Daya sure had a day today!
I might have to remind her of today and how amazing it was and how it showed how amazing she is.
******
We had a really good chat in the morning, just about how she's doing with some financial stuff.
She is doing extraordinarily well.
Although she was not thinking this at all, I definitely see it and I put things in perspective for her.
In some ways, she is- and kind of always has been- ahead of her peers in basic life skills.
Unfortunately that does create a social gap for her.
It'll close as everyone gets older.
She asked me to keep something for her, to help her manage her head, and I said no.
It's the kind of thing where maybe a lot of moms would say yes and do it, because it would be helpful short-term, and it would have no impact on me at all.
But I said no.
And this is important because if I said yes and took a difficulty away, she would not learn how to keep her own balance.
She cannot depend on me-- or anyone else-- to keep her balance.
I will help with resources and structure to help her learn and keep balance, but she has to learn it.
And that takes some practice. Now is the time in her life to do it, before she enters fully into the adult world.
Daya is a baby-adult right now.
She is an adult, yes, but I told her she has training wheels on.
I told her this is right and appropriate, she should have adult training wheels on, and she will for a few more years probably.
She got it.
And ultimately, because Daya is Daya, she won't settle for depending on anyone else for things she should do for herself. She requires autonomy; she won't stand for anything less.
I know this and I respect it, so I said no to a short-term comfort so she can learn and practice.
******
This afternoon, Daya auditioned for the Met Opera.
There is a 900-person waitlist to get an audition there.
The director of Juilliard Dance got her in.
So, Daya just stepped right over 900 people sitting on a waitlist hoping for a chance.
She told me all about the audition, which was really cool to hear about from her perspective.
There were 40 people in her group.
Of those 40, she said only about 10 would be seriously considered, and of those 10, 5 are Juilliard people.
Daya knows she blew everyone out of the room in that audition, and she knows why.
She does things differently, deliberately. They are small and subtle but make a huge difference.
She listens. She observes VERY carefully.
She says a lot of people don't, which I find surprising at that level.
She said they'll say at the audition what they want to see.
They might say they want to see you as a dancer- which is more individual artistic interpretation, or they want to see technique.
They wanted to see technique.
Daya has technique out the wazoo and she knows it so she gave them technique.
She also knows she went to an audition where there are no available contracts right now.
That means all these people are auditioning (and waiting) for something with no openings.
It has something to do with a legal obligation to renew existing contracts.
But life changes and she said there is no way they don't offer her a contract at some point, but she doesn't really care whatever happens.
She said it was good for strangers to see her and it was a great experience.
*******
Before the audition, Daya went back to high school and took class at LaGuardia.
They like when she visits.
It's also half a block from Juilliard- very convenient.
LaG Dance is a very, very special place and I'm glad she still has that access and support.
Tadej told me at winter dance showcase this year that they don't see enough of her.
She took ballet class with the high school kids, which I think is fantastic because of the osmosis which is very real. It's good for the kids to have her there as well.
As it turned out, her good friend and mentor George from Manhattan Youth Ballet was subbing for the class, and he is a strong and good connection for her.
Also he has connections from dancing at the Met Opera. Nice coincidence there.
Astoundingly, 6 out of 7 of my dance paintings from 2023 are still on display outside the dance office!!
My favorite one isn't there, maybe it sold.
They were supposed to be a fundraiser for LaG Dance.
I like that they are still there on display.
It's a nice feeling.
