valentine's day at the judson sunday service

m and c and i spent our morning at judson church. the beliloveables were asked to dance for their valentine's sunday service. the dance lori belilove chose for them to perform was southern roses, a beautiful favorite . . and perfect for the judson's large classical space. it being valentine's day, everyone was wearing pink or red, and had heart-shaped cookies and cards to hand out . . and there were also lots of heart socks! g was at home, drafting a last minute letter for our mortgage re-financing, but managed to arrive just in time (the girls opened the service at 11 am).

dance warm-up

g

ensemble photo

the isadora duncan dance company presented a showcase in a rehearsal room at city center today. it was part of the APAP conference for NYC. everyone danced beautifully, and friends and attendees made an enthusiastic audience. beliloveable moms couldn't resist snapping group photos. looking at it now, i'm struck by how much these young girls have grown in the past few years. and the rehearsals, lately, have been copacetic with everyone working well together.

saturday duncan class

the light was so pretty in morocco studio where the saturday afternoon duncan class takes place, that i couldn't resist doing a little filming. the girls will be performing in new jersey on november 7th at buck's mill park in colt's neck (near freehold). i think it's a fundraiser, but right now I'm not sure what for.

lemonade stand

m and c's friends had a lemonade stand today, on the sidewalk of their apartment building. it's a special "manhattan plaza" market and people pay $20 for a space to sell their wares. m and c were invited and we joined them for the afternoon. there was a morning rush for the cookies and by the time we arrived, the lemonade jug was only a third full. knitted items and books sold more slowly, but a profit was made! the goal? to raise money for their isadora duncan dance lessons. our friends made a pretty sign and included a lovely article about their dancing with lori belilove and company. it was a beautiful day for sitting (or standing!) under the trees and selling one's goods (though a few pigeons did manage to say hello in a not so friendly way!)


i was enamoured with the knitting basket full of works-in-progress. m's friend was making a hat with a knitpicks variegated and lionbrand's superwash in green. they looked so nice together. the dark blue one above is a knitpicks alpaca and silk blend . . (i think . . )

very inspiring!

dancing on staten island

the girls had a dance performance at the alice austen house on staten island with the isadora duncan dance company. they had a beautiful, clear day, and the audience this year seemed to be double the size of last year.

. . . waiting to go on . .

photo shoot

i was up at 5 this morning to do all the things i wanted to do before flying out the door with m and c for the subway. we managed to leave with g on his way to work and left him at 42nd street and made our way to grand central. we met everyone at the information kiosk (it's interesting that i felt happy there was still a real live person in it, and not some kind of automated mechanical being dispensing train information). we had a fun ride to tarrytown, but not such a fun photo shoot. everyone was unhappy with the photographer. his comments didn't make the dancers (or the mamas) feel comfortable. i managed to take one photo before we escaped back to the train station (helped in our getaway by a dear grandpa to one of the dancers). the beautiful lady with the strawberries assuaged hunger pangs and we happily boarded the 12:49 for manhattan.

dinner break

backstage

at the judson

it's amazing how quickly this can turn into this:

staten island

we rode the ferry to staten island today and went to the alice austen house for a dance performance (exerpt below). the view of manhattan and the verrazano was breathtaking, and the breeze coming off the water felt so fresh. m. and her friend said, "it smells so good out here!" is staten island really a part of new york city? there were no coffee shops from which one could buy a cappuccino, and k. and i were craving one, but we weren't so desperate that we resorted to buying from dunkin donuts. there was a little italian trattoria, but they didn't make cappuccinos to go. to go! how gauche!
the ferry rides in the afternoon and at night were very crowded. it's been many years since i've ridden the staten island ferry, and i don't remember there being so many people!! maybe i just never rode in the summer or at rush hour? is the ferry more popular than usual with the tourists? i don't know, but my memories of riding the ferry are of hardly anyone out on deck and today i could hardly get by to take a picture. i guess i'll have to go again in the winter. and i have to add that i really miss all the state flags that used to hang along the wall of the old st. george terminal building. i wonder if they are in storage somewhere? maybe hanging in a new space? trashed?