friday at the new vic

 today was our last new vic show of the season and it ended up being a great show. the group was called flip fabrique and they were a group of friends who had attended the circus school in quebec.

catch me! or attrape-moi . . they were funny and wild and bounced around all over the stage with each other and with big red bouncy balls . . they even brought out a huge trampoline and bounced up onto a wall. the show followed a story line of friends getting together for the day (in a rainstorm!) and for a sleepover. there was a funny skit of them all wearing their sleeping bags over their heads and walking and dancing around like big sleeping bag bears. the music was fun (yes, it was loud but not continuously so, and there was lots of humor and laughter even mixed with a poignant scene of missing a dear friend who wasn't with them . .) they were really great. all of us just loved them. it just goes to show what enthusiasm and talent, humor and compassion can create. here they are:

the new vic and hints of spring

we went up to the new vic this morning with two homeschooling friends.

here is part of our group waiting for the show to begin upstairs . .

the show was "pinocchio" and i had misgivings from the start . . which all came true, unfortunately. it  was way too loud and i did leave to speak with the manager about the volume, but she couldn't turn it down, though she was very nice about the situation for me. i did request that she put it in the program  when a show would be this way. of course she answered that they didn't usually know until tech. well, she could check with the company, i said, and then put it in. ah well. who knows if this will actually happen. but it was too much for me and i sat outside in the lobby and read jane austen's northanger abbey on my cell phone while listening to the booms that came from the stage (quite an interesting juxtaposition . . it was so intense that i could feel the sound in my bones . . which is fun if it's a good rock 'n roll show, but this music didn't make that in my estimation . . neil young, bruce springsteen, red hot chili peppers . . these people weren't). afterwards, even our youngest friend who doesn't find anything too "dark" thought this show was dark and creepy and messy. it just didn't come together. classified as a "rock opera," the kids didn't think the singers' voices were very good. did they think that was because everything was so loud, and the mics distorted the voices too much? possibly, they said. it was a good learning experience and we all had fun talking about it on the train ride home (the kids also thought it was too dark and loud for the recommended age group: 8 years and up).

here are magnolia buds from our coop's hybrid "little girl" magnolia tree in the courtyard. they are always the first to bloom, and when it's a warm winter they sometimes will get blooms on the top branches. not this winter, however, which makes me happy. i'm amused that the long cold spell we had this year really pleases me. having grown up in this region, a long cold winter is what i'm used to and feels orderly and comforting to me in this crazy world (greg would say i'm reading the ny times too much on my cell phone).

chanda and i had a delicious lunch when we got home after the show. we had leftover spinach pesto on gluten free pasta with a salad.

this pesto had lemon zest and two tablespoons of lemon juice, a quarter cup of pignoli nuts and a third of a cup of parmesan cheese, with salt and pepper and half a cup of olive oil . . i think i included that here also.

i ran errands while chanda was at ballet class . . we're having friends over tomorrow and i promised morgana that i would show them how to make the pesto sauce.

i also put some laundry in and then met chanda coming home . . it's nice to have the longer days.

field trips

 this morning we saw another show at the new vic: cambuyon from the canary islands. they were a fabulous group of dancers, drummers and singers. they used wooden crates, recycled glass bottles, a wooden matchbox, and their own bodies to tap out exciting beats that made you dance in your seat. the rhythms were a mix of influences from africa, spain, america and ireland.

 two of the performers were sisters from barcelona, one man was from athens, another from cuba and the others from the canary islands. besides the energetic dancing, singing and drumming, they had a great sense of humor and everyone really enjoyed the show. 

if you don't want to watch the whole extract, start at 3:29. it goes from tap dancing to drumming to hand clapping - three of my favorite skits.

then it was time to walk uptown to see a documentary called ballet 422, about a new choreographer at new york city ballet.

 passing the statue of liberty . . 

and stopping for a quick bite to eat at pret . . 

 i'm usually such a snob when it comes to chain stores . . but pret is pretty impressive in my estimation . . 

 they had a quinoa cauliflower stew . . not only was it delicious, but it was really hot!

 another aspect of pret that impresses me: they make it easy to sort your garbage.

 it was a nice day to walk uptown because it was actually sunny . . 

 the movie was being shown at the lincoln center film society, just downstairs from nycb's school.

 we walked into the movie just when it was starting, and walked out as soon as it ended . . 

 as we had to get back downtown for c's violin lesson.

 and then i finally went home to make dinner as she went to ballet . . we had hot dogs from our local butcher with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts.

friday field trip, family matters tech and more ballet

 we saw another fabulous show at the new vic this morning: lionboy performed by the theatrical group complicite. they formed in 1983, and are based in london. you can read a new york times review here.

we were very impressed with the production. they had a percussionist on stage who interacted with them in all the scenes, two small screens on which a large eye was projected symbolizing the corporate "bad" guy, a fog machine, lots of sound effects and a simple set comprised of chairs and ladders. several of the actors played multiple roles so it was kept pretty simple which made it extra enjoyable for our group (we like things simple . . ).

hmmm . . yes, the days have been very grey again . .

 afterwards there was a tech for chanda's modern dance teacher's annual family matters show.

i was actually trying to watch without looking through the camera . . so got lost a little bit into the beginning . . 

 and then after dinner at home it was back to ballet . . 

 i always enjoy watching the classes . . i wouldn't mind sitting on the side every day with my knitting . . listening and watching surreptitiously . . 

grande battement in the center.

getting ready for grand allegro . . 

an allegro combination is jumps . . petit allegro would be a combination featuring small jumps and this is the grande with big jumps.

sometimes it's hard to stop . . 

friday field trip and afternoon baking

 we were out early this morning for a school performance at the new victory theatre on 42nd street.

 today the isango ensemble from cape town, south africa, performed mozart's the magic flute with an orchestra of marimbas. it was a heartfelt and honest and incredibly unique production. i can still hear the singers' beautiful voices in my head. it was very different and fun to see. i've really loved these first two shows at the new vic this year. sometimes the productions are a little too loud and slick for me, but the magic flute and the old man and the old moon were warm and earthy with important messages of adventure, heroism, and being true to one's self. you can learn about the isango ensemble and see some of their pieces here.

 it was a grey day when we emerged from the theatre and the light downtown accented the green of the trees and the red brown brick of the buildings.

 jefferson market with a grey, rainy looking sky. chanda went to a private ballet lesson with her dance teacher and korrina and i went home.

 i baked another pie. we had puree leftover from chanda's pumpkin and i had promised her that i would use it. i added a little butternut squash to it.

the texture was a little different as i mixed the cream cheese with the pumpkin first, rather than the sugar. it was more grainy, not as smooth. i minded, but no one else seemed to.

foodie news, a new new vic show and zwetschgenkuchen

 it's once again a new season of shows at the new vic and this year korrina is joining us for the first two. while on the train she opened the ny times to the dining section. she's been reading a lot of food blogs and articles since starting school. well, she was reading books about individual restaurant owners and chefs before school started . . but it seems to be even more now . . the school gave her an ipad and today she showed me a youtube movie about chicago's three michelin starred restaurant alinea. it was rather impressive. here's 24 hours at alinea:

amazing presentations, don't you think?!

 anyway, back to the new vic! we saw the old man and the old moon. it was a beautiful show filled with music and puppets and singing. the actors had gone to school together in pittsburgh at carnegie mellon, and after graduation had formed the pigpen theatre company. this was their fourth show together and everyone in the audience loved it. the little boy next to me would react to the action onstage by talking to the actors quietly from his seat. he was very cute. here's a little excerpt:


i would love to see their other shows.

 
 korrina ran off immediately afterwards to have the stitches removed from her finger (she cut it practicing knife skills - cutting tomatoes - remember?) before going to class, and chanda and i took the train home in time for her to have a private lesson with her ballet teacher.

 on her way back from ballet, chanda picked up some butter and we finally made our zwetschgenkuchen . . 

and had it after a dinner of broccoli sauce over pasta for dessert.

what have we been doing all week?

 taking it easy and having delicious breakfasts . . (including spice tea leftover from last christmas . . so good!)

 working on knitting projects . . 

 

 while listening to little women . . (they humor me . . they've been reading tamora pierce and adam gopnik and are dying to go see the hobbit soon!)

  korrina came over after work at the restaurant, and rode with chanda and i on the train to drop chanda at her modern dance class. this pic was taken on franklin between west broadway and church streets. afterwards, korrina and i walked back uptown to faicco's and then had tea at amy's. and then . . i got a call from chanda's ballet teacher saying that chanda should be at her ballet school's spacing rehearsal at the theatre for their nutcracker . .

 another delicious breakfast . . note the panettone that has made it's way into the picture . . 

 serenading jack . . 

 after the yorkville nutcracker weekend i had such a craving for spaghetti and meatballs . .

 actually managing to do some schoolwork . . 

 such a hard life . . 

warming celeriac soup with fava beans and rich marrow bone broth . . i've been getting recipes from nourished kitchen . .

 a performance at the new vic on 42nd street . . mother africa . . with dancers, musicians and circus performers . . 

 waiting for the show to begin . . 

 afterwards, chanda and i ran a few christmas errands before visiting chocolate bar for a much needed hot chocolate . . it's been cold!!! 25 to 30 degrees outside . .