because he could not do the exercises! Then I started laughing because his laugh is hysterical. But we were in the back of the room and we were trying to keep it down, so I don’t think we were a distraction.

Ok, since it’s late and I’m butt tired, here are the highlights:

Nick’s beginner class: At break time Nick texted me,”This is hard! And FAST!!!!!!!” So of course I got all big sister and ran to his classroom to check on him. He was sweaty and looked a little defeated, but he was fine. I told him he could drop if it was really that stressful, but he said no. He’s gonna stick it out all week.

My intermediate tangos repertory with Ivan Vargas: OMG, he is precious. That smile. What a cutie pie. He’s a very patient teacher who goes over things many times, which is great because the class is crowded and we can’t always see. Love his style.

Palmas with Joaquin Encinias. This was a last-minute schedule change. I think it was a good call. I love music classes and EVERY flamenco needs palmas skills.

Cante with Vicente Griego: This is a repeat class for me because I enjoyed it so much last year. Vicente is so fun and inspiring, and cante really interests me.

Tonight’s show: Marco Flores’s De Flamencas. Phenomenal. I love that his company is made up entirely of women. Watching female dancers, female singers, and female guitarists was very inspiring and empowering. As I watched, I couldn’t decide which of those elements I’d like to work on most! I mean, I AM married to the dance, but I’ve dabbled in guitar and dipped my toes in cante, and I love it all. Anyway, the choreography and staging was well done, the artists were on point, and Marco himself was fantastic. His style made me happy.

Signing off now. Have a massive headache and I think it’s because I’m so tired. Here are a couple of pictures from tonight: Nick & me, and Cyrena, Elvira and me…