Abby's Ballet Recital

Cody and Abby during technical rehearsals

Abby with school and ballet classmate Nicole

We referred to them as the blue girls and the pink girls. The blue girls are in the more advanced class while Abby and the rest in pink are in beginners. I took this picture at the ballet studio located at the rear of Luce Auditorium in Silliman University.

Killing time by launching another gameboy tournament: Raffy (checking out the girls), Gabby (in blue shirt), Abby, Cody (on yaya's lap) and Mommy Nini outside the ballet studio

The girls with Teacher Chini during technical rehearsals receiving final instructions.

Doing their curtain call

Abby had her 2nd ballet recital last February 26. We parents had the greatest fun dolling up our daughters (and thanks to Teacher Maru, by the way, for doing their make-up especially that fish tail eyeline) and proudly watched from the audience as our beloved girls goofed up onstage in the most adorable ways imaginable!

Of course, the "adorable" part could only come from the perspective of the parents involved! But we wanted to believe that the rest of the audience thought so too! In fact, we told ourselves that their performance will be remembered, not for their blunders, but for how adorable they were while they were committing those mishaps!!! He he he! After all, as little ballerinas, they were not expected to be perfect yet, blah blah blah .....

I know, I know ,,, only another parent whose young daughter has been to a ballet recital would be willing enough to swallow that line.

But they really were adorable in their tutus!!!

But then again, this is Abby's mother writing. Nobody has to believe me!

But, but .....

Post Script: (March 9, 2007)

I started writing the draft of this post a day or two after the recital. I could not post it right away because I found it hard to upload pictures (a single picture would take around 10 minutes to upload with my dial-up connection). I was in a very different mood then, any reader could tell that right away.

Lately though, I learned that behind the fun and excitement that we were having as we prepped our daughters up for their number, a very ugly scene was going on in the dance studio located at the rear of the auditorium.

A very irate mother (so say the least) complained of her daughter's name having been omitted in the list of dancers that was distributed to the audience. She had a very valid reason for complaining, but she went beyond the bounds of acceptable human conduct when she started slapping Teacher Ronnie around, a very gifted dancer and choreographer, who also happened to be Abby's teacher in another dance class, and who was, incidentally, the wrong person to take that matter up, BECAUSE HE DID NOT PREPARE THE PROGRAMME!

The entire incident was related by another Dumaguete blogger, Ian Casocot, in his site The Spy in the Sandwich entitled MONSTERS.

I just have to say something about that incident. I cannot keep quiet on this matter. It has aroused my outrage, not only because I know and respect the decent person who has been so shamelessly humiliated, but because people like the woman mentioned in Ian's blog should not be allowed to get away with her actions without anybody saying a thing or two about it!

As always, we get back to our being Filipinos, so timid ... and yet we complained of being abused here and there ... I wonder whose fault it is too?

THE TEACHER DESERVES AN APOLOGY!

I want to add my thoughts on that incident related to us by my fellow columnist Ian Casocot re: Monster. I know the choreographer personally because my daughter attends his dance class. I have nothing but the highest regard for him, not only because he is an extremely gifted dancer and choreographer, but because he was a kind, cheerful, patient and gentle mentor to little girls who were just learning to find their dancing feet. But most of all, he is a gentleman through and through.

To have his dignity trampled that way, and in full view of his dancers and students, for
negligence he absolutely had nothing to do about, over a small matter that could have been settled in another place and in a more appropriate time, and in a manner that will do justice to our claim as “gentle” people … is simply unforgivable!

HE DESERVES AN APOLOGY!

I hope that he would not decide to leave Dumaguete because of that monstrous incident. Our little girls are thriving under his care and we wish them to continue learning from him.

Remember Teacher, that woman does not represent the face of all the other ballet mothers like me who respect you and appreciate what you do for our precious children.

Finally, I hope that others will join me in saying …

THE TEACHER DESERVES AN APOLOGY!