Musings on ballet, classical music, the violin, and life
(This is a duplicate of the essay “Honoring the Motherless Daughter,” which had a broken link yesterday. Better two versions of a popular essay than none!) *** Mother’s Day again. I was at the grocery store today, buying food for my husband and son to cook for me, so they could lavish attention (or not) … Read more
Mother’s Day again. I was at the grocery store today, buying food for my husband and son to cook for me, so they could lavish attention (or not) on me on this special day. As I hovered by the cheese section, a memory overtook me, of what Mother’s Day used to be like, before my … Read more
Over in Q&A, someone asked what my biggest onstage gaffe had been, in my dance performing days. Ooh. Now that’s a good question. You don’t hear ballet dancers talk about that too often, do you? Most performers have their share of the little stuff, such as falling off pointe, having a sloppy pirouette turn, even … Read more
Today is the day I will pack up my duffel bag of stuff and head over to the Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek for my annual silent retreat. Usually this takes place in August, a warm, still time in the Santa Cruz Mountains that sort of lends itself to drowsy, bucolic contemplation. But this August … Read more
There was no gimmick, no magic formula, no knowing of the right person. I simply called the San Francisco Ballet’s ticket office, back in mid-March and asked about the availability of various seats for the 2:00pm performance on Saturday April 20. I had a ticket already for the San Francisco Symphony’s 8:00pm performance that night, just across … Read more