Exactly a month after receiving the pretty costume, Aina was finally out on the stage performing as one of the butterflies in the Giselle Ballet concert. She was ecstatic about this.
My mom, as usual, came from Jakarta to watch Aina’s performance. And learning from last year’s flower debacle, we ordered the flower bouquet the day before, and picked it up in the morning, before the flower shop is closed. We brought the bouquet along with us in a concealed bag, so that it would be a surprise for Aina. Fortunately, she didn’t really pay attention to what we brought along… She was too busy admiring her costume and her make up… XD
It turns out that the costume had extra accessories: a pair of butterfly wings and antennae.
There were two shows today, the matinee and the evening shows. Aina was on the matinee one. So, we went to the UCC (the venue) around 10:00 am to drop her off and headed out again for lunch so that we could come back before the show started.
All the pre-ballet butterflies met up at the lobby of UCC. And since the backstage wasn’t open yet, these kids in the colorful tutus started to play catch and twirled around the lobby. I was a bit worried that they would tear up their costumes or bruise themselves from falling on that marble floor. So I was glad that nothing happened. And by the time it was their turn to go to the backstage, their make ups were still intact… A little sweaty, but still intact. Whew.
We wen to back stage at 10:30. I guess they had to go through another round of rehearsal and some photoshoots before the show began. Aina brought her bottle of water and some snacks in her backpack.
Then, nearing 2pm, we left the flower bouquet at the entrance and entered the hall. And the show began.
She only came out twice in the show. The first one was the Butterfly dance, the second one was the quick curtain call at the end (quick, but I heard from Aina that they practiced this part countless times). Her group was the youngest one in the show, just like when they did the La Bayadere show. So their routine was kept short and sweet.
Once the show was done, we could pick them up at the lobby of the UCC. And she had so many stories to tell afterwards.
Many more photos at the Giselle 2013 photo album in Flickr.
